40 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 
Family LANIIDiE. — The Sheikes. 
Char. Bill very powerful, strong, and much compressed, the tip abruptly hooked, deeply 
notched, and with a prominent tooth behind the notch ; both mandibles distinctly notched, 
the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent up. Tarsi longer 
than the middle toe, strongly scutellate. Primaries ten ; first primary half the second, or 
shorter (occasionally wanting). Wings; short, rounded ; tail long and much graduated. 
Sides of tarsi with the plates divided on the outside. But one American genus. 
Genus COLLURIO, Vigors. 
Characters those of the family. In American species, the iris brown. Nest on trees ; 
bulky and soft, of feathers, fur, down, etc., mixed with twigs. 
Species. 
A. Outer webs of secondaries wholly white for basal half (mostly concealed 
by coverts, however). Upper eyelid white. 
1. C. excubitor. Nasal tufts grayish-white. In other respects, as re- 
gards colors, like excubitoroides. Wing, 4.20; tail, 4.00; tarsus, .95. 
Hab. Europe. 
B* Outer webs of secondaries black to the base. Upper eyelids black. 
a. White crescent on lower eyelid. Beneath with wavy bars of dusky in 
all stages. Tarsus less than 1.00 ; wing more than 4.50. Length, 10.00. 
2. C. borealis. Upper half of nasal tufts white. Black spectacle bor- 
dered above the ear-coverts by hoary whitish. Scapulars and upper tail- 
coverts approaching white. Wing, 4.70 ; tail, 4.70 ; tarsus, .93. Eggs 
light greenish, marbled and blotched with clay-color and brown. Hab. 
Arctic America ; in winter south into United States, especially into 
the northern portions. (Northern Shrike.') 
b. No white crescent on lower eyelid. Beneath without bars, except in 
young. Tarsus more than 1.00 ; wing less than 4.50. Length, 8.50. 
3. C. ludovicianus. Black spectacle not bordered over ear-coverts 
with whitish. 
% 
White patch on primaries reaching nearly as far as end of first quill. 
* Nasal tufts entirely black. 
Black of lores and nasal tufts bordered above with hoary whitish. 
1^1 Tail white at base ; inner webs of secondaries paler toward margin, 
but not abruptly white. Beneath entirely white, without ashy tinge 
laterally, or across breast. Axillars whitish. Upper tail-coverts 
ashy-white, scapulars pure white. Wing, 4.10 ; tail, 4.20 ; tarsus, 
1.10 ; bill, .50. Eggs greenish-white, blotched with brown, purple, 
or umber. Hab. Western North America from Pacific Coast east 
to a little beyond the Mississippi, and to Texas. Nearly all of 
Mexico. ( White-rumped Shrike.) . . . var. excubitoroides . 
Black of lores, etc., not bordered above by whitish. Tail black at 
base. Inner webs of secondaries pure white to the shaft on basal 
half. Beneath tinged with ashy laterally and across breast. 
Scapulars and upper tail-coverts hardly different from back. Bill, 
.60. Hab. California and fur countries. ( White-winged Shrike.) 
var. r obustus . 
