92 LIST OF BIRDS IN MANIPUE, 



It occurs in Arakan (according to Blyth), as also certainly 

 in many parts of Pegu and in the northern half of Tenasserim. 



260?er.— Lanius colluroides, Less. 



I first met with this in the low- wooded hills that fringe the 

 south-eastern portions of the Manipur basin. There it was 

 scarce. But shortly afterwards I found it rather common 

 high up on the Eastern hills both at Aimole and Matchi. 

 God win- Austen says he found it in the Iril valley of Mani- 

 pur, the Iril being a stream running down a few miles east 

 of the capital nearly parallel to the Imphal Turail (the river 

 of the capital), which it joins a few miles below the town. 



This species, too, is very variable according to age. In a 

 comparatively young bird the whole head and lores are iron 

 grey, the back, scapulars, &c„ are a rather bright, not deep, 

 ferruginous, while in the old adult the lores are jet black, the head 

 all but black, and the back, &c., the deepest and richest 

 maroon. The differences in colour between the young and old 

 in this species are far greater than between L. cristatus and 

 L. supereiliosus. 



I have no record of the occurrence of this species in Assam, 

 Cachar or Sylhet, or even from Arakan, but it seems rather 

 common during the cold season pretty well throughout Pegu, 

 though most abundant in the lower parts of the province, and 

 rather rare in Northern and Central Tenasserim, not extend- 

 ing to the south of that province. 



261. — Lanius cristatus, Lin. 



Under this head I include what I believe some would 

 separate as supereiliosus, and perhaps also as phomicurus. So 

 far as I can make out, the first certainly, the second probably, 

 is a stage of cristatus. I may be wrong, but with perhaps the 

 largest series in the world from India, Assam, Burmah, the 

 Malay Peninsula, Central Asia and China, I cannot separate 

 supereiliosus from cristatus. The latter, it seems to me, is 

 simply an earlier stage of the former. 



Both occur in every region from which I have specimens. 



This species was not observed in the Western hills ; in 

 the basin it was fairly common on banks and patches of high 

 grass in the midst of rice stubble. I saw it once or twice 

 in the Eastern hills, and got two just freshly moulted on the 

 7th of May at Matchi high up on these. 



I have or have seen specimens, collected by myself or 

 others from all parts of Assam, including the Garo and Khasi 



