LANIUS. 457 



b'". Bill flattened and broad ; margin 

 of upper niaudible near tip merely 



notched HEMLPUS, p. 471. 



b". Tail square i T TEPHRODORXIS, p. 473. 



b'. Head with long crest PLATYLOPHUS, p. 476. 



b. Shafts* of rump-feathers spiuous. 

 c'. Tail greatly graduated, outer feathers less 



than half length of tail . . . ; PERICBOCOTUS, p. 477. 



d'. Tail moderately graduated, outer feathers 



more than three-quarters length of tail. 

 c". Secondaries falling short of tip of wing 



by about length of tarsus CAMPOPHAGA, p. 491. 



d". Secondaries falling short of tip of wing by 



about twice length of tarsus GRAUCALUS, p. 496. 



Genus LANIUS, Linn., 1766. 



The genus Lanius comprises a very extensive group of birds 

 found over Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. Fifteen 

 species are found within our limits, some of which are resident, 

 others winter visitors, and a few locally migratory. With few 

 exceptions they occur abundantly over large tracts of country. 



In Lanius the sexes are always alike, but the females appear to 

 retain traces of the barred plumage of the nestling longer than the 

 males. The bill is very strong and laterally compressed, with a 

 large tooth and a deep notch near the tip of the upper mandible, 

 which is bent down and hooked. The nostrils are roundish and 

 overhung by numerous hairs and bristles, but not completely 

 hidden. The wings are strong. The tail is generally longer than 

 the wing, but in a few instances about equal to it, and strongly 

 graduated. The plumage is firm. The head of a Shrike is rather 

 larger in proportion to the size of the body than is usual in the 

 other Passeres, and in life this character is very evident in the 

 majority of the species. 



The Shrikes are solitary birds, frequenting spare jungle, gardens, 

 fields, and the outskirts of forests. They perch on some prominent 

 object such as a post or a bare branch and watch for insects, which 

 they capture on the ground and return to their perch to devour. 

 Some species have the habit of impaling their prey on a thorn and 

 then tearing it to pieces. Their notes are harsh and at times 

 frequently uttered. 



The Shrikes make, in trees and bushes, large cup-shaped nests, 

 composed of fine twigs, grass, and dead leaves intermingled with 

 other substances. The number of eggs laid is usually four or five, 

 and they may be described in general terms as being greenish 

 white, blotched and spotted with various shades of brown and pale 

 purple. 



