418 Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain on I fie 



as by its stouter bill. This is one oh" the most striking of 

 Corsican birds, and is a summer visitor to the island in 

 considerable numbers, arriving first about April 15-24, and 

 being distributed tlironghout most of the low ground and in 

 the hills, where there is open ground and cultivation, up to 

 about 2500 ft. (For a fuller account of its habits as observed 

 ill Corsica by the writer see ' British Birds/ iii. pp. 369-370.) 

 The nest is quite characteristic, and is usually placed higher 

 than that of L. colluno jourdaini, while the eggs, which are 

 from five to seven in number, are generally laid by the fourth 

 week in May. They do not vary much as a rule, but White- 

 head found one clutch of salmon-ccjloured eggs out of twenty 

 examined, and I obtained two sets of this beautiful variety 

 in 1903. Average size of sixty Corsican eggs, 23'llx 

 17-27 mm.; max. 28 x 175 and 22-2 x 18-2, min. 22 x l{i-5. 

 Hartert states (Vog. j^al. Fauna, i. p. 437) that some Sar- 

 dinian and Corsican specimens, which frijm the dates p.re 

 presumably passage migrants, are indistinguishable from the 

 ordinary continental foi'm, Luiiias senator senator L. 



52. Lanius coLLUKio JouRDAiNi Parr. Corsican Red- 

 backed Shrike. 



Lanius collwio Jourdaini Parrot, Orn. JNIonatsber. xviii. 

 p. 154 (1910— Corsica). 



Local name : Ciuchuna. This form was separated by 

 Dr. Parrot on account of its generally smaller dimensions 

 and shorter wing, the deeper colouring of the under surface, 

 especially on the flanks, the smaller amount of red-brown on 

 the back, and the generally wider black band on the outer 

 tail-feathers. Kleinschmidt (Orn. Monatsber. 1901, ix. 

 p. 169) noticed that in Sardinian specimens the amount of 

 red on the mantle was much reduced and the under surface 

 whiter, but these characters seem to be somewhat un- 

 reliable. In eighteen examples examined by Dr. Parrot ami 

 myself the wing varies from 87 to 91 mm. in length, only once 

 attaining 92'5, while in continental specimens it varies from 

 91 to 98. This Shrike is a comiu(jn summer visitor to the 

 hills as well as to the plains, arriving, according to ^Mlitchca(l, 



