412 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Family LANIID^. — The Shrikes. 



Char. Bill very powerful, strong, and much compressed, the tip abruptly hooked, deeply 

 notched, and with a prominent tooth behind the notch ; both mandibles distinctly notched, 

 the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent up. Tarsi longer 

 than the middle toe, strongly scutellate. Primaries ten; hrst primary half the second, or 

 shorter (occasionally wanting). Wings short, rounded ; tail long and much graduated. 

 Sides of tarsi with the plates divided on the outside. 



Of this family only a single genus is known in North America. 



Genus COLLURIO, Vigors. 



Colhirio, Vigors, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1831, 42. (Type, Lanius cxcubitor, L.) 

 Lanitis, Auct. (not of Linnaeus, whose type is L. cristatus). 

 Collyrio, G. R. Gray. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 323. 



Gen. CifAK. 



Feathers of forehead stifiened ; base of bill, including nostrils, covered by 



bristly feathers directed forward. Bill 

 shorter than the head, much coni- 

 l)ressed, and very powerful. Culmen 

 decurved from base, the mandible ■ab- 

 ruptly bent down in a powerful hook 

 with an acute lobe near the tip. Tip 

 of lower mandible bent upwards in a 

 hook ; the gonys very convex. Ric- 

 tus with long bristles. Legs stout; 

 the tarsi rather .short, and longer than 

 the middle toe ; the lateral equal ; 

 the claws all very sharp and much 

 curved. Wings rounded ; the first 

 primary about half the second, which 

 CMwrio ezcubitoroides. jg gq^.^i j^) the sixth or seventh. Tail 



longer than the wings, much graduated, the feathers broad. 



But few species of this genus belong to America, and these are confined to 

 the northern portion. For the purpose of more readily identifying the spe- 

 cies we present a brief diagnosis, and then furnish descriptions of all (includ- 

 ing a European ally) in a single table. 



Species. 



A. Outer webs of secondaries wholly white for basal half (mostly concealed 



by coverts, however). Upper eyelid white. 



C. excubitor.' Nasal tufts grayish- white. In other respects, as regards 

 colors, like excubitoroides. Wing, 4.20; tail, 4.00; tarsus, .95. Hab. 

 Europe. 



1 Lanius cxcubitor, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 94. 



