252 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



at the tip, and black or dusky brown, lighter at 

 the base of the lower mandible. Near the end of 

 the upper mandible is a prominent tooth or notch. 

 Irides hazel. Three or four strong black bristles 

 sj)ring from just above the gape. Round the base 

 of the upper mandible, through the eyes, and as far 

 as the ear-coverts, the feathers are black ; crown and 

 back of neck grey ; back and wing-coverts bright 

 reddish-brown ; wing-quills dull black margined with 

 reddish - brown ; upper tail - coverts reddish - grey ; 

 tail-quills, in centre, black tipped with white, rest 

 white on the basal half, and black from thence to 

 the end, which is slightly tipped with white ; chin 

 grey ; breast, belly, and under-j^arts of a rosy 

 tinge, with the exception of the under tail-coverts, 

 which are white ; legs, toes, and claws dusky 

 black. 



The female is very much less conspicuous in 

 her plumage. Her beak is not so dark in colour; 

 over her eye is a yellowish-white streak ; her 

 upper-parts dull rusty brown, tinged with grey on 

 the neck and tail-coverts ; chin, throat, breast, 

 and under-parts greyish-white, barred with greyish- 

 brown. 



Sifuafioit (Old LocaJitij. — In high rough hedges, 

 thorn bushes in woods, and on rough commons. 

 Our illustration is from a photograph of a nest in 

 a slight thorn bush, surrounded by hazels and big 

 trees in a small Surrey spinney, where I meet with 

 a nest every year regularly. I found a Eed-backed 

 Shrike's nest in a low bramble bush, intermixed 

 with rushes, two years ago close to London. The 

 nest was not more than eighteen inches from the 

 ground, and within a few feet of a much-used turn- 

 pike lane. The cock bird was so bold that he 

 came within four feet of me as I stood looking at 



