232 BIRDS. 



Lan. excuhitor minor, Gm. ; Enl. 32, 1 ; Lan. minor, Naum. 50, 

 said to be from Italy. (The Little or Gray Shrike). Somewhat 

 smaller than the Common Shrike, the bill shorter and thicker, wings 

 and tail similar) cinereous above ; reddish on the belly ; the black 

 bands of the eyes united, on the forehead, in a large bandeau. A 

 very distinct species. 



Lan. coUuriorufus, and Lan. pomeranus, Gm. : Enl. 9,2; Lan. 

 rutilus, Lath.; Lan. rujicollis, Sh. ; Lan. rufus, Naum. 51. (The 

 Red-backed Shrike). The bandeau, wings, and tail of the preced- 

 ing; not quite so large; top of the head and neck, a vi\'id red; back 

 black; the scapulars, belly, and rump, white. 



Lan. collurio, Gm. ; Enl. 31 ; Naum. 52. (The Flayer or Butcher 

 Bird). Still smaller; top of the head and rump ash coloured; back 

 and wings fawn coloured; whitish below; a blackband over the eye; 

 wing-quills black, edged with fawn colour, those of the tail black, the 

 lateral ones white at base. It destroys small birds, young frogs, 

 and great numbers of insects, which it sticks upon the thorns of 

 bushes, in order to devour them at leisure, or to find them again 

 when wanted. 

 The last three species leave France during the winter. 

 Other countries have several of these Shrikes with arcuated bills, the 

 points of which latter diminish, and become weak, according to the species, 

 so gradually, that it is impossible to fix a limit between this subgenus and 

 the Thrushes*. 



There are other Shrikes, whose superior mandible is straight, and only 



them to the Lan. ladovicianus, and Lan. septentrionalis of Gm. ; or to the Lan. arde- 

 siacus and horealis of Vieillot, Am. 51 and 50; we must confess, however, that there 

 is but little resemblance between these different figures. 



* The species with the strongest bills are, for instance: tlie Cape Shrike, {Lan. 

 collaris, Gm.); Enl. 477, 1; Vaill. Afric. pi. Ixi, Ixii.— The Boubou, Vaill. 68 (Law. 

 boulboul, Sh.). — The Brubrtt, Vaill. 71 {Lan. capensis, Sh.). — La Petite Pie-gr. de 

 Madag. {Lan. madagascariensis, Gm.); Enl. 299. — La Petite Pie-gr. bkue {Lan. 

 bicolor, Gm.); Enl. 298. — La Pie-gr. de la Louisiane, {Lan. americanus), Enl. 397. 

 — The Sourciroux, Vaill. 76, 2, or the Tangara verderoux of Buff. {Tanagra guianen- 

 sis, Gm.) — The Black-headed Shrike of the Sandwich Islands, {Lan. melanocephalns, 

 Gm.) Lath. Syn. I. 165. — La Pie-gr. a queue pointue, {Lan. pyrrhonotos), Vieil). 

 Gal. 135. 



The genus Lanio of Vieill. is founded on an arcuate-billed Shrike; the edges of 

 whose upper mandible are somewhat angular. It is the Tangara mordore of Buff., 

 Enl. 809, 2, {Lan. atricapilla, Gm.) 



Among the species most nearly allied to the Thrushes, we may admit the Mus- 

 cicapa tamnophiloides, Spix, 26, 1. — L'Oliva of Vaill. 75 and 76, 1, {Lan. olivaceus, 

 Sh.). — The Gonolec, {Lan. harbarus, Gm.); Enl. 56, Vaill. 169. — The Lan. giitluralis, 

 Daud. Ann. Mus. III. 144, pi. xv; or the Pie-gr. Perrin, Vaill. 286. — Le Merle a 

 plastron noir {Turdus zeilonus,Gm.); Enl. 272, or the Bacbakiri, Vaill. 67 {Lan. bac- 

 bakiri, Sh.). — La Cravatte blanche, Vaill. 115 {Motac. dubia, Sh.). — The Turdus crassi- 

 rostris, Gm. ; Lath. Syn. II. 34, which is the same as the Tanagra capensis, Sparm. 

 Carls, pi. xlv, and several others quite as equivocal. It is from this subdivision, 

 with weak bills, that Vieill. has established his genus Laniarius, Galer. 143. 



His Vireo only differs from it in the bill being a little shorter and more slender, 

 Vir. flavifrons, Vieill. Am. 54, or Muscic. sijlvicola, Wils. I. vii. 3. — V. musicus, 

 Vieill. 52, or Music cantatrix, Wils. II. xviii. 6, or Muscic. nove boracensis, Gm. — F. 

 olivaceus, Ch. Bonap., or Muscic. oliv., Wils. II. xii. 3, or tamnnphilus agilis, Spix, 34, 

 1. — r. gilviis, Ch. Bonap., or Muse, melodia, Wils. V. xlii. 2. They lead us almost 

 directly to the true Fauvets. 



