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NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OE THE 

 RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 



BY 



J. H. OWEN. 



In the Felsted (Essex) district the Red-backed Shrike 

 {Lanius c. collurio) used to be a fairly common bird, but 

 varied considerably in numbers from year to year. In 

 1911 I saw fourteen nests within quite a small radius of 

 the school. Since then, however, the numbers have 

 decreased very much and in the last five summers have 

 only averaged three to four pairs. About here the birds 

 build in tall, somewhat loose, but wide fences or in fairly 

 compact isolated bushes ; the latter is the favourite site. 

 In Essex the bird is usually called the " larder-bird." 

 I have seen larders containing bees, beetles, wasps, small 

 mice and small birds up to the size of a fully fledged 

 young Robin. The young Robin I saw was beheaded 

 and impaled by a thorn through the skin of the neck. 

 A few inches from it another thorn held a bee. While I 

 was near this larder the cock Shrike brought another 

 bee, but on seeing me he was scared, and the next day 

 I found the larder was empty. I think the cock is 

 responsible for the larder, and it is usually made during 

 the incubation period. When the yomig are hatched 

 their needs, with those of the parents, prevent an 

 accumulation of surplus food. I have watched birds 

 put an occasional beetle, bee or other insect on a thorn 

 during the nestling period, but I have never seen a proper 

 larder made then. The larders are not very far from the 

 nest, rarely as far as thirty yards, and never, I believe, 

 above fifty, but the distance depends on whether there 

 is a suitable bush for a larder near the nest. The larder, 

 in all cases I can recall, has been on the side of the bush 

 facing the nest. The eggs, numbering three to six, rarely 

 seven, are laid daily, and incubation lasts from fifteen to 

 sixteen days, and is performed by the hen only as far 

 as I have been able to see. 



