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perched on the top of a sarib bush, ov flying in easy undulating lines, or else hovering over its 

 prey. Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., says that their favourite perch is the bottom of a crest of a palm 

 where the fronds are broken short, where they can easily dart off to snatch a passing beetle, or 

 rise into the air after a more high-flying locust. He also adds that it is an excellent mimic. 



Dr. Koenig obtained many nests of this Shrike in Tunis, which he describes as being large 

 and bulky, constructed of dry twigs, bents, and portions of plants, and lined with fine bents, wool, 

 plant-cotton, and bits of rags. 



The eggs, usually six in number, but varying from five to seven, are pale greenish yellow, 

 with underlying dull lilac shell-markings, and liver-brown overlying spots and blotches, and 

 closely resemble those of Lanius algeriensis both in form and size. 



Lanius elegans was first described by Swainson (I. c.) as an American bird, from a specimen 

 in the British Museum presented by the Hudson Bay Company, without any indication as to 

 locality ; but an examination of the type, which is still in the British Museum, clearly shows 

 that it must have come from North Africa or Western Asia, and not from America, though it 

 was sent to the British Museum with other birds from the fur countries. I have carefully 

 compared the type with my series and it agrees closely with my specimen from Transcaspia. 



The specimen above described is the bird figured in the ' Birds of Europe,' pi. 146, lower 

 figure, and is specimen a in my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined, besides the series in the British 

 Museum and in the collection of Canon Tristram, the following specimens : — 



E Mus. II. E. Dresser. 



a, ad. Algeria (Fairmaire) . b, ?. Tuggurt, Algeria, December 27th, 1861 {Canon Tristram), c, ?. Thebes, 

 January 24th, 1863 (/. H. Cochrane), d, $ . N. Africa (Verreaux). e, $ . Beum-basch, Transcaspia, 

 May 1st {Dr. G. Radde). f, $ . Urtun, near Tschimkent, April 25th {Prof. Menzbier). 



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