1867.] ON THE EUPOUS-TAILED SHRIKES. 47 



A species combining these two characters was obtained at Hyderabad, in Scinde, by Ibis, 1867, 

 the late Dr. Gould, of which a specimen, in bad order, is now preserved in the East-India ^' ^^"' 

 Museum (Plate V. fig. 1, in orig.). Not being acquainted with typical Arabian examples, I cannot 

 pronounce decidedly on the identity of this Scinde specimem and Ehrenberg's species. It will 

 be seen, by the following description, that it differs from Ehrenberg's account of L. isabellimis 

 by possessing a rufous head and rufous-brown dorsal plumage. But I suspect that Ehrenberg's 

 type was either a female, a young bird, or else a male in seasonal plumage; for the British 

 Museum contains a specimen from Bagdad which is palpably of the same species as this Scinde 

 specimen, but which answers perfectly to Ehrenberg's description of L. isahelUnus ; that is, the 

 upper plumage is pale fulvo-cinereous. We have no means at present of deciding what state 

 of the bird this cinereous phase denotes ; but I incline to the opinion that it belongs to the 

 female sex. As this Hyderabad specimen constitutes an additional species to the fauna of the 

 Indian region comprehended within the geographical limits of Dr. Jerdon's work, I append a 

 detailed description : — 



Entire upper surface of head and uropygium rufous-brown, as in brightly plumaged speci- 

 mens of L. cristatus, Linn. Intermediate dorsal region, scapulars, and all the wing-feathers 

 brown, obscurely tinged with rufous, the secondaries, wing-coverts, and scapularies being broadly 

 edged with ruddy fulvous. Upper tail-coverts and the rectrices bright pure rufous, as in 

 Buticilla ])hcenicura, Linn. ; the under surface of the rectrices somewhat paler, but pure and uni- 

 form in tint. Under wing-coverts and entire under surface, so far as the state of the specimen 

 permits description, pale creamy or yellowish-white. Under tail-coverts, which are lengthened, 

 nearly pure white. Flank-feathers tiiaged with a very pale shade of pure rufous. A narrow 

 fulvous line at the base of the maxilla passing back, over, and behind the eye. A broad black 

 band, passing through the eye, includes the lores and the ear-coverts. A white alar bar is 

 formed by a white band commencing on the outer web of the 3rd primary and passing through 

 both webs of each succeeding quill to the 9th, in which and the 10th the white forms only a 

 spot on the outer web. Under surface of quills pale brown, their inner webs being margined ibis, 1867, 

 with light fulvous. 1st primary very short, the 2nd equal to the 5th, and a little shorter P" 

 than the 3rd and 4th, which are coequal and longest; the 5th but a trifle shorter than the 3rd 

 and 4th, and longer than the 2nd. The tail is moderate, graduated ; the wings are lengthened ; 

 the bill moderate ; the under tail-coverts extend to fully half the length of the tail ; the tarsus 

 and feet are powerful. Arabian specimens will have to be compared ; but I have little doubt 

 that this Scinde individual will prove to be a mature male of L. isahelUnus, H. & E. 



Dimensions. 



Long. Eostr. Al. Caud. Tars. 



Ex Scinde -43 3-87 3-6 2-87 



In a note (Rev. de Zool. 1853, p. 437), while failing to identify it, and without mentioning 

 its origin, Bonaparte has described a rufous-tailed Shrike under the title oi Lanius jeracopis, de 

 Filippi. I have been unable to trace the species, but the characters given are those we find in 

 young males of L. superciliosus. Lath., ex Malacca. 



