THE SHRIKES. 165 



Like many of the birds of prey, the Great Grey Shrike throws 

 up pellets, and, according to Nauman, remains of beetles 

 and grasshoppers, frogs, lizards, and blind-worms are found 

 among its castings in summer time, but in winter only bones 

 of mice and feathers of birds are found in the Shrike's 

 pellets." 



Nest. — Composed of twigs, grass, and moss, with a lining 

 of roots, wool, and hair. It is a somewhat clumsily built 

 structure. 



Eggs. — From five to seven in number. The ground-colour 

 is either pale greenish-white or brownish-white, the latter 

 being the more usual type of the two. A few have the 

 ground-colour white, without any greenish tinge. The spots 

 are rather heavy and of an olive-brown or greenish brown tint, 

 sometimes distributed over the egg, but in other instances 

 clustering round the larger end, and occasionally clouding the 

 whole of the egg. Axis, i'o-i'i inch; diam., 075-0*8. 



III. PALLAS'S GREAT GREY SHRIKE. LANIUS SIBIRICUS. 



Lanius major (" nee. Wilkes," teste Stejneger), Pallas, Zoogr. 



Ross. Asiat., i., p. 402 (181 1); Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., 



viii., p. 239 (1883); Seebohm, Brit. B., i., p. 595 (1883); 



Saunders, Man., p. 139 (1889). 

 Lanitis sibiriats, Bogd. ; Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xvi., 



p. 217. 



{Plate XVIII.) 



Adult Male. — Similar to L. exaebitor, but having only one 

 white wing-patch, formed by the white base of the primary- 

 quills, the secondaries entirely black at the base and not show- 

 ing any trace of the second white patch so conspicuous in true 

 L. excubitor ; there seems to be also less white on the inner 

 webs of the inner secondaries underneath, and the lower primary 

 coverts are also somewhat more pronounced ashy-brown ; bill, 

 feet, and iris, coloured as in L. excubitor. Total length, 9*5 

 inches; culmen, 075; wing, 4/5; tail, 4*4; tarsus, 1*05. 



Adult Female — Similar to the male in colour. 



