1846.] or Little Known Species of Birds. 301 



The following is a series of allied species, certain of which have not 

 hitherto been distinguished. 



L. schach, Lin. : L. bentet, Horsfield, Lin. Trans. XIII, 144 ; Lesson, 

 in Belanger's ' Voyage.' Length eleven inches or less, of wing four and 

 one-eighth, and of middle tail-feathers five inches to live and three- 

 quarters, the outermost an inch and three-quarters to two inches short- 

 er. Head and neck ashy, passing to whitish on the vertex, tinged 

 with rufous on the back, and passing to bright light rufous on the rump, 

 upper tail- coverts, scapularies, and flanks : lower-parts delicate rufous- 

 white, whitest on the throat and middle of belly : a very broad frontal 

 band, and streak through the eyes, comprising the ear-coverts, deep 

 black : wings also black, with rufescent- whitish margins to the tertiaries, 

 and white edge anteriorly : and the tail black, with rufescent- white tips 

 often obsolete on its middle feathers, and successively more developed to 

 the outermost ; the two or three outside feathers merely blackish, and 

 margined round with light rufescent, which colour predominates on the 

 outermost feather of all. Described from three Chusan specimens, which 

 seem to be identical in species with the Javanese bird. This is the 

 largest species of the sub-group, and is particularly distinguished from 

 the others by having the black band on its forehead fully five-eighths 

 of an inch broad. 



2. L. nigriceps, Franklin : L. nasutus, Scopoli, and L. antiguanus, La- 

 tham, both founded on Sonnerat's figure of his Pie-grieche d'Antigue; but 

 the former name is objectionable, as referring to an individual deformity 

 of the specimen figured, and the latter, as likely to convey the idea that it 

 is a West Indian bird, from the more familiarly known island of Antigua, 

 instead of the province of Antigue in Panay. It is also L. tricolor, 

 Hodgson, Ind. Rev. 1837, p. 446; and Indian Shrike, Latham. This 

 species is at once distinguished by having the whole cap black. The 

 rufous hue of its upper-parts varies much in depth, and many have the 

 nape more or less ashy. Inhabits all northern and central India ; being 

 common in the Soonderbuns of Bengal, and on many of the churrs (or 

 alluvial banks and islands) in the Ganges and its branches. It is also 

 common in Assam, Sylhet, Tipperah, and Arracan. 



3. L. tephronotus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 43: L. nipalensis, 

 Hodgson, lnd. Rev. 1837, p. 445 : Grey -backed Shrike of Latham. Size 

 of the last species : wing three inches and three-quarters. Colour of 



