LANirS CANICEPS. 
(THE EUEOUS-RUMPED SHRIKE.) 
Lanius caniceps, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1846, xv. p. 302 ; id. Cat. B. Mus. A. 
Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. p. 164 (1854); Fairbank, Str. Feath. 1877, 
p. 400. 
Lanim tephronotus (Vig.), Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat, p. 124 (1852). 
Lanius erythronotus (VigOi Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiii. p. 1 . ^ 
(in pt.), B. of Ind. i. p. 402 (1862) ,• Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 436 ; Legge, Str. leath. 
1876, p. 243. 
Collyrio caniceps (Bl.), Hume, Nests and Eggs, i. p. 169 (1873). 
Lanius affinis, Legge, Str. Feath. 1876, p. 243. 
Pale Pufous-bacJced Shrike of some ; Butcher-bird, Europeans in north of Ceylon. 
Adult male. Length 9'0 to 9'2 inches ; wing 3'55 to 3’65 ; tail 4’5 ; tarsus 1‘05 ; mid toe and claw 0 95 , 
and claw 0'75 ; bill to gape 0'9. 
Adult female. Length 8‘7 to 8‘9 ; wing 3’45 to 3'6 ; tail 4'1 to 4‘3. 
Iris hazel-brown ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish brown. j. -i oi the 
A broad facial band encompassing the eye, and passing from below the ear-coverts to ® ‘ « . 
forehead, where it narrows, wings, and three central pairs of tail-feathers black , ea , ac an s > 
hack, and scapulars pale bluish grey, with a whitish edging at the frontal band an a ® iieck and 
,vi„g and » Ld at ft, baa, of the ptioatie, from the 6ft to the 10ft qoill, under ,mg, throat, or. ue.l, and 
cent„o( bre.,t whift, rump, upper tail-eoterl., and «.nka rufouti under la.l-eov.rte and p— »/ 
the longer scapulars rufescent, or paler than the rump. , r.lnmao'e is 
in abraded plumage the head and edges of the back-feathers become whitish ; and I o '' external 
new the longer scapulars are more rufous than when it is abraded, as this colour is chiefly confined to the externa 
portion of the webs. 
Female. Has the eye-stripe or band less black than the male, and the frontal bar narrower. 
Young. (Nesthng shot by Mr. Holdsworth, 8th February, 1869.) Above pale sandy fulvous, 
into rufous on the rump, longer scapular-feathers, and upper tail-coverts , on ® hroadlv barred 
greyish; aU the feathers barred with wavy marks of dark brown; 
tvith blackish brown; inner webs of the tertials rufous, their external margins and Lps of 
central tail-feathers brown, the remainder and the tips of the first-name r ous flanks and 
blackish brown, not extending to the forehead ; beneath whitish, tinged with rufescent strongly on the flanks 
under tail-coverts. 
Oh,. Thi, Sue Shrike i, the seuftetn repremlative of tryth-Mm, *■'' 
D»»u, Cntftl and Sorth.ru ludiu. Speeim.u. from M.kb.r m,d from ft, Ji,n 
as little rufous on the scapulars and lower back as our birds ; m f m a a a a districts named measure 
has less rufous on these parts than some Ceylonese specimens. wo ® Fairbank 3'3- * 
3-5 and 3-75 inches in the wing, and two from th® obtained by ■ " collection, 
wTote my note on this species Stray Feathers,’ 1876) I had on y spec . perhaps being a local race 
and was unacquainted with the true L. caniceps, and hence my w region, and nearly all the 
of the former. The Eufous-backed Shrike has the back as J" "P „/the ile margin at the posterior 
scapular tuft, rufous ; and in all specimens I ave examine hroadlv edged with fulvous than in L. caniceps. 
edge of the frontal band; the secondaries and tertials are ^ 
Two examples from Behar measure 3-5 and 3-4 inches in tne v g, 
respectively. 
