FISCTTS. ENNEOCTONUS. 283 



Piscus excubitorius {Pr^v. ^ Des Murs). 

 (Plate XII. fig. 12.) 



Laniiis excuHtorius, Heugl. Om. N.O.-Afr.i. p. 478 (1873); Oadow, 



Cat. Birds, B. M. yiii. p. 263 (1883). 

 Piscus excubitorius, Sharpe, JSand-l. iv. p. 285 (1903). 



The eggs of the African Grey Shrike are not to be separated 

 from those of Phoneus nuhicMS, described above (p. 279), except 

 by their superior size. Three examples measure respectively : '96 

 by -73: -96 by -72; -9 by -72. 



3. Near Fashoda, White Nile, 11th R. McD. Hawker, Esq. [P.]. 

 April. 



Piscus caudatus {Cab.). 



(Plate XIII. fig. 2.) 



Lanius caudatus, Gadow, Cat. Birds B. M. viii. p. 254 (1883) ; Nehrk. 



Kat. Eiersamml. p. 72 (1889). 

 Fiscus caudatus, Sharpe, Sand-l. iv.,p. 286 (1903). 



An egg of the Long-tailed Shrike is of a broad oval shape, some- 

 what pointed towards the smaller end, and slightly glossed. The 

 ground-colour is creamy white, indistinctly spotted and blotched 

 round the larger end with yellowish brown and pale lavender-grey. 

 It measures -95 in length by "75 in breadth. 



1. [East Africa.] Crowley Bequest. 



Genus ENNEOCTONUS, Bo-nap. 

 Enneoctonus coUurio (Linn.). 



Laniua coUurio, Thien. FoHpJlanz. ges. Vog. p. 328, tab. xxxi. fig. 9, a-f 

 (1845-54) ; Hewitson, Eggs of Brit. Birds, i. p. 70, pi. xx. figs, iii & 

 iv (1856) ; Dresser, Birds Eur. iii. p. 399 (1871) ; Gadmv, Cat. 

 Birds B. M. viii. p. 286 (1883) ; SeAohm, Brit. Birds, i. p. 606, 

 pi. 11 (1883) ; id. Eggs of Brit. Birds, p. 221, pi. 54. figs. 10 & 11 

 (1896). 



Enneoctonus coUurio, Baedeker, Bier Eur. Vog. tab. 52. fig. 6 (1855-63) ; 

 Sharpe, Handel, iv. p. 286 (1903). 



The eggs of the Eed-backed Shrike pass through the same 

 variations as those of the Woodohat-Shrike, but examples with 

 the ground pinkish cream-colour or salmon-pink appear to be 

 the commonest. Next in order of frequency come those eggs in 

 which the ground is tinged, in varying degrees, with green, and lastly 

 those in which the ground is greyish white, cream-colour or buflF. 



The eggs of the Eed-backed Shrike measure from -8 to "95 in 

 length, and from "6 to -71 in length. 



