4 
visitant, though near Athens it is the commonest Shrike. It is even included among the birds 
of Southern Russia by Von Nordmann, who states that it is rarer there than L. excubitor. We 
fancy that some species other than true L. meridionalis is the subject of these observations. 
From an examination of his specimens, kindly lent us by Canon Tristram, we have found 
that the bird spoken of as L. meridionalis in Palestine is really L. lahtora, and the species must 
not be included among the birds of the Holy Land. Baron J. W. von Miiller gives the range of 
LL. meridionalis in North-eastern Africa as far south as Senaar; but this is doubtless an error, as 
already pointed out by Sharpe in his critical remarks on Dr. von Heuglin’s ‘ Ornithologie 
Nordost-Afrika’s’ (Ibis, 1870, p. 434). 
Our friend Dr. E. Rey, of Halle, informs us that fifteen eggs in his collection, procured in 
Spain, average in size 26:25 by 19°56 millimetres, the largest measuring 28-0 by 19:0, and the 
smallest 26°5 by 18-75 millimetres respectively. Eggs in Dresser’s cabinet, collected by Manuel 
de la Torre, near Madrid, measure from 125 by 3} to 145 by #¢ of an inch, and are greyish 
white, thickly covered with rich dark nut-brown spots and blotches. Compared with a large 
series of eges of Lanius excubitor the markings are much richer in colour and more thickly 
distributed over the surface of the egg, and never appear to collect in a ring round the larger 
end, as do the spots on many eggs of L. excubitor. 
The figures in the Plate represent adult and young birds in our collection, the former given 
us by Lord Lilford, the latter by Mr. Howard Saunders. The descriptions are taken from the 
same birds. 
In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens :— 
E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. 
a, 6. Spain, 1869 (Lilford). , c, d, e. Seville, December 1869 (H. Saunders). f, juv. Seville, Spain (H. 
Saunders). 
E Mus. Lord Lilford. 
a, b, c. Coto del Rey, Andalucia, May 1869 (Z.). 
E Mus. Howard Saunders. 
a, b, 3, 2. Seville, December Ist and 8th, 1869 (Ruis). c, d. Malaga, December 27th, 1868 (H. S.). 
E Mus. H. B. Tristram. 
a, 2. Seville, September 30th, 1869 (H. Saunders). .6. Old Granada, May 1870 (H. Saunders). 
E Mus. J. H. Gurney, jun. 
a, 3. Seville, March 4th, 1870 (H. Saunders). 
E Mus. A. Basil Brooke. 
a, 2. Seville, February 8th, 1870 (H. Saunders). 
