LANIUS.— AMPELID^. 215 



to April, and suggested that they migrated to the high central plains in summer ^^. 

 Prof. Sumichrast speaks of this Lanius as probably resident in the plateau of Mexico ; 

 and in the State of Vera Cruz, he says, it is seldom found at a lower elevation than 

 3000 or 2600 feet. He adds that he did not remember ever to have met with a 

 single specimen in the hot region 1° ; but this was written before he found it near 

 Tehuantepec city ^^. 



There are no records of L. ludovicianus nesting in Mexico ; but its breeding-habits in 

 North America are well known. On this point, and on the habits of American Shrikes 

 generally, as well as on the synonymy of the species. Dr. Coues has written an elaborate 

 account, which we recommend to our readers as well worthy of their study ^^. 



Fam. AMPELID-ffi *. 



AMPELIS. 



Ampelis, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 297 (type A. garrula, L.) ; Baird, Rev. Am. B. i. p. 403. 



The long wings, the first primary being almost obsolete, and the second nearly the 

 longest in the wing, the short tail, and the short prorect supernasal feathers, as well as 

 the peculiar wax-like elongation of the rhachis of several of the secondary quills, and 

 the silky plumage, serve to distinguish Ampelis from the genera which follow. 



Ampelis cedrorum, the species which here concerns us, is peculiar to the Nearctic 

 Eegion, and only visits our country in winter. It has two strictly congeneric allies, 

 one of which, A. garrula, is also found in the Nearctic Region, but is equally if not 

 better known as an inhabitant of the Northern Palsearctic Eegion, and as an occasional 

 winter visitant to the British Islands. The third species, A. phoenicoptera, is peculiar 

 to Japan. 



1. Ampelis cedrorum. 



Bombycilla cedrorum, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 88, t. 57 ' ; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 80 '. 



Ampelis cedrorum, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 299 ' ; 1858, p. 302 * ; 1859, p. 363 ' ; 1864, p. 173 ' ; Baird, 



U.S. Bound. Surv. ii. Birds, p. 11'; Rev. Am. B. i. p. 407'; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 13°; 



Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. Ill"; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 480"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. See. 



N. H. i. p. 548"; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 141"; Baird, Brew. &Ridgw. N. Am. B. i. p. 401"; 



Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4. p. 18 ^' ; Coues, B. Col. VaU. i. p. 470 '=. 

 Ampelis americana, Wils. Am. Om. i. p. 107, t. 7. f. 1". 

 Bombycilla americana, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 1, cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 56 " ; Jones, Nat. 



in Berm. p. 29 ". 

 Bombycilla carolinensis, Briss. Om. ii. p. 337'°. 

 Ampelis carolinensis, Gosse, B. Jam. p. 197''^. 



* The Central-American species of this family belong to Prof. Baird's group B, containing his subfamilies 

 Ampelinae and Ptilogonatinse, the former comprising the genus Ampelis, the latter Ptihgonys and PMtnopepla, 

 to which we add Phainoptila, an aberrant form. 



