270 Mr. R. Swinhoe on Formosan Ornithology. 



vail on the breast of our bird, where the feathers are, on the 

 other hand, much larger, and round instead of lanceolate. The 

 wings and tail are black on the under parts instead of brown, 

 and the former is nearly | inch longer. The feathers of the 

 tail are much broader, and the same purple and blue in all the 

 glossy parts of our bird replace the copper-green of C. anea. 



30. Lanius schach (Gm.), var. Formosa. 



L. chinensis, Gray. 



The constant large size of the Chinese Shrike, in my opinion, 

 justifies its separation from the small allied species of the 

 Indian Archipelago, to which Gmelin^s name is also applied; 

 but as it was on a specimen brought from China by his dis- 

 ciple Osbeck that the great father of nomenclature founded 

 the species, we cannot do otherwise than employ his name for 

 our bird, leaving it to others to adopt some distinguishing desig- 

 nations for the smaller congeneric forms. I have traced our 

 species from Canton to the banks of the Yangtsze on the main, 

 and within this area it is everywhere a common resident species. 

 It has never been recorded from North China, nor yet from 

 Japan; but throughout Formosa it is quite as abundant as in 

 China. It is noticeable for its loud, screaming note ; but when 

 quietly perched on the bough of some tree, I have heard it sing, 

 its song being a strange mixture of harsh discordant notes with 

 others soft and melodious. When in a playful mood, it can 

 mimic with great success the wail of the Kite, or the bark of a 

 dog, and the cries of many other animals. It loves to perch on 

 prominent places. It preys on mice and small birds, but more 

 frequently on grasshoppers, cockroaches, and dragon-flies. Its 

 nest is usually placed in the centre of a bush, six or seven feet 

 from the ground, formed of flexible twigs, and lined with hair 

 or wool, fine grass, and fibres. The eggs vary from five to seven, 

 and are yellowish grey, spotted with yellowish brown and light 

 grey, chiefly at the larger end. I have often taken a nest of 

 this bird in which all the eggs were of a clear pinkish-white 

 ground-colour and spotted as usual ; but I have never seen them 

 girdled with a brown ring, as is the case with some of those of 

 L. coUurio, L. 



