found by him on the 16th May at Jahar Powah,
in 'Nests and Eggs,' p. 172, correctly describes the nests I have
found. This species imitates the call of several kinds of small birds,
as Sparrows, King-Crows, &c., and I have often been deceived by it."

The eggs of this species, of which, thanks to Mr. Gammie, I now
possess a noble series, vary very much in shape and size. Typically
they are very broad ovals, a little compressed towards one end, but
moderately elongated ovals are not uncommon. The shell is very fine
and smooth, and often has a more or less perceptible gloss; in no
case, however, very pronounced.

There are two distinct types of colouring. In the one, the
ground-colour is a delicate very pale green or greenish white, in
some few pale, still faintly greenish, stone-colour; and the markings
consist as a rule of specks and spots of brownish olive, mostly
gathered into a broad zone about the large end, intermingled with
specks and spots of pale inky purple. In some eggs the whole of
the markings are very pale and washed-out, but in the majority the
brownish-olive or olive-brown spots, as the case may be, are rather
bright, especially in the zone. In the other type (and out of 42 eggs,
12 belong to this type) the ground-colour varies from pinky white to a
warm salmon-pink, and the markings, distributed and arranged as in the
first type, are a rather dull red and pale purple. In fact the two
types differ as markedly as do those of _Dicrurus ater_; and though
I have as yet received none such, I doubt not that with a couple of
hundred eggs before one intermediate varieties, as in the case of _D.
ater_, would be found to exist--as it is, two more different looking
eggs than the two types of this species could hardly be conceived. I
may add that in eggs of both types it sometimes, though very rarely,
happens that the zone is round the small end.

In length they vary from 0.82 to 1.01, and in breadth from 0.68 to
0.79; but the average of forty-two eggs measured is 0.92 by 0.75.

476. Lanius erythronotus (Vigors). _The Rufous-backed Shrike_.

Lanius erythronotus (_Vig._); _Jerd. B. Ind._ i, p. 402.
Collyrio erythronotus, _Vigors, Hume, Rough Draft N. & E._ no. 257.
Collyrio caniceps[A] (_Blyth_), _Hume, Rough Draft N. & E._
no. 257 bis.

[Footnote A: Mr. Hume may probably still consider _L. caniceps_
separable from _L. erythronotus_. I therefore keep the notes on the
two races distinct as they appeared in the