618 Mr. J. D. D. La Touche — Field-Notes on 



40. Lanius BUCEPHALUS T. & S. 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 347. 



A common bird in winter from October to the end of 

 February. Styan mentions the capture of an example in 

 March. 



41. Lanius lucionensis Linn. 

 Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 348. 



This species passes in May and from the end of August to 

 the beginning of October. A few pairs breed in the vicinity 

 of Chinkiang. On July 4, 1902, I bought three nestlings 

 from a bird-catcher. Their plumage was as follows : — Above 

 light greyish chestnut, barred with dark brown ; head 

 brownish grey, also barred with dark brown, and having the 

 feathers tipped with buff; lores and ear-coverts blackish, 

 a whitish yellow stripe over the eye (continued in two of 

 the birds round the forehead) ; under parts pale buff, with 

 brownish lunules and bars on the sides of the breast. "Wings, 

 larger wing-coverts, and tail brown, with subterminal black 

 and terminal buff edgings to the feathers. 



The gradual change of plumage was as follows : — 

 July 11.— The back was becoming darker, the barring on 

 the head and the eyebrow were more distinctly marked. 

 July 30. — The birds appeared fully grown and the upper 



back had turned brown. 

 Aug. 20. — The head and back were becoming plain liver- 

 brown through the growth of new feathers. The new 

 plain brown feathers then covered the back of one bird 

 and part of its head. 

 Sept. 13. — All the three birds were in complete immature 

 dress with a well-marked whitish eyebrow, which in two 

 of them passed round the forehead. 

 One of these birds died while in immature dress ; the re- 

 maining two, a male and a female, assumed the adult plumage 

 in the following spring and early summer. The change 

 began at the beginning of March, when the worn feathers 

 on the forehead were being replaced by new grey feathers. 

 I reared these Shrikes on locusts, which were that year 



