Thk Woodchat Shrike 15 



the first appearance of danger, it flies off" to anotlier and more distant tree, and, 

 taking np a similarly elevated position, scans the countr}- ronnd till the danger 

 which had excited its alarm has passed away. It builds here in May and June, 

 constructing a compact and well-formed nest in the fork of a carob or almond-tree. 

 Its aff"ection for, and the courage it display's in the protection of, its young are 

 remarkable. Wary as it is at other times, on these occasions it seems to lose all 

 fear ; uttering piercing cries, it will fly close round the head of the intruder, and 

 actually make a feint of dashing in his face." 



Howard Saunders saj'S : — "The note usually heard is a harsh laali, kack, ki-ah ; 

 but the male has also a low and rather pretty song in spring, and shows great 

 capacity for imitating the notes of other birds." Seebohm observes: — "Its song 

 is by no means unmusical, and very gentle to proceed from such raptorial jaws.* 

 It reminded me very much of the twittering of a Swallow, or the warble of a 

 Starling. Some of its call-notes, however, are loud and harsh enough ; and I at 

 first thought it was imitating the notes of other birds, in order to attract them 

 within reach ; but inasmuch as the greater number of notes it apparently imitated 

 were of birds far too powerful for it to grapple with, such cannot be the case." 



Dixon saj'S that he " met with this species (in Algeria) in all parts of the 

 country wherever the vegetation was sufficient to afford it shelter." 



Herr Mathias Rausch says of the Woodchat Shrike, that in many regions it 

 is somewhat rare, and it costs a good deal of trouble to obtain a good bird. " It sings 

 louder than the Red-backed, or the Lesser Grey Shrike, has moreover a certain 

 roughness in its voice, which somewhat detracts from its imitations, and thus 

 prejudices their distinctness." Possiblj' it was this which led Seebohm to think 

 that the cries of this species were imitations of rapacious birds. The mimicry 

 practised by the Woodchat must, however, be fairly good, inasmuch as it was 

 noticed even in Bechstein's time ; as pointed out by the late Charles W'itchell 

 (Evolution of Bird song, p. 174). 



Herr Rausch considers that, as a cage bird, the Woodchat belongs to the 

 second order of merit (Gefiederte Welt, 1891, p. 499). Although rarer than the 

 Red-backed Shrike, there is not the least doubt that its song is neither so pure 

 nor so perfect in its imitative power ; and, when one has to keep a species in a 

 separate cage, on account of its domineering, spiteful, or even dangerous character, 

 it is most satisfactor}^ to get something in exchange for the extra trouble required 

 to preserve it in health : therefore, if I already possessed Lanius collurio, I certainly 

 shoiild not covet its rarer relative. 



* In this respect it does not stand alone: the song of the S. American Blue-bearded Jay is almost as 

 gentle as that of a Mannikin, whilst his cries are shrill, harsh, or gruff. — A. G. B. 



