LANTUS 247 



black ; an alar patch and tips of secondaries and all but the middle tail- 

 feathers white ; base of tail-feathers also white ; lower back grey ; rump, 

 upper tail-coverts, and scapulars white ; chin, throat, and under parts 

 white with a slight fulvous tinge ; bill, feet, and iris brown. Culmen 

 0'65, wing 3'9, tail 3'35, tarsus 0'9 inch. The female differs in being much 

 duller in colour. The young bird has the upper parts brown, more 

 rufous on the crown and back, and barred with ochre and black, the wings 

 and tail brownish black, the chin white, the rest of the under parts fulvous, 

 barred with narrow brown vermiculations. 



Hob. Central and Southern Europe, of accidental occurrence 

 as far north as Denmark and England, ranging east to Persia ; 

 wintering in Africa as far south as Nubia and the Gold Coast. 

 Of doubtful occurrence in Sind. 



Like its allies it frequents the open country and fields where 

 bushes and trees abound, and is not so often seen perched in 

 exposed places, but keeps more to the foliage. It feeds 

 chiefly on insects, and but seldom on weakly young birds. Its 

 usual note is krahts, krcihts, and its alarm-note grack, kjdck, 

 kack, and it is an excellent mimic. Its nest is a neat but 

 slight structure composed of plant-stems, frequently of a sweet- 

 smelling species, and is placed on a bush or in the fork of a 

 tree, usually at no great altitude. The eggs, from 4 to 6 in 

 number, are usually deposited in May, and closely resemble 

 those of Lanius collurio, but the red variety is comparatively 

 rare. 



370. MASKED SHRIKE. 



LANIUS NUBICUS. . 



Lanius nuliciis, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 47 (1823) ; Dresser, iii. p. 417, 

 pi. 153 ; Gaclow, Cat. B. Br. Mus. viii. p. 282 ; L. personatus, Temm. 

 PI. Col. pi. 246, fig. 2 (1824). 



Q ad. (Asia Minor). Crown, lores, ear-coverts, hind neck, upper parts, 

 wings, and central tail-feathers deep black ; scapulars, wing-speculum, and 

 a broad band across the forehead with the supercilium pure white ; 

 secondaries narrowly margined and tipped with white ; the outer tail- 

 feathers white, the next white with blackish internal margin, the third 

 with external web and end white ; chin, throat, and under tail-coverts 

 white, the flanks rich ferruginous, and the upper breast washed with 

 ferruginous ; bill and feet black ; iris brown. Culmen 0'6 wing, 3'5, tail 

 3'3, tarsus 0'85 inch. The female is duller and has the upper partg 

 greyish brown. The young resemble those of L. auriculatus, but are 

 smaller, and have the upper parts rather browner. 



Hob. South-eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Palestine ; 

 wintering in Northern Africa as far south as Abyssinia and 

 Senegambia. 



