326 LATSIIDJE.

Colonel Marshall has since kindly sent me two of the eggs above
referred to; they are clearly, it seems to me, eggs of Die-runts
longicaudatus, or the slightly smaller hill-form named himalayanus,
Tytler.

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes:—" A nest found at about
three feet from the ground in a thick bush at Eheem Tal, at the
edge of the lake, contained five fresh eggs on the 28th May : the
nest was a coarsely built massive cup; the eggs were about the
same size as those of L. erythronotus, but the spots were larger and
less closely gathered than is usual with that species/5

Dr. Scully says :—" The Grey-backed Shrike is common in. the
Valley of Nepal from about the end of September to the middle of
March ; it is the only Shrike found in the Valley during the winter
season, but it migrates further north to breed. In December it
was fairly common about Chitlang, which is higher than Kathmandu,
but seemed to be entirely replaced in the Hetoura Dun by L. niyri-
ceps. It frequents gardens, groves, and cultivated ground, perch-
ing on bushes and hedges and small bare trees. It has a very
harsh chattering note, louder than that of L. nigriceps, and appears
to be most noisy towards sunset, when its cry would often lead
one to suppose that the bird was being strangled in the clutches of
a raptor."

Mr. O. Moller has kindly furnished me with the following
note :—" On the 7th June, 1879, my men brought a nest containing
four fresh eggs, together with a bird of the present species ; I send
two of the eggs : perhaps you recollect the eggs of L. tephronotits, in
which case you of course will be able to see at a glance if I am
correct. I have never come across such large eggs of L. niyriceps,
the eggs of which also as a rule have well-defined spots and no
blotches ; the two other eggs the nest contained measure 1 by 0-74,
and 1-01 by O76 inch.3'

The eggs of this species are of the ordinary Shrike type, moder-
ately elongated ovals, a little compressed towards the small end.
The shell extremely smooth and compact, but with scarcely any
perceptible'gloss, The ground-colour pale greenish or yellowish
white ; the markings chiefly confined to a broad irregular ill-defined
zone round the large end—blotches, spots, specks, and smears of
pale yellowish brown more or less intermingled with small clouds
and spots of pale sepia-grey or inky purple. In some eggs a good
number of the smaller markings and occasionally one or two larger
ones are scattered over the entire surface of the egg, but typically
the bulk of the markings are comprised within the zone above
referred to.

In length four eggs vary from 0-97 to 1-06 inch, and in breadth
from 0-76 to 0-81 inch.

481. Lanius cristatns, Linn. The Brown Shrike.

Lanius cristatiis, Linn., Jerd B. Ind. i, p. 40(3: Hume, Rouuh Draft
N. $ E. no. 261. J

I am induced to notice this species, the Brown Shrike, although I