RHODOPHONEUS CRUENTUS 393 
the Red Sea coast to Port Sudan, and westward. into 
Kordofan. — 
The species is represented in the British Museum from 
Mirti in Upper Gallaland, and Tadejemulka in Danakil 
(Degen); Kassim River (Lovat); Ogayeh Wells in Western 
Kordofan (Dunn) ; Koomalee and Amba (Blanford), and Rairo 
(Jesse). These Shrikes were met with along the Red Sea 
coast from the Gulf of Tajura to Suakim by Heuglin, who 
remarks that their range is restricted to the more arid plains, 
where he found them in pairs or family parties both shy and 
restless. Their song was a pleasing shrill piping chirp, some- 
what resembling that of Lantus excubitor. The type of the 
species was discovered by Hemprich and Khrenberg at Arkiko, 
near Massowa. Blanford writes: “It was not rare around 
Annesley Bay, and was occasionally seen in Samhar and 
Hahab up to an elevation of about 3,000 feet, never, however, 
above the range of tropical flora and fauna. In December and 
January small families were met with, hopping along the 
ground, and flying one after the other from bush to bush like 
the Bush-Warblers; in May and June all met with were 
in pairs.” 
Butler found this Shrike common near Port Sudan and 
on the plains south of Suakim, and rather less so on the 
Erkowit plateau. He states that “its habits are something 
between those of Velephonus and Argya, and, like the latter, 
it associates in small parties.” 
From further inland the species has been recorded from 
Shendy on the White Nile (Wiirttemburg), Kordofan and 
Fazogl (Kotschy), and in Shoa it was found by Antinori 
frequenting the mimosa-bushes which are scattered over the 
sandy plains at Addagalla; but it was rare there in July, in 
which season Dr. Ragazzi records it as abundant at Gerba. 
Two eggs of this species taken by Major Dunn at Ogayeh 
