COLLURIO. 445 
coverts gray. Wings and tail black, varied with white; the former showing 
externally a large white patch at bases of primaries, and broad white tips to 
the secondaries. The white on primaries extends nearly as far as the tip of 
the 1st quill; the inner webs of the secondaries (excepting the innermost 
ones) are pure white to the shaft for their basal half, the posterior border of 
the patch perpendicular to the shaft; this color also bordering the web for 
half its width to the end, and quite abruptly defined. The tail feathers are 
apparently without any concealed white at their bases, although the discon- 
nected fibres are grayish; the outer feather has the terminal third and all 
the outer web white; the amount of white diminishes in the 2d, 3d, and 4th 
feathers ; the 5th and 6th entirely black. 
There is a broad black band from bill through and behind eye, and un- 
varied by white, as in excubitoroides, and with a well defined narrow frontal 
line of the same color; the loral region, however, exhibits a tinge of deep 
ashy; the bill and legs are black. , 
Total length, 8.75; wing, 4.20; tail, 4.40, graduation, 1.00; exposed por- 
tion of lst primary, 1.35, of 2d, 2.60, of longest (measured from exposed base 
>of Ist primary), 2.95; length of bill from forehead, 1.00, from nostril, .59, 
along gape, 1.10, depth, .39; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe and claw, .95, claw 
alone, .4; hind toe and claw, .70, claw alone, 33. 
The description given above is taken from a specimen in the col- 
lection of the Philadelphia Academy, labelled as having been col- 
lected in California by Dr..Gambel, and is very decidedly different 
from any of the recognized North American species. Of nearly 
the size of C. excubitoroides and ludovicianus, it has a bill even 
more powerful than that of C. borealis. In its unwaved under 
parts and uniform color of the entire upper surface, except scapulars, 
it differs from borealis and excubitoroides, and resembles ludovict- 
anus. In the extension of white over the inner webs of the secon- 
daries, it closely resembles C. excubitor. The great restriction of 
white at the base of the tail—the four central feathers being entirely 
black, and the bases of the others grayish-ashy—is quite peculiar 
to the species. 
I am by no means satisfied that the bird here eioeiar is the true 
Lanius elegans of Swainson—there being several marked differences _ 
from his description. In the essential features, however, of the 
larger size, especially of the bill, the concolored forehead, the scarcely 
lighter rump, and the greater amount of white on the inner webs 
of the secondaries, there is a decided accordance. In Swainson’s 
bird the tail seems to be almost as white as in extremes of colora- 
tion of excubitoroides, instead of being much blacker than usual. 
Collurio excubitoroides. 
Lanius excubitoroides, Swainson, F. B. A. II, 1831, 115 (Saskatchewan). 
—GAMBEL, Pr. A. N. Sc. 1847, 200 (Cala.).—Cassin, Pr. A. N. Sc. 
