1918.] recently collected in Siam. 215 



oil the back and upper tail-coverts. The last of the two is, 

 perhaps^ not fully adult, for, though it is not banded on tlie 

 under suiface, many of the feathers of the occiput and nape, 

 which are very worn, are barred with greyish ; the frontal 

 plumes and lores are also whitish, whereas in the other bird 

 they are quite black. It would seem, tlierefore, that the 

 pale frontal plumes and lores and the black band confined 

 to the lores are features of immaturity and have no sub- 

 specific value ; they are the characters on wliich Gyldenstolpe 

 chiefly relies for the distinction of his race, together with a 

 white wing-lining and dark bases to the feathers of the 

 thighs — the last two characters are present in all the birds 

 dealt with here. 



My Siamese birds — three of which are immature with 

 barred breasts, while the fourth, owing to the presence of 

 pale shafts to the ear-coverts, is probably hardly fully adult 

 — are superficially very different, but, in view of what Hume 

 says with regard to L. collurioides [t. s. c. p. 92), I believe 

 they must be regarded as referable to the typical form of 

 that species : — " This species is very variable according to 

 age. In a comparatively young bird the whole head and lores 

 are iron-grey ; the back, scapulars, etc., are a rather bright, 

 not deep, ferruginous ; while in the old adults the lores 

 are jet-black, the head all but black, and the back, etc., 

 the deepest and richest maroon. The differences in colour 

 between the young and old in this species are far greater 

 than between L. cristatus and L. superciliusus." 



Anybody who has been unable to examine a large series 

 of this Shrike, as in my case, or was unacquainted with 

 Hume^s statements, would undoubtedly regard my Siamese 

 specimens as something distinct; the lack of black on the 

 com])aratively light grey heads, the pale backs, and slight 

 amount of white on the outer tail-feathers are apparently 

 very marked features, but, in view of Hume^s observations, 

 it seems necessary to look upon them as merely immature 

 examples of L. collurioides. 



The most adult of my birds has the frontal plumes 

 and lores browMiish to greyish-white ; the head and nape 



