2 
broadly edged with white; least wing-coverts grey, rest of the wing-coverts black ; primaries black, 
slightly tipped with white, the basal half white, forming a distinct alar patch; the secondaries black, 
broadly tipped with, and the whole of the inner web white; the outermost secondaries narrowly edged 
on the outer web with white ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; the two centre feathers of the tail on 
each side black, slightly tipped with white, the next broadly tipped with white, the next still more 
broadly tipped, and having the basal portion and the outer web entirely white, the two exterior 
feathers entirely white, with a black shaft-lme; under surface of the body white; bill and feet blackish 
horn-colour ; iris dark brown. Total length 9 inches, culmen 0:7, wing 4:1, tail 4°8, tarsus 1:2. 
Winter plumage. A little duller than in summer, and the back slightly tinged with olivaceous. 
Young. 'The young birds of the year are decidedly duller in plumage than the older ones, and are chiefly 
characterized by a very distinct shade of ashy grey on the under surface, stronger on the flanks ; the 
white forehead is not visible, and there is more black on this part than in the old birds. We have 
never seen nestlings of this species; but some young birds sent us from the neighbourhood of Etawah 
by our friend Mr. W. E. Brooks have a great admixture of ashy brown on the head and back, a shade 
of this colour also pervading the white margins on the wings. 
Obs. During a recent examination of the European Shrikes, the results of which we published in the 
‘Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society (P. Z.S. 1870, p. 590), we were led to believe that Lanius 
elegans of Swainson was nothing but the present species. The type still exists in the British Museum ; 
and the locality assigned, viz. the “ Fur Countries,” is probably erroneous. Although there is little 
chance of a Grey Shrike having been hitherto unobserved in North America, we yet hesitate to upset 
the well-known name of Jahtora for Swainson’s title, until further research shall have proved the 
correctness of our identification. 
The numerous uames which have been applied to this species have principally been bestowed from a 
misunderstanding of the slight variations which obtain in its different stages. From the examination, 
however, of a large series, it appears to us that the young birds as they approach maturity grow 
gradually more white and mealy in plumage, and show much more white on the eyebrow and rump. 
The outer tail-feathers also become gradually entirely white; and thus arises our opinion that Lanius 
hemileucurus of Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub is nothing but the very old L. lahtora: our friends do not 
agree in this identification as regards their species, and Dr. Finsch has sent us a sketch of the tail of 
the type specimen. Nevertheless our opinion remains the same; for on re-examining our series of 
specimens it is very clear that the black on the tail-feathers which occupies the base even of the outer 
rectrix in the young, gradually disappears as the bird gets older, and there can be little doubt that in 
the very old bird the three outer tail-feathers become entirely white. Thus Lanius fallax of the above- 
named authors we consider to be only the young of L. lahtora. 
THE present species belongs to the same section of the Grey Shrikes as Lanius algeriensis, being 
distinguished by its thick-set build and stout, clumsy leg. It replaces our Great Grey Shrike on 
the southern shores of the Mediterranean, just as L. algeriensis is the Algerian representative of 
the Spanish L. meridionalis. é 
To commence with its most westerly habitat, which is Algeria, we find the following 
account of the bird given in Loche’s great work on the ornithology of that country. According 
to him this Shrike has a more restricted range than L. algeriensis, not being met with on the 
coast, but merely in the M’Zab country; and the specimens in the Algerian collection were 
obtained near Gard Hala, whence also the eggs were procured. It was not observed in the 
