268 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



LANIUS SENATOR* 



113. Lanius senator senator L.— THE WOODCHAT SHRIKE. 



Lanius Senator Linnaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 94 (1758 — "Habitat 

 in Indiis." Errore. Rhine fixed as typical locality by Hartert, Vog. pal. 

 Fauna, i, p. 434). 



Lanius auriculati's P. L. S. Miiller, Yarrell, i, p. 215 ; Lanms pomeranvs 

 Sparrman, Saunders, p. 153. 



Upper wing : The Corsican Woodchat Shrike {Lanius s. badius). 

 Lower wing : The Woodch.at Shrike (Lanius s. senator). 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Sides of fore-head and lores 

 white ; centre of fore-head and band across fore-part of crown 

 black ; rest of crown, nape, and upper mantle chestnut ; rest of 

 mantle brown-black, feathers narrow!}^ tipped brow7iisli-chestnut ; 

 scapulars white sometimes tinged cream ; back grey washed 



* This species is rather unfortunate in its names. Until 1871 it was 

 almost universally called L. rufus, or sometimes ruficeps or rutilus. Then 

 Mr. Dresser introduced auriculatvs, and this alteration of a well-known, time- 

 honoured name was unblushingly accepted by Saunders in the same year, and 

 byGadow, but in 1883 Saunders adopted poweram/s, which had to give way 

 to senator, since the adoption of the 10th edition of Linnaeus, 1758. — E.H. 



