312 LANIIDiE. 



was placed in a fork of a thorny jujube or ber tree {Zizyphus 

 jujuba), near the centre of the tree, and some 15 feet from the 

 ground. It contained four fresh eggs, feebly coloured miniatures 

 of the eggs of L. lahtora, which latter so closely resemble those of 

 L. excuhitor that if you mixed the eggs, you could never, 1 think, 

 certainly separate them again. The eggs exhibit the zone so cha- 

 racteristic of those of all Shrikes. They have a dull pale ground, 

 not white, and yet it is difficult to say what colour it is that tinges 

 it ; in these four eggs it is a yellowish stone-colour, but in others 

 it is greenish, and in some grey ; near the middle, towards the 

 large end, there is a broad and conspicuous, but broken and irre- 

 gular zone of feeble, nioi-e or less confluent spots and small blotches 

 of pale yellowdsh browji and very pale washed-out purple. There 

 are a few faint specks and spots of the same colour here and there 

 about the rest of the egg. In some eggs previously obtained the 

 zone is quite in the middle, and in othei*s close round the large 

 end. In some the colours of the markings are clear and bright, in 

 others they are as faint and feeble as one of our modern Man- 

 chester vvarranted-fast-coloured muslins, after its third visit to a 

 native washerman. In size, too, the eggs vary a good deal. 



"The little Shrike had a great mind to tight for h\ii peivites, and 

 twice made a vehement demonstration of attack ; but his heart 

 failed him, and he retreated to a neighbouring mango branch, 

 whence a few minutes after we saw him making short dashes 

 after his insect prey, apparently oblivious of the domestic calamity 

 that had so recently befallen him.'' 



Mr. F. R. Blewitt, then at Gurhi Hursroo, near Delhi, sent me 

 some years ago the following interesting note : — 



" Breeds from March to at least the middle of August. It 

 builds its nest in low trees and high hedgerows, preferring the 

 former. 



" In shape the nest is circular, with a diameter, outside, of from 

 5| to 6g inches, and from 1*5 to 2 in thickness. 



" For the exterior framework thorny twigs, old rags, hemp, 

 thread-pieces, and coarse grass are more or less used, and com- 

 pactly woi'ked together. The egg-cavity is deep and cup-shaped, 

 lined with fine grass and khus ; pieces of rag or cotton are some- 

 times worked up with the former. 



" Five to six is the regular number of eggs. In colour they are 

 a light greenish white, with blotches and spots generally of a light, 

 but sometimes of a darker, reddish brown. The spots and blotches 

 vary much in size, ajid they ai'e mostly confined to the broad end 

 of the eggs. 



" I had frequently noticed on a tree in the garden an old Shrike's 

 nest. It was in the beginning of May that a male bird suddenly 

 made his appearance and established himself in the garden, and 

 morning and evening without fail did he sit and alternately chatter 

 and warble away for hours. His perfect imitation of the notes of 

 other birds was remarkable. 



" In the beginning of June his singing suddenly ceased, the 



