252 DR. O. FINSCH ON BIRDS FROM NORTH-EASTERN 
hinder part of the neck are pale rufous, with obsolete dark cross lines; back brown ; 
rump greyish brown; hind part of the rump and upper tail-coverts pale isabelline 
white, like the shoulders, which are tinged with brown on the centre of each feather 
and the outer margin of the quill-coverts and tertiaries; quills dark brown, with a 
white speculum, as in the old bird; lores and an indistinct supercilium, like the whole 
undersurface, white, washed with isabelline fulvous on the flanks ; ear-spot dark brown ; 
tail-feathers as in the old one, but the ground-colour brown, not black. Bill pale horn- 
brown, in the adult black, with the basal portion of the mandible pale. 
A careful comparison has also convinced me that the West-African Z. rutilans, Temm., 
said to differ in its lighter tints, and in having the shoulders and quill-coverts margined 
externally with pale brown or white, is by no means separable. All the specimens 
which show these differences are in imperfect plumage, and bear more or less remains 
of the immature plumage. 
An old male from the Gold Coast (type of Z. badius, Hartlaub) is quite similar to a 
German specimen ; but the rufous colour on the head is darker, and the white speculum 
on the primaries is scarcely visible, being represented on the outer web by pale rufous, 
just as in young birds. Another male from the Casamanse is as darkly coloured above 
as European specimens, but exhibits light brown margins on the quill-coverts; the 
under parts are strongly washed with cinnamomeous fulvous, and marked with obscure 
cross lines, which are apparently the remains of a younger dress; the two middle tail- 
feathers are also white on the base, but only on the outer web. A female from the 
Casamanse river agrees with a European female in every respect, except in having pale 
margins on the quill-coverts, which are only partially exhibited in the European bird. 
Both these have the back much lighter than in the male, and the under parts tinged with 
pale ochreous-fulvous; in the African bird the black feathers on the forehead have the 
rufous margins more visible. Another female from the Casamanse has the back rather 
paler brown, the forehead more mixed with white, forming an indistinct supercilium ; 
the light margins on the coverts are less visible, and scarcely more developed than in 
European specimens; the under surface is white, as in the male, faintly tinged with 
ochre-yellow. 
Ignorance of these variations, which Naumann has pointed out, has caused some of 
them to be taken for specific characters, and species have been founded on them—such 
as L. pectoralis, Miller (Journ. f. Orn. 1835, p. 450. no. 583), and ZL. jardinei, Miiller 
(ib. no. 584). A Lanius from Tigreh, described by Von Heuglin (Journ. f. Orn. 1861, 
p- 195. no. 34) as probably different, belongs also to L. senator. 
It may be remarked that Levaillant’s “ Piegriéche rousse” (tab. 63) refers to our 
European bird, as has been already pointed out by Professor Sundevall. 
I append the measurements of several specimens from Europe and Africa to prove 
that there is no difference in size. 
