5 34 



PASSERIFORMES 



smacking sound, others again have a sweet song. The nest of 

 racliyccpluda is a neat, thougli sometimes frail, cup of twigs, roots, 

 and grasses, often placed on horizontal Ijoughs, and containing 

 three or four creamy or lu'ownish eggs, with scattered or zonal 

 umber markings and a few lilac spots ; Falc.unculus usually selects 

 a gum-tree, and \ises bark, grass, and cobwebs, laying two or 

 three elongated whitish eggs, with olive, black, and greyish dots 

 or lines ; those of Oreueca are l^luer. 



Sub-fam. 4. Laniinae. — The Shrikes proper extend over the 



Fig. 119. — Great Grey Slirike. Lanius excubitor. x y\. 



Palaearctic, Indian, and Ethiopian Eegions, and alone of the 

 Family occur in the New World, Lannis horcalis and X. ludo- 

 ricianus inhabiting North America. The lax plumage is either 

 l)lack, grey, and white, or is varied with rich red-brown. Urolestes 

 has the feathers of the crown and neck lanceolate, and those of 

 the sides long and fluff}^ ; Lanielhts is exceptional in being spotted. 

 The young are browner, and are often transversely barred below, a 

 fact also true of the (hjinnorldnMiae. In the large genus Laniits 

 are included all the British Butcher-Birds, L. excubitor, L. minor, 

 L. 2'0)neranus, L. oollnrio, the Great Grey, Lesser Grey, Woodchat 



