LANIUS EXCUBITOR 
(GREAT GREY SHRIKE.) 
Lanius excubitor, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 135 (1766). 
Collyrio excubitor, Gray, Handl. of B. i. p.390 (1869). 
Lanius cinereus, Leach, Cat. Mamm. and Birds in Brit. Mus. p. 19 (1816). 
Pie-grieche grise, French ; Pica griega cenicienta, Spanish; Averla maqgiore, Italian; grosser 
Wirger, German; Graa Tornskade, Danish ; Storre Tornskata, Var fogel, Swedish ; Varsler, 
Norwegian; Klaauwwier, Dutch. 
Mas pulchre cinereus: fronte, linea superciliari genisque albis: fascia orbitali per oculum eunte usque ad 
regionem paroticam producta, nigra: scapularibus pure albis: dorso postico cinereo, uropygio albo: 
tectricibus alarum nigris, minoribus cinereo marginatis: remigibus brunnescenti-nigris, extus ad basin 
albis, duplicem fasciam alarem formantibus, secundariis etiam albo terminatis: cauda nigra plumis 
omnibus versus apicem albis, duabus mediis paullulo, proximis gradatim albo magis terminatis usque 
ad extimas fere omnino albas ad basin tantum nigras: subtus albus, hypochondriis paullo cinerascen- 
tibus: rostro et pedibus nigris. 
Fem. mari similis, sed subtus paullo cinerascens et interdum fasciis obsoletis transfasciata. 
Male. Above generally light blue-grey; forehead, extending backward over the eye, pure white; lores, 
feathers under the eye, and ear-coverts black; scapularies blue-grey, conspicuously edged with white ; 
wing-coverts black, the least ones for the most part grey, the primary coverts and occasionally some of 
the greater coverts narrowly edged with greyish white; primaries black, white at the base on both 
inner and outer webs; secondaries black, the outermost white at the base on both the inner and outer 
web, thus forming a double bar on the wing; the secondaries conspicuously, and the primaries occa- 
sionally, tipped with white, the latter sometimes narrowly edged with the latter colour on the outer 
web; rump and upper tail-coverts greyish white; tail black, tipped with white, the latter colour 
gradually predominating towards the outer feathers, the two outermost being almost entirely white ; 
cheeks and the whole of the under surface of the body pure white; legs slender, dark brownish black ; 
bill black. Total length 9°5 inches, culmen 0:7, wing 4°4, tail 4:0, tarsus 1-0. 
Female. Similar to the male, but the underparts greyish and exhibiting slight traces of transverse 
vermiculations. 
Young. Much duller in plumage, the black parts bemg mixed with brown, the underparts dirty greyish 
white; bill and feet brown. 
Tue distinguishing character by which the Grey Shrike of Europe may be recognized from all its 
congeners appears to be the double white bar on the wing, which is caused by the basal half of 
the secondaries being white as well as the primaries, and so a double band is formed. This 
second bar is assumed gradually, and is more fully developed in adult birds, though traces of it 
can in most cases be discovered on a careful examination of the bases of the secondary quills. 
