LANIID.li. 



^53 





THE WOODCHAT. 



Lanius pomeranus, Sparrman. 



Although a common species during the breeding-season on the 

 opposite shores of the Continent, the Woodchat Shrike only crosses 

 the narrow seas at irregular intervals, and not more than about 

 thirty-five examples are known to have been obtained in England 

 during the last hundred years. The majority of these have been 

 noticed in the southern and eastern districts, and generally at the 

 time of migration ; but there is evidence that the bird has nested 

 twice near Freshwater in the Isle of Wight, while westward it has 

 been known to occur as far as Cornwall. Northward, it has been 

 identified on rare occasions up to Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumber- 

 land and Northumberland ; but there is no proof that it has visited 

 Scotland or Ireland. Mr. O. V. Aplin published an excellent 

 summary in 'The Zoologist' for 1892, pp. 345-352. 



On the Continent the Woodchat breeds from Normandy north- 

 eastward as far as the line of the Baltic and the valley of the Vistula, 

 beyond which it is of accidental occurrence ; while southward 

 it is generally distributed throughout Europe, and in the countries 



