mHABITING THE PHILIPPINE AECHIPELA&O. 171 



In an early phase of plumage, but after the otherwise full plumage has been adopted, 

 L. nigriceps closely resembles L. erythronotus, the crown of the head changing to 

 black after the forehead has become black. 



72. Lanius lucionensis. (PI. XXIX. fig. 1.) 



La Pie-griesche de Luqon, Briss. Orn, ii. p. 169, no. 11, "Isle de Lu9on." 



Lanius lucionensis, Linn. S. N. i. p. 135, no. 10 (1766), ex Briss.; Walden, Ibis, 1867, p. 215; 



Salvadori, Atti Ac. Sc. Torino, 1868, p. 273; Swinhoe, P.Z.S. 1871, p. 376. 

 Laniits jeracopis, De Fil. Mus. Mediol. Aves, p. 31 {I8i7),fide Salvad. /. c. 

 Lanius phmnicurus, Pall., O. Finsch, Verb, zool.-bot. Gesellseh. Wien, 1873, p. 258, no. 16, partim. 



Hab. Negros, Guimaras, and Zebu in March ; Luzon in January {Meyer). 



Were it not that an ornithologist so distinguished as Dr. O. Finsch had quite recently 

 {I. c.) called in question the right of this Philippine Shrike to rank as a distinct species, 

 it would have been unnecessary to do more than enumerate it in this list. The latest 

 and most valuable contribution to the history of the rufous-tailed Shrikes we owe to 

 Mr. Swinhoe [I.e.). Tliat gentleman had collected an unusually large series of indi- 

 viduals, which, together with the knowledge acquired during a long residence in 

 Eastern Asia, entitles his opinion to the greatest weight. Mr. Swinhoe admits as 

 distinct species L. cristatus, L. super ciliosihs, Lath., and L. lucionensis, L. ; and he has 

 given the probable general lines of their separate annual migrations'. 



These three species, when in adult plumage, are quite unmistakable ; but when im- 

 mature their specific difiierences are less stiiking. Yet Dr. O. Finsch [I. c), after a study 

 of the following meagre and insuflacient materials — an adult and a young female ex- 

 ample from Java {L. super ciliosus), a young or female individual from Madras {L. cris- 

 tatus), and a young or female bird captured fifty miles out at sea, off the Luzon coast — 

 has arrived at the conclusion that all three belong to one species, which he terms 

 L. phoenicurus. Pall.- It may therefore not be superfluous to give the characters which 

 distinguish the three species when in full plumage. 



L. superciliosus. Lath. {L. phoenicurus. Pall. ap. Schrenck; Walden, Ibis, 1867, pi. 

 v. .fig. 2), has the entire upper surface very bright uniform rufous, a very broad 



' Although ray investigations lead me to generally concur with Mr. Swinhoe's remarks on this branch of the 

 question, in one particidar Mr. Swinhoe appears to have been misled by ilr. Blyth's statement that L. lucio- 

 nensis occurs in Ceylon. It appears to be now pretty well ascertained that L. cristatus only is found in Ceylon, 

 and that the ashy grey plumage, sometimes observable in that species and in L. stijyerciUosus, was the origin 

 of the erroneous identification. The occurrence of L. luciotiensis in the Andamans has been confirmed since 

 it was asserted by Mr. Blyth) Jlouat's, ' Andamans,' 1863, App. Zool. pp. 352, 360) by Mr. BaO (J. A. S. B. 

 1872, p. 280, no. 21) ; and I have also lately received Andaman examides of this species. 



- L. cristatus, Linn., is the only species of which I have seen examples from Lake Baikal. More to the 

 eastward in Siberia, L. siqieniliosus. Lath., may perhaps find its northern limit. Mr. Swinhoe (I. c.) states 

 that examples from the Amoor, Amoy, and Malacca agree ; and I still incline to the belief that L. phanicurus, 

 ap. Schrenk (lleiseu Am. i. p. 384), is Latham's bird. The evidence we possess favours the opinion that L. 

 phmnicums, Pall., was described from an example of L. cristatus, Linn. 



