264 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



258.— Lanius tephronotus, Vig. 



Female, Chitlang, December. — Length, 9'6 ; expanse, 13-1 ; 

 wing, 4"25; tail, 5-05; tarsus, 1-15; bill from gape, I'OB; 

 bill at front, 0*65 ; closed wings short of tail, 3'1. 



Bill black; base of lower mandible yellowish horny; irides 

 dark brown ; feet and claws black ; above dark bluish grey ; 

 the rump, tail-coverts, flanks and lower abdomen ferruginous ; 

 a narrow black band across the forehead, passing through the 

 eyes and expanding on the ears to form a large patch on sides 

 of neck. 



Four immature birds, of which two are males, Valley, February, 

 March, and October. — Length, 8*8 to 10 ; expanse, 13 to 13 ; 

 wing, 3-8 to 4-2; tail, 4-3 to 5*2 ; tarsus, 1-1 to 1-15; bill 

 from gape, 0*93 to 1*0; bill at front, 0*6 to 0-65 ; closed wings 

 short of tail, 3-9 to 4-1 ; weight, 1*5 to 1*7 ozs. 



Bill black \ base of lower mandible pale grey horny ; irides 

 very dark brown ; feet dusky plumbeous or blackish ; claws 

 horny black. All washed with brown above, the tail brownish, 

 and the lower surface, from the neck downwards, more or less 

 strongly undulated ; in one specimen the upper tail-coverts are 

 also faintly barred ; and in another (10th October), with undu- 

 lations on the hind head, nape, scapulars, rump and upper tail- 

 coverts, as well as on the lower surface. 



The Grey-backed Shrike is common in the Valley of Nepal 

 from about the end of September to the middle of March ; it is 

 the only Shrike found in the Valley during the winter season, but 

 it migrates further north to breed. In December it was fairly 

 common about Chitlang, which is higher than Kathmandu, but 

 seemed to be entirely replaced in the Hetoura Dun by L. nigri- 

 ceps. It frequents gardens, groves, and cultivated ground, perch- 

 ing on bushes and hedges, and small bare trees. It has a very 

 harsh chattering note, louder than that of nigriceps, and appears 

 to be most noisy towards sunset, when its cry would often lead 

 one to suppose that the bird was being strangled in the clutches 

 of a raptor. 



259.--Lanius nigriceps, FranU. 



Three males, July and September ( Valley'), December (He- 

 toura). — Length, 8'8 to 9"9 ; expanse, 11*2 to 12; wing, 3*75 to 

 8-9 ; tail, 4*2 to 5-2 ; tarsus, I'O to 1*1 ; bill from gape, 0*9 to 

 0*95 ; bill at front, 063 to 0-67 ; closed wings short of tail, 3 

 to 3-8. 



Bill, feet and claws black ; irides deep brown. 



Three females, Valley, March, June and August. — Length, 

 9'4 to 9-5 ; expanse, 11"5 to 11-7; wing, 3-55 to 3-65 ; tail, 



