324 Mr. G. Despott on the [Ibis, 



statements given with the foregoing ; the latter, however, 

 records a specimen shot by Mr. J. Home on the 5th of 

 November, 1860. From ray observations I can say that this 

 species is much more frequent than its congener, the Gold- 

 crest; it makes its appearance by the middle of autumn, 

 and remains throughout the winter with us. I have often 

 counted as many as a dozen individuals in our public 

 gardens ; they are not, however, easily detected uuless one 

 knows them by their peculiar note. The words " Tat toppu 

 ahmar" which mean '' lire-crested,'^ have been added to 

 distinguish this species from the Gold-crest. 



78. (80) Lanius minor Gm. The Lesser Grey Shrike. 

 Local name : Bughajjat second. 



A quite accidental visitor first recorded by Schembri, who 

 says that several of these birds were noticed in September 

 1839, and others appeared in September and October of the 

 following year; after that date, however, Schembri states 

 that he has seen but very few of tliese birds. Wright men- 

 tions the specimens recorded by Schembri, and states that 

 one of these was still in this gentleman's collection when he 

 published the list of birds observed in Malta and Gozo in 

 1864. In the fourth appendix to his list, Wright records a 

 specimen obtained by him in September 1866. Giglioli and 

 Blasius give the local name '"' Buyhajjat," the word ^'"second" 

 which has been added is only an equivalent of the English 

 " Lesser,^' and it serves to distinguish this species from its 

 larger congener, the Great Grey Shrike. 



79. (76) Lanius excubitor excubitor L. The Great Grey 

 Shrike. 



Local name : Buyhajjut. 



Schembri records a specimen which was in the possession 

 of Dr. G. C. Grech Delicata in 1842. I saw another spe- 

 cimen in Mr. Micallef's collection ; this was shot in the 

 neighbourhood of Birchircara in the autumn of 1894 by 

 Vincenzo Chicacij a well-known sportsman of that village. 



