T.AVIUVK 



LANIADjE 



. by impaling them upon thorn*, and feeding on them at 

 UM Tro* Shrike*, climb* among the branches of tree* and 

 devour* the hard-ooated beetle* which Tnrk beneath. Here, he 

 obwrre*. u a bird having the form of a Shrike and the habit* of a 

 Woodpecker. Th Aiutralian Shrike, a* being the acaniorial type of 

 UM AdHkiiur, become*, in Mr. Swainwn'i opinion, the representative 

 of the Titmice, and has the erect and nearly the same coloured plum- 

 am at the genus Par**. Thii analogy, according to his view*, U 

 further indicated by the great tiae of the hind toe, which is so 

 unusually large, ai at once to evince the climbing habits of the bird, 

 M affirmed by Lewin. Nor is thU, in hia opinion, the only analogy 

 hritfiM by the colour* of this apecie* ; for in the Itontiri Tyrant 

 (Sfmtfk*s*l nlplmralut, Sw.), he we* a bird in all its most striking 

 peeuliaritie* of plumage coloured like the Falcmatltu crittattu, with 

 AU iljlhenrai only, that in one the back i* olive-brown and in the 

 other olive-green, " Now," continue* Mr. Swainsop, " it U precisely 

 at thi* point where, according to our theory, the circle of the Shrike 

 family i* ckmd ; and thus theae two genera will stand in juxta- 

 position. Certain however it is that of all the Tyrant*, the Bentivi is 

 that which moat resemble* a True Shrike ; not so much perhaps by 

 it* general structure a* by it* living upon reptiles, and even carrion, 

 and thu* becoming, like the shrike*, both insectivorous and car- 



Of the two other genera comprised in this sub-family, Tetophontu 

 and ft'Haut, the former, according to the same author, bears such a 

 trong resemblance to the typical genus Laniui, as well as to Mala- 

 that, without a knowledge of the true characters of these 



three groups, an ornithologist may be much perplexed in detecting 

 amtis.1 difference*. " The genus Lanita, says Mr. Swainaon, 





" aa already mentioned, is chiefly known in its outward appearance by 

 it* ihort and strongly toothed bill : but there is another character 

 equally important, which all writer* have hitherto overlooked this 

 is to be found in the equal length of the lateral toes and the acnte- 

 nea* of the claws. Now this structure of foot is also found, with a 

 diminution hardly perceptible, in Telophonui ; but then the bill is 

 lengthened, *o a* to give these birds at the first glance an appearance 

 of being Malaeonoti. This union of characters is just what we should 

 expect in such birds aa were to represent the Bush-Shrikes in the circle 

 of Laniana ; for although the bill is moderately lengthened in T. col- 

 /aru, and remarkably so in T. longimtrit, still the culmen is regularly 

 curved, aud not abruptly hooked at the end, as in Alalaconotut. We 

 have no remaining doubt, in short, of the immediate union of Telo- 

 JMmu with the pre-eminently typical genus Lanita, this union being 

 ffbctH by the Corvine Shrike* in one division, and the T. lencogram- 

 mieiu in the other. The second type is NUatu, at present composed 

 but of one spades : it ha* the bill much like that of a True Shrike, but 

 considerably attenuated ; and the general organisation of the bird is 

 weaker than in any other genu*. Thi*, we think, is the tenuirostral 

 type of the circle; if *o, it will consequently stand between Clurto- 

 Utmma and Falnuuulta. We have already shown in what respect 

 thi* latter genu* may be viewed a* uniting the whole of the shrikes 

 into one circular family ; but a* we have ventured so far a* to trace 

 out UM smaller circle of the Lnniana, the ornithologist may well 

 inquire in what manner Palcuneulta can be actually united to Laniiu, 

 MI lug that it* outward itructure, no leas than its souisori.il habits, 

 are so different Now this union is effected by a singular bird of 

 Brazil, long bandied about (to translate an expressive French phrase) 

 in system*, from the Tanager family to the old genu* Laniiu, and then 

 again to Tliamnopkitta : it* structure was *o peculiar, that some years 

 ago we placed it a* the type of a supposed genus, under the name of 

 Ofdoru; a more minute analysis however of this sub-family, and 

 more especially the recent discovery of ClxrlMemma among the 

 examined birds of our friend Mr. Burchell, ha* quite satisfied us 

 tba* thi* it not one of the prominent type* of the Laniantr, but only 

 an aberrant species of Falruxnliu ; we therefore cancel the name 

 of Cytoru, and propose for thi* bird the name of Falcunculut 



Tli* following i* Mr. Swainson's table of analogies of this family : 

 TrlkM of Sub.Famlllci of 



Shrikes. 



Ul short, toothed; seiie their prey 

 with their foot '. . . : 

 MM lengthen*.!; compressed feet, I 

 .tn^irobuit . . . } 



Feet very short, hind toe lengthend . Dicruriiue. 

 Bill weak, mouth smooth ; feed only 1 ,, 



mSTmSSSm. . . f ** 



Bill broad; feed upon the wing . . Tyrannise. 



" Kverjr one," observr* Mr. Swainaon, " must have perccivcxl the 

 raarmbUnot, both in form and habiU, between the Tnie Shrike* and 

 UM Falcon*, and that Lanitu, which is the first division or genus, i* 

 topical of the whole family. The skulking thievish propensities of 

 UM Unab-Khrike* (Tkaua^Ailina), and the Jay* (which belong to the 

 CWirotfrn), in plundering the nest* and destroying the egg* of other 

 bird*, i* tbu* explained ; sine* it i* icen by the above table, that theae 

 two group* mutually represent each other. The very great develop- 



ment of the tail in nearly all the Drongo-Shrikea (Uierurina) is also 

 one of the most remarkable distinctions of gallinaceous birds and of 

 the scansorial tribe, which latter is eminently characterised by the 

 peculiar length of the hind-toe and by the tail-feathers ending in fine 

 points : all these characters are found in the Drongos, but in no other 

 shrikes. The soft and tender food of the Caterpillar-Catchers (Ceblrpy- 

 rtna) evinces that even the Tenuirottrei a tribe living chiefly upon 

 juice* may be represented by insectivorous shrikes; while the great 

 depression of the bill which has caused the Tyrants (Tyrannnut) to be 

 confounded with the Flycatchers, their constant habit of capturing 

 t In-ir prey upon the wing, and the recorded fact that more than one 

 specie* dive* in the water, all remind us of the fissirostral swallows 

 and the aquatic order of Nalalortt." 



Before dismissing his account of this family, Mr. Swainaon make* 

 the following remarks upon the genera Vanga and Plalylopktatwo 

 modern genera, he observes, that appear to enter within iU limits, 

 but whose tnie situation he suspects is very different " The name 

 of Vanga," says Mr. Swainson, " was given by Bullbn to a singular 

 and very rare bird of Madagascar, as big as a jay, but with a long 

 abruptly hooked bill like a Tha.mno}ihUiu. It has been usual to place 

 this genus, as well as that of Plalylophta, in the same group : but 

 when we find that even M. Cuvier joins them with the large Bush- 

 Shrikes, and several of the African Maluconoti, in his genus Vanga, we 

 immediately perceive that a group so composed is entirely artificial. 

 The resemblance between V. datructor and the smaller species of 

 Hurita which latter ore obviously crows is so perfect, that a 

 suspicion has always existed in our mind that both belonged to the 

 corvine family. As we have seen, in the genus J-'alcuncului, au 

 Australian shrike assume all the manners of a woodpecker, may not 

 Vanga, Jiarrtta (Barila), tc., by analogy of reasoning, be true crows, 

 disguised under the economy and much of the structure of shrikes i 

 Again, does the Vanga ( I'anga) of Australia and that of Madagascar 

 belong to the same genus, or even to the some natural group ? The 

 only specimen of this latter bird known to exist in collections is in 

 the Paris Museum, but in too injured a state to allow of this question 

 being answered. On the other hand we happen to know, from un- 

 questionable testimony, that the V. deilructor of Australia kills and 

 eats small birds, in the same manner as the European species ; and 

 that it is actually called a Buteher-Bird by the colonists. Yet this, 

 after all, seems to us only a relation of analogy, just as in the case of 

 MniotUta, which, although it climbs like a Certhia, is merely a repre- 

 sentation of those scansorial birds, and truly belongs, by affinity, to 

 the circle of warblers. Since our last observations upon Vanga wero 

 published, we have been fortunate in procuring two or three species, 

 which so connect the Australian Vanga with Ban-Ma (Jlarila), tli.it 

 we no longer hesitate to place them all in the corvine family 

 (Corvida) ; where also we now arrange Platylophut, since it certainly 

 has a greater resemblance to Vanga detlructor than to any of th 

 Backed Shrikes (Mataconoti). This alteration does not however inter- 

 fere with anything we have said regarding Platylophtu being a rosorial 

 type : as such it remains, but merely fills that station in another 

 circle. Platylophtu, in short, has all the outward aspect of a jay, 

 combined with that of a shrike ; while its remarkable crest indicate* 

 to which of the primary types of nature we should refer it.'' 

 (' Classification of Birds ; ' see also ' Zoological Journal,' vols. i. aud ii. ; 

 and ' Fauna Boreali-Americana,' vol. ii.) 



1'riuce C. L. Bonaparte, in his ' Specchio Comparative' (1827), 

 places the genus Laniiu between the genera Vireo and Turdui. In his 

 ' Geographical and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and 

 North America* (1838), the Prince arranges the Lanida between the 

 Mutcicapida (its lost sub-family being Vireonintr) and the Corvida. 

 In this arrangement the family consists of the sub-family Lanina, 

 which is composed of the genera Lanita, Linn., aud Aniitoctontu, Boio 

 (Laniiu, Vig.). 



Mr. O. 11. Gray makes the Laniailir (bis fifth family of the tribe 

 Htnlirottra) consist of but two sub-families the Laniana and the 

 RajMMIpMtML 



Laniana. Genera, Keroula, J. E. Gray; CorvintUa,l<ea. ; Laniiu, 

 Linn.; L'oUurio, Brits.; Euroctpluiliu, Smith ; Oreotca, Gould ; /W. 

 ciincului, Will. ; Cyclar/tit, Sw. ; LanieUtu, Sw. ; Telophortu, Sw. ; 

 A'ttaui, Sw. ; A'opottttra, MulL ; Privnopt, Will. ; CoUuriocincla, Vig. 

 aud Horsf. 



Thamnophilina. Genera, ThamnOjihiltu, Vieill. ; CymoUaimta, Q. II. 

 Gray ; Pityriaiit, Leas. ; Vanga, Buff. ; Laniarita, Vieill. ; Dryotcopta, 

 Boie ; Chatmoltu, Q. K Gray ; Cracliciu, Vieill 



The Jticrurinte are placed by Mr. G. H. Gray as the last sub-family 

 (the 6th) of the Amjtclida; and the Tyrannina occupy a position as 

 the third sub-family in the family Miwcicajiitlm. 



The Laniadic in this author's arrangement come between the families 

 A mpdida and Corrida (the first family of his tribe Conirottret. ('List 

 of the Genera of Bird*.' 1840.) 



The European species of Laniatlit are Lanii (.rcutiilor, meridionallt, 

 minor, collurio, and rufut, the two lost belonging to the genus 

 Snntodontu, Boie. 



We proceed to illustrate this family with the typical genus 



Arfinitu. Bill very short, strongly hooked ; tlie tooth very promi- 

 nent ; wings moderate, somewhat pointed ; tail rounded or slightly 

 graduated ; lateral toes free and equal ; claws acute. (Sw.) 



