46 
Order II. INsEssorEs. 
Tribe DENTIROSTRES. 
Family Laniapa. 
Subfamily Lantana. 
Genus Lantus. ' 
Lantus HarpwickIl. 
This handsome little Shrike migrates, I believe, from the Deccan 
for the purpose of breeding, probably resorting to the thickets and 
ravines of the Western Ghauts, and returning to the Deccan about 
September. I could not find its nest when on the hills in the month 
of October; but I shot a young bird, which may probably be the 
young of this species. I give a description of its plumage. Beak 
rich deep brown; chin and throat dirty brownish-white; under 
plumage and under tail-coverts white ; flanks dull grey ; white streak 
passing from the beak over the eye and ear-coverts ; ear-coverts and 
patch behind the eye dull black; top of the head and nape of the 
neck brownish-grey, the feathers having very pale whitish ferruginous 
tips ; feathers on the lower part of the neck and back are on their 
basal half grey, and the remaining portion greyish-brown with light 
tips. On the lower part of the back the feathers are very filmy and 
thick-set, of a grey colour, with a dark band near their ends, and 
tipped with white. Primaries hair-brown ; bastard wing brown ; 
greater coverts lighter brown with pale tips ; secondaries hair-brown ; 
tertials paler brown, with light edges. Tail consists of twelve feathers ; 
the twe outer are white, with pale brown near the ends on the outer 
webs. The next feather has also a dark spot near the tip on the 
inner web; the third feather is nearly black, with a white spot on 
the inner web about half an inch from the end ; the remaining feathers 
are of a black-brown, being nearly black on the inner webs; lesser 
coverts pale brown with light tips; feathers on the thighs of a pale 
grey-brown with white tips; legs and feet lead-colour ; claws pale 
brown; the legs and claws have a white powdered look in several 
places, especially near the junction of the scales. This may perhaps 
have been the young bird of the large rufous-backed Shrike, Lanius 
erythronotus. 
Lanius Excusiror. LarcGe Grey SHRIKE. 
This is very common in the Deccan. It is generally seen seated on 
the top of small babool trees, or other thorny bushes, in open country, 
and may be distinguished at some distance by its silvery-white breast. 
When disturbed, it flies low to some neighbouring bush, on the top 
of which it alights, uttering its harsh and grating cry. The Grey 
Shrike begins to breed as early as January, as a boy brought me a 
pair of nearly fledged young ones on the 2nd of February. They 
almost, if not invariably build in a thorn bush, and generally well 
into the centre. I subjoin a note penned at the time of finding one 
of their nests :—‘ 15th May. Saw a pair of Grey Shrikes building 
