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THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 



Lanius coLLURio, Linnaeus. 



This, by far the commonest of our British Shrikes, arrives in the 

 south of England very early in May, and is irregularly distributed 

 during the summer throughout the wooded districts of the southern 

 and central portions, and in Wales. In Norfolk, however, it 

 appears to be decreasing ; in Lincolnshire and south-east Yorkshire 

 it nests very sparingly ; while northward it is of irregular occurrence, 

 and is said to be rarer than in former years. In the south-east of 

 Scotland it has occasionally been known to breed, as well as at 

 Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, in 1893 ; but beyond the Forth it is rare, 

 though migrants have been taken at Rattray Head, Dee, as well as 

 on the Pentland Skerries. In the Shedands Saxby says that he 

 shot a young male on October 5th 1866, and that on June 9th 

 (probably a slip {ox July) 1870, he saw a female Red-backed Shrike 

 followed by three young birds already tolerably strong on the wing. 

 In Ireland the only example on record was shot on August loth 

 1878, near Belfast. For details respecting the distribution of this 

 species, Mr. O. V. Aplin's paper (Tr. Norw. Soc. v. pp. 286-310) 

 should be consulted. 



