268 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



LANIUS SENATOR* 



113. Lanius senator senator L. THE WOODCHAT SHRIKE. 



LANIUS SENATOR Linmeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 94 (1758 "Habitat 

 in Indiis." Errore. Rhine fixed as typical locality by Hartert, Vog. pal. 

 Fauna, i, p. 434). 



Lanius auriculatus P. L. S. Miiller, Yarrell, i, p. 215 ; Lanius pomeramts 

 Sparrman, Saunders, p. 153. 



Upper wing : The Corsican Woodchat Shrike (Lanius s. badius). 

 Lower wing : The Woodchat Shrike (Lanius s. senator). 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Sides of fore-head and lores 

 white ; centre of fore-head and band across fore-part of crown 

 black ; rest of crown, nape, and upper mantle chestnut ; rest of 

 mantle brown-black, feathers narrowly tipped brownish-chestnut ; 

 scapulars white sometimes tinged cream ; back grey washed 



* This species is rather unfortunate in its names. Until 1871 it was 

 almost universally called L. rufus, or sometimes ruficeps or rutilus. Then 

 Mr. Dresser introduced auriculatus, and this alteration of a well-known, time- 

 honoured name was tinblushingly accepted by Saunders in the same year, and 

 by Gadow, but in 1883 Saunders adopted pomeranus, which had to give way 

 to senator, since the adoption of the 10th edition of Linnaeus, 1758. E.H. 



