LITTLE CUCKOO-SHRIKE. 
outer webs and margined with pure white on the inner ones ; tail also blackish 
becoming smoke-brown on the outer feathers, tipped with white which is much 
more extensive on the lateral feathers ; base of fore-head, rictal bristles, lores, eyelids 
and feathers below the eye black, posterior portion of eyelids white ; ear-coverts 
rather darker than the crown ; chin whitish ; throat, breast, sides of body, and 
thighs paler slate-grev ; lower flanks, vent, under tail-coverts, axillaries, under 
wing-coverts, and inner edges of quills below white ; under-surface of flight-quills 
greyish-brown ; lower aspect of tail also greyish brown with white at the tips 
and along the inner margins of the feathers. Bill and feet black, eyes dark 
brown. Total length 300 mm. ; culmen 20, wing 165, tail 133, tarsus 30. 
Figured. Collected at Gosford, New South Wales, in May 1894. 
Adult male. Similar to the adult female. 
Immature. Crown of head, back, scapulars, upper wing-coverts, outer webs of the inner 
secondaries and upper tail-coverts pale slate-grey ; the long upper tail-coverts 
have minute dark marks near the tips ; bastard- wing and primary-coverts blackish 
with pale edges to the outer webs ; flight-quills blackish with pale edges to the 
outer webs and white margins to the inner ones ; middle tail-feathers greyish-brown, 
the outer feathers inclining to blackish with greyish-white tips ; the base of the 
fore-head rather paler than the crown with minute blackish spots to the feathers ; 
lores and sides of the face including the ear-coverts black ; chin and throat grey 
with dark centres to the feathers ; fore-neck black with narrow grey fringes to the 
feathers ; breast, sides of body, and upper-abdomen greyish-white barred with 
dark brown ; lower-abdomen, flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts white like the 
axillaries, under wing-coverts and margins of the quills below ; remainder of quill- 
lining greyish-brown ; lower aspect of tail also greyish-brown with pale margins 
and whitish tips to the feathers. Figured. Collected at Albury, New South Wales, 
on the 5th of July, 1904. 
Immature male. Entire head, throat, and neck all round black ; back, scapulars, upper 
wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts slate-grey, some of the last marked with black 
at the tips ; bastard-wing and primary-coverts smoke-black with slightly paler 
edges to the outer webs ; flight-quills (in moult) the old feathers dark smoke-brown 
and the new ones blackish with whitish margins in each case, the outer webs of 
the innermost secondaries slate-grey ; tail blackish with white tips to the feathers 
and along the outer web of the outermost feather on each side, the middle feathers 
more or less grey on the basal portion ; lower breast, abdomen, sides of body, and 
thighs greyish- white, irregularly marked with dark smoke-brown ; vent, ufider 
tail-coverts, axillaries, and under wing-coverts and inner margins of quills below 
cream-white ; remainder of quill-lining greyish-brown ; lower aspect of tail similar 
but somewhat darker and with whitish margins and tips to the feathers. Figured. 
Collected in Victoria in March 1873 ; is very similar to the type drawing of Lanius 
robustus Latham, and is figured for this reason. 
Nest. Nearly fiat structure. Composed of grass, twigs, etc., held together with cobweb. 
Outside dimensions 4 inches by 1| deep. Inside 3 by \ deep. 
Eggs. Clutch, two or three. Ground-colour different shades of green blotched with different 
shades of umber or purplish. 30-31 mm. by 20. 
Breeding-season. August to December. 
The first note of this species appears to be the description by Latham of 
his Robust Shrike, based on one of “ Lambert’s ” drawings. These drawings 
VOL. IX. 
129 
