unfigured Eggs of Palaarctic Birds. ,"):27 



Grant (Nov. Zool. ix. p. 461),, is an eastern form of our 

 common Woodchat- Shrike, differing in having the basal 

 portion of the middle tail-feathers white. It was found 

 by Mr. Zarudny breeding in Arabistan, Persia, in March 

 1904 ; he obtained four clutches of its eggs, all of which he 

 sent to me. The eggs differ but little inter se, and, as was to 

 be expected, are barely separable from those of the Western 

 Woodchat (Lanius auriculatus) ; for subspecies, so far as my 

 experience goes, lay eggs which do not differ from those of 

 the typical species ; nor does this subspecies differ in the nest 

 or mode of nidification. The dimensions of eggs of three 

 clutches average 089 by 068 inch. 



I am doubtful whether rufus is the correct specific name 

 for this Eastern form of the Woodchat- Shrike, for Lanius 

 rufus of Brisson (Orn. ii. p. 147) and Kaup (Natiirl. Syst. 

 p. 33) are both referable to our European Woodchat, whereas 

 L. rufus of Gmelin is in point of fact quite a different bird. 

 But I hold that Mr. Ogilvie-Grant (Nov. Zool. ix. p. 470) 

 was in error when he discarded Lanius auriculatus of Miiller 

 (including it doubtfully among the synonymy of Lanius 

 minor) in favour of pomeranus of Sparrman *. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XL 



Eggs of 



Figs. 1, 2, 3. Lanius raddii, p. 525. 



„ 4, 7. Lanius rufus, p. 526. 



,, 5, 8. Lanius erythronotus, p. 526. 



„ 6, 9. Lanius cristatus, p. 525. 



„ 10,11, 12. Lanius bucephalus, p. 525. 



* [It is possible that Mr. Ogilvie-Grant may have been wrong in 

 su^-estinc- that the term " auriculatus " may belong to Lanius minor. 

 But we agree with Mr. Saunders ('Ibis,' 1883, p. 83) in adopting 

 "pomeranus" of Sparrman as the first certain specific name for the 

 Woodchat, and employed as such in the B. O. U. List.— Edd.] 



x 2 



