The Oologists' Record, September i, 1922. 55 



black, beady eyes looking up into the glare. The nest was on the 

 ground level, the foundation consisting of grasses, straw and dead 

 leaves, on top of which the cup for the eggs had been placed, com- 

 posed of wool, hair, and other very soft materials. There were six 

 eggs, which were too hard set to blow, the a\^erage measurement 

 (in inches) being -71 x -55. This pipe formed part of a verandah 

 which was in use all day and night, but the birds did not seem to 

 worry about the constant traffic. 



The other nest was found on April 26, and was placed in 

 the centre of a loosely built stone wall. It was about 2 feet inside 

 the wall and 3 feet above the ground. The nest was a thick pad of 

 soft materials, such as lumps of cows' hair, wool, and sweepings off 

 carpets, with a neat cup hollowed in the centre as a receptacle for 

 the eggs. The nest contained seven fresh eggs which I had no 

 difficulty in blowing. Many nested in the holes in oHve trees, and 

 young broods and young birds were plentiful in May and early June. 

 One cannot lay down any rule about the normal clutch from only 

 two sets of eggs, especially in a bird which, at any rate in Great 

 Britain, often lays an exceptionally large number of eggs, but I 

 should not be at all surprised to find that the normal clutch in 

 Palestine is usually well below double figures. 



Lanius senator niloticus. Woodchat Shrike. 



This is a summer visitor which is quite a common breeder in 

 the Judean Hills. Almost every valley and re-entrant from it, 

 where there were a few oHve trees, was inhabited by a pair of these 

 birds, and once they had been detected it was usually not ver}^ 

 difficult to find their nest. I was rather puzzled as to the principal 

 breeding season, for, like L. colUirio in Great Britain, I thought they 

 were late breeders. Of course, the hill fighting in April and May, 

 1918, was sufficient to retard the nesting of many species and so 

 give one false data. It is true that, at the end of May, I found a 

 Woodchat's nest containing six eggs which were in too advanced a 

 state of incubation to blow, as well as nests containing young ones, 

 both in this month and in early June. Then, on the other hand, 

 fresh clutches were taken as follows (measuring in inches) : — ■ 

 4.6.18 ... c/6 Fresh 2300' -933 x -683-1 Average of 

 5.6.18 ... c/6 Fresh 2400' -973 x -702 y 13 eggs = 

 . 7.6.18 ... c/i New laid 2400' -93 x -67 J -945 X -685. 

 Maximum length i-oo x -/i. Minimum length -92 x -67. 

 breadth I -00 x -71. ,, breadth -92 x -67. 



'^ 3 . 



