246 LANIUS 



<$ ad. (India). Crown, nape, and upper back pale grey ; rest of upper 

 parts ferruginous ; wings blackish, externally margined with pale rufous ; 

 larger wing-coverts similarly ^tipped ; external tail-feathers brown, the 

 rest black, all with rufous tips ; forehead and a broad band through the 

 eye to the ear-coverts black ; chin, throat, and upper breast white, rest of 

 under parts rufous becoming whitish on the 'middle of the abdomen ; 

 bill and legs blackish ; iris brown. Culmen 075, wing 3'7, tail 4'7, tarsus 

 T05 inch. The young bird is duller, has the ear-coverts brownish, the 

 forehead and lores fulvous, the cheeks and throat white, the rest of the 

 under parts pale fulvous irregularly barred with brown. 



Hal). Transcaspia, Afghanistan, Turkestan, and the whole of 

 India from Kashmir to Cape Comorin, and Sind to Bengal ; 

 also Ceylon. 



In habits it does not differ from its allies, is a bold and 

 fearless bird, and spends most of the day on a favourite perch 

 on the look-out for its prey. Its usual note is loud and harsh, 

 and in the spring it utters the merest semblance of a song, 

 It frequents jungly localities, hedgerows and bushes in 

 cultivated places near jungle. It nests in Turkestan and 

 throughout India from March to September. Its nest is placed 

 on a bush or low tree, and is neatly constructed of plant-stems, 

 fine twigs and roots, wool, old rags, and hair, and lined with 

 fine grass. The eggs, from 4 to 5 in number, are creamy white 

 or reddish white with grey shell-markings and reddish surface- 

 spots which are generally collected round the larger end, in 

 size averaging about 0'92 by 0'7l. They most nearly resemble 

 eggs of L. cotturio, but are not so boldly marked. 



369. WOODCHAT SHRIKE. 

 LANIUS AURICULATUS. 



Laniits auriculatus, Mull. Natursyst. Suppl. p. 71 (1776) ; Dresser 

 iii. p. 407, pi. 151 ; Newton, i. p. 215 ; Gadow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 viii. p. 283 ; L. pomeranus, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, pi. i. (1786) ; 

 Saunders, p. 153 ; L. rufus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 302 (1788) ; 

 Naum. ii. p. 22, pi. 51, figs. 1, 2 ; Gould, B. of E. ii. pi. 70 ; id. 

 B. of Gt. Brit. ii. pi. 16 ; Hewitson, i. p. 72, pi. 20, fig. 2 ; L. rutihis, 

 Lath. Lilford, ii. p. 75, pi. 35. 



Pie-grUche rousse, French ; Picanso, Portug. ; Alcaudon real, 

 Span. ; Averla capirossa, Ital. ; RotJikopfiger Wiirger, Germ. ; 

 Eoodkoppige Klaamuier, Dutch ; Rhovedet Tornskade, Dan. ;. 

 Krasnogolovi Sorokoput, Russ. 



$ ad. (Spain). Forehead, fore-crown and a patch through the eye 

 continued down the side of the neck deep black ; a spot on the lores white ; 

 rest of crown and nape chestnut-red ; fore part of back, wings, and tail 



