SHRIKES 161 



As another illustration of popular ignorance of South 

 African bird-life, the late Dr. Exton, whose name is well 

 known to South African ornithologists, told a good story 

 at a meeting of the Johannesburg Field Naturalists' Club, 

 just prior to the Boer War. He said that while residing 

 in Bloemfontein, he was one day fetched by a friend to 

 shoot some bird that had killed one of his canaries, and 

 on arrival at the friend's house the latter pointed to a 

 pert specimen of the Piskal coolly sitting on the railing and 

 said, " Don't shoot him— he is so tame ; those are the brutes," 

 and pointed to a couple of innocent Bui bids which were 

 hopping about the branches of a tree. 



The Fiskal Shrike builds rather a neat, cup-shaped nest 

 of weeds, grass, twine, &c, lined with feathers, and lays 

 usually three eggs of a pale greeny tint, marked with pale 

 brown spots and purplish-brown blotches on the thick ends. 



It is commonly known as the " Jack-hanger " and 

 " Butcher-bird " in the Cape, the " Jacky-hangman " in 

 Natal, and the " Lachsman " in the Transvaal. It is 

 brownish-black above with a white patch on the wing, and 

 white below. Length, 8 inches. 



The Bed-backed Shrike (L. collurio) is a migrant from 

 Europe, and does not breed out here. It can easily be 

 recognised from the other Shrikes by its chestnut-coloured 

 back and pinkish underparts. Length, 7 inches. 



The Brubru Shrike (Nilaus brubru) is of a glossy black and 

 white with a distinct frontal band across the forehead, 

 extending on either side of the head in the shape of a pro- 

 nounced white eyebrow running right on to the temporal 

 region of the head. 



It is found from the Orange River northwards and lays 

 three to five eggs of a white ground colour spotted with brown. 



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