lo Thk Red-Backed Shrike 



on migration. A few winter in the valley of the Indns ; but the great stream of 

 migration appears to follow the vallej^ of the Nile to South Africa, where it is 

 abundant during our winter in Natal, Damara Laud, the Transvaal, Angola, and 

 the Cape Colony." 



In Great Britain this bird is common but local ; though most abundant in the 

 southern counties, it has rarely been met with in Cornwall ; in Wales, and the central 

 counties it is not imcommon, yet it is becoming rarer in Norfolk, and in Lincoln- 

 shire is almost unknown ; in the northern counties it is rare, probably increasingly 

 so ; to Scotland it is onl}' a chance straggler, though it has been recorded as 

 breeding in the south-east ; late in May and early in June 1906 several were 

 observed during migration at Fair Isle (Shetlands). In Ireland a specimen was 

 shot in 1878, and others were said to have been seen at the same time. 



The upper parts of the male are gre}-, excepting the scapulars and back which 

 are chestnut-brown ; the wing-coverts black, margined with chestnut ; wings dark 

 brown, the feathers edged with chestnut ; the two middle tail-feathers black, the 

 rest white on the basal half, black, edged with white on the terminal half; frontal 

 band, lores, and ear-coverts black ; under parts rosy huffish, whiter on the chin 

 and under tail-coverts ; bill and feet black ; iris dark brown. The female is usually 

 quite unlike the male, her upper parts being reddish-brown, slightly barred on the 

 mantle, her under parts buffish-white, barred (excepting in the centre) w-ith brown ; 

 there is no black on the head, but a pale buff streak above the eye. Young birds 

 are somewhat similar to the female, but whiter on the forehead, with ill-defined 

 eye-streak, their upper parts barred, and their feet greyer. 



The common Butcher-bird reaches us earl}' in May, and usually leaves us 

 again in August or September, although a late straggler has been reported as 

 captured in November ; it is, therefore, probable that only one brood is reared. I 

 have taken fresh eggs as late as the 8th June, in Kent, but not later than the 

 29th May, in Norfolk ; in the latter county, however, I only met with the nest 

 twice ; it is, therefore, possible that later nests may occur ; the first week in June 

 appears from my dates to be the earliest laying-time in the north of Kent ; perhaps 

 a few nests may be occupied earlier. 



The nest of this species is most frequentl}' placed in a hawthorn bush, or 

 hedge, but sometimes in the fork of a stunted tree, seldom more than five feet 

 from the ground, and frequently less : the number of eggs is usually five, but 

 sometimes six. Although there is a good deal of difference in the form and tinting 

 of the eggs, the general character of the markings is very characteristic in most 

 specimens laid by this bird : the ground-tint varies from greenish white to creamy 

 buff, and from the latter colour to salmon-pink ; the spots vary from olive to red- 



