148 GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 



becomes the representative form. In the valley of the Yenesei 

 the latter meets, but does not interbreed with, the whiter-winged 

 L. leticopterus ; the last ranging through Turkestan to Southern 

 Russia, where, by its union with the typical L. exciibito>% it seems 

 to have produced an intermediate race, known as L. homeyeri. Space 

 will not allow me to say more. 



A Grey Shrike of some kind was seen in Iceland in 1845 by John 

 Pell the falconer ; and, as already shown, two forms occur and inter- 

 breed in Northern Europe, even up to lat. 70°. In winter both are 

 forced to leave the high north, but in Central Germany the typical 

 L. excubitor often remains throughout the winter, and comparatively 

 few individuals of either form extend their migrations to the shores of 

 the Mediterranean, although more numerous in the Black Sea region. 

 The south-east of France and the Spanish Peninsula are occupied 

 by a distinct and resident species, L. meridionah's, with vinous- 

 coloured breast, while in Morocco and Algeria we find Z. algeriensis ; 

 these two species seldom, if ever, crossing the Mediterranean. The 

 Great Grey Shrike with the double white bar breeds in the north of 

 France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Central Europe. 



From the middle of May onward, the rather bulky nest of twigs, 

 roots and moss, lined with wool, hair and feathers, is built usually at 

 the top of a fir, or high up on the forked bough of some other tree. 

 The 5-7 eggs are greenish-white, spotted and zoned with olive- 

 brown and violet-grey: measurements i"i by -8 in. The food 

 consists largely of lizards, mice, shrews, birds up to the size of a 

 Redbreast, frogs, and insects, especially beetles and grasshoppers ; 

 the indigestible portions being thrown up in pellets. Eike other 

 members of the family, this species impales its prey on long sharp 

 thorns — whence the name of " Butcher-bird"; while its fondness for 

 sitting, like a sentinel, on a lofty and conspicuous perch has earned 

 for it the name of excubitor. The alarm-note is a sharp shake, 

 shake : the call-note fna'i. 



Adult male : forehead and a line over each eye white ; lores, 

 cheeks and ear-coverts black ; upper parts pearl-grey, turning to white 

 on the scapulars ; wing-feathers black with white bases to the 

 primaries, and — in the typical Z. exciibilor — also to the secondaries, 

 which, with the inner primaries, are tipped with white; outer tail- 

 feathers chiefly white ; in the others the black at their bases increases 

 until the central ones are black to their tips ; under parts white ; bill, 

 legs and feet blackish. Length 9-5 ; wing 4-3 in. Female : duller, 

 and the breast faintly marked with greyish semilunar bars. Young : 

 dull grevish-brown above, and more barred on the under parts. 



