THE GHEY-BACKED SHRIKE. 
249 
lower ranges of the Himalayas as far as Kumaon and the plains down to 
the Godavery river or thereabouts. 
This Shrike is usually found in grass-plains and on the outskirts of 
secondary jungle and neglected gardens. It has the usual habits of Shrikes^ 
perching on bare branches or high stalks of grass and pouncing on insects 
which crawl on the ground. It alights on the ground for brief periods 
only, just sufficiently long to enable it to capture its prey, and retreats 
quickly to its former station. 
This species is apparently resident in Burmah throughout the year; but 
it is far commoner in the rains than at other times. I have not met with 
its nest. In Eastern Bengal it breeds from April to June, audit constructs 
a deep cup-shaped nest of grass with the flowering ends worked into the 
outside. The nest is placed in bamboo-clumps and thorny trees, sometimes 
at considerable heights from the ground. The eggs are usually five in 
number, greenish white marked with olive -brown. 
There can be no doubt about the Lanius nasutus of Scopoli referring to 
this species. The bird is figured by Sonnerat, and the graduated tail with 
pale margins to the feathers is well drawn. 
237. LANIUS TEPHHONOTUS. 
THE GREY-BACKED SHRIKE. 
CoUurio tephronotus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831^ p. 43. Lanius tephronotus, Je?'d. 
B. Ind. i. p. 403 ; Bl. B. Burm, p. 121 ; David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 94 ; 
Atiders. Yunnan Exped. p. 643 ; Hume 8f Dav. S, F. vi. p. 202 ; Cripps, S. F. 
vii. p. 267 ; Hume, S. F. vii. p. 374, viii. p. 91 ; Sctdli/, S. F, viii. p. 265. Col- 
lyrio tephronotus, Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 171. 
Description, — Male and female. Head^ nape, whole back and scapulars 
ashy, the latter washed with rufous ; rump and upper tail-coverts reddish 
brown j a narrow band on the forehead (sometimes almost absent) and a 
broad streak passing through the eye and ear-coverts black ; lower plumage 
whitish, washed with pale rufous on the breast and abdomen and with 
brighter rufous on the flanks and under tail- coverts ; central tail-feathers 
black, the next pair black tipped with pale rufous, the others paler brown 
tipped and edged with pale rufous ; wing-coverts black ; quills dark brown, 
edged with pale rufous and the primaries with a white spot at their bases. 
Young and immature birds have the cheeks, sides of neck, breast and 
flanks barred with brown. 
Bill black ; base of lower mandible yellowish horny j irides dark brown j 
feet and claws black. (^Scully.) 
Length 9*5 inches, tail 5, wing 4*2, tarsus 1*1, bill from gape I. 
