434 Mr. J. Scully on the 



Mr. Dresser, in his ' Birds of Europe/ has figured L. phos- 

 nicuroides under the name of the present species, on the 

 assumption that L. phoenicuroides merely represents the full 

 breeding-plumage of L. isabellinus. That this is an error I 

 can assert, as I obtained many specimens of L. isabellinus in 

 breeding-plumage, in Yarkand, not differing in colour at all 

 from winter examples common in collections from the north- 

 west of India. I may here mention that the young of L. isa- 

 bellinus diners altogether from the jonng of L. phoenicuroides, 

 the former being even paler isabelline above than the adults, 

 and very slightly crossbarred on the lower surface, while in 

 young L. phoenicuroides the colour above is dark rufous-brown, 

 and the underparts are prominently crossbarred. 



Lanius specuUgerus differs from L. isabellinus in having the 

 whole lores black, and it has a large white patch on the wing. 

 A difference in shape of bill has also been insisted on ; but in 

 the few examples of L. specuUgerus I have examined there 

 seemed to be hardly any variation in this respect. 



Lanius phcenicuroides, Severtzoff. 



Lanius phoenicuroides, Severtzoff, Stray Feathers, iii. p. 430 

 (1875). 



This species was only observed during the autumn migra- 

 tion. An immature specimen shot on the 8th September 

 measured — length 7'5 inches, wing 3*5, tail 3"15, tarsus 0'85, 

 bill from gape 0'8, culmenO"75; third and fourth primaries 

 longest, second intermediate in length between the fifth and 

 sixth ; head, rump, and under tail-coverts rufous, barred with 

 black ; rest of upper surface dark rufous-brown, unbarred ; 

 lower surface white, crossbarred with dark brown. 



The adults of this species differ from Lanius isabellinus in 

 having a differently shaped wing and tail, in the wing-spe- 

 culum being larger, the lower surface white, the whole lores 

 black, the head more rufous than the back, and the quills 

 more black, ^^o phoenicuroides must be referred : — Mr. Dres- 

 ser's figure of L. isabellinus before mentioned; Lord Waldeu's 

 figure and description of L. isabellinus in ' The Ibis,^ 1867, 

 pp. 224, 226, pi. V. fig. 1 ; Schalow's supposed young L. 



