THE LESSER GREY SHRIKE. 261 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Fore-head, lores, under and 

 over eye, ear-coverts and fore-part of crown black (a few grey 

 feathers often amongst black in fore-head) ; rest of upper-parts 

 pale blue-grey, rump rather paler than back, scapulars edged 

 white ; under -parts white, breast and flanks washed mauve-pink 

 varying in strength ; axillaries greyish-white, long under wing- 

 coverts black-brown ; tail, two centre pairs black with white 

 bases, and small whitish tips, third pair with more white at base 

 and about 5 mm. white at tip, fourth pair white with black shaft and 

 large black mark (varying considerably in size and shape) on distal 

 portion, two outer pairs white with shafts mostly black (penultimate 

 pair sometimes with black spot on distal portion) ; primaries black 

 with narrow brownish-white tips and white bases forming broad white 

 bar (in 2nd primary white base is confined to inner web) ; secon- 

 daries black with rather broader and whiter tips, but without 

 white bases ; primary-, greater and median coverts black ; lesser 

 coverts browner, fringed grey. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult in autumn. Summer. A moult apparently 

 confined to body-feathers takes place in Feb. -Mar., sometimes 

 April, new plumage like old but cleaner and brighter and fore-head 

 and fore -part of crown without any grey feathers. 



Adult female. Winter. Much like adult male but usually 

 fore-head and fore-part of crown with more grey, ear-coverts 

 browner-black, upper-parts duller not so clear blue-grey, under- 

 parts less pink, more creamy. Summer. Moult as in male, after 

 which upper-parts become cleaner blue-grey but not so bright as 

 male and fore-head and ear -coverts become blacker but not so 

 jet-black as in male. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Fore-head whitish ; crown and hind-neck brown- 

 grey, finely and rather closely barred dark brown ; mantle same 

 but not so closely barred ; scapulars same but whitish at tips ; 

 back, rump and upper tail-coverts paler and with only faint bars ; 

 lores and ear-coverts black-brown ; chin, throat and belly white ; 

 rest of under-parts pale cream-colour, flanks and under tail-coverts 

 with very faint bars ; tail as adult but usually with less white ; 

 primaries and secondaries as adult, but browner and innermost 

 secondaries with buffish tips and a penultimate dark line ; primary- 

 coverts, greater and median wing-coverts brown-black, narrowly 

 tipped buffish-white ; lesser coverts greyer tipped same. 



First winter. Male. Like adult male but without, or with 

 only a few, black feathers on fore-head, rest of upper-parts brownish- 

 grey not pure blue-grey ; under-parts whiter with creamy instead 

 of pink tinge ; wings browner with most of the pale tips of remiges 

 and wing-coverts worn off. The juvenile body-plumage is moulted 

 in autumn but not wings or tail, and frequently many barred 

 juvenile body-feathers are retained throughout winter. Summer. 

 A complete (including wings and tail) moult takes place in Feb.- 



