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ornithologssts who prefer lumping to splitting this view would even now recommend itself. It 

 has, however, of later years become the usage to recognize local forms or subspecies to an extent 

 that was then barely thought of, except by Brehm and his disciples ; and, taking this view of the 

 question, I have, with the experience and data collected during the past twenty years, found it 

 necessary to recognize four subspecies, viz. L. lahtora, L. grimmi, L.fallax, and L. elegans, the 

 last being the species of which I will now treat. 



The range of Lanius elegans extends eastward into Central Asia, and westward to Algeria, 

 but it does not appear to have been met with in Europe north of the Mediterranean, nor, in fact, 

 in North Africa {fide Tristram, Ibis, 1884, p. 400) north of the Atlas range; but it is stated by 

 the late Dr. Taczanowski to be common on the southern slopes of that range and also in the 

 desert portion of Algeria. All the notes in our article in the ' Birds of Europe ' on Lanius 

 lahtora referring to its occurrence in Algeria, Egypt, and Nubia are referable to the present 

 species. Canon Tristram met with it on the northern borders of the desert of Algeria ; and 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., records it as being extremely common in the Mzab country. Dr. Koenig 

 also found it numerous in Tunis, south of El Djem, near which place it was breeding commonly 

 late in April. In East Africa it occurs from Egypt southward to the White Nile, and there is 

 in the British Museum a specimen from the Eyton collection, obtained at Kordofan. In 

 Palestine the present form is replaced by the closely allied Lanius fallax ; but it doubtless 

 occurs in Asia Minor, as Professor Bogdanoff states (Sorokoputui Russkoi Faunui, p. 160) that 

 he examined two specimens from the collection of Noie, of Constantinople, which were probably 

 obtained by him in Asia Minor, and not in European Turkey. Dr. Radde records (s. n. Lanius 

 lahtora) a single occurrence at Lenkoran, on the Caspian ; but his description tends to show that 

 the specimen in question may possibly be referable to Lanius grimmi, and this cannot be decided 

 without a careful comparison, which I have not had an opportunity of making. It certainly 

 occurs, however, in Transcaspia, as I have a specimen from Beum-basch, for which I am indebted 

 to Dr. Radde, who states (Vog. Transcasp. p. 67) that he obtained two examples at that place, 

 and one at Perewalnaja; but Mr. Zarudny does not include it in his list of the birds of 

 Transcaspia. 



According to Mr. E. W. Oates (Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 460) it occurs at Fao, on the 

 Persian Gulf, and in Mesopotamia ; Dr. Aitchison procured it in Afghanistan, and it has been 

 obtained in Sind and in the Punjab. Dr. Gadow (I. c.) states that it occurs through Turkestan 

 to the Amoor ; but I find no confirmation of this statement, and have not seen any specimen from 

 so far east as the Amoor. According to Bogdanoff, however, Severtzoff obtained one on the Amu- 

 Darja, and Prjevalsky also procured one on the Haidongol Paver, in the Eastern Tian-shan. 



I may here remark that the Indian form, the true Lanius lahtora, Sykes, does not occur 

 within the limits of the Western Palsearctic Region; and in the article on L. lahtora (B. of 

 Europe, iii. pp. 381-385) all the data, excepting that referring to its presence in India, are 

 referable to the present species and L.fallax, and the two birds figured belonged to the present 

 and not to the Indian form, as did also the specimen described. 



In habits, note, and mode of nidification Lanius elegans does not differ from its near allies. 

 Dr. Koenig remarks that in Tunis, whereas L. algeriensis inhabits the northern and mountainous 

 portion of the country, the present species is only found in the desert, where it may be seen 



