l^ED-BACKED SHRIKE. 97 



counties to Kent. In Norfolk and Lincolnshire it is 

 said to be decreasing, and anywhere north of Yorkshire 

 is decidedly rare and local. It has occasionally bred 

 in the south-cast of Scotland, but is unknown as a 

 nesting species in Ireland. 



Breeding habits : The Red-backed Shrike is one 



of the latest of our summer visitors to arrive. The 



haunts of this species are farms where tall hedges are 



numerous, common lands, covered with plenty of 



thicket and brushwood, country lanes, orchards, and 



large gardens. I am of opinion that this bird pairs for 



life. It certainly migrates in pairs, and appears to 



return with wonderful regularity to its old haunts, even 



the same bushes being visited year by year. It seldom 



wanders far from one locality from the time of its 



arrival early in May, until the young are able to fly, 



in July or August. The nest is built in a variety of 



situations, generally with no attempt at concealment, 



and very often by the side of the highway or near a 



footpath. A favourite spot is in a tall hedge, or a thick 



bush, less frequently in a thicket of briars and brambles. 



One spot, visited yearly by a pair of these Shrikes, was 



a large clump of willows on the Great Western Railwa)' 



embankment between Paignton and Torquay, and not a 



dozen feet from the passing trains. It has now been cut 



down, and the birds have gone elsewhere. The nest 



is built at varying heights, on an average about six or 



eight feet from the ground. It differs a good deal, not 



only in the materials, but in the amount of care and 



skill displayed in its construction. The usual type of 



nest is made externally of round dry grass-stems, the 



stalks of various plants, and a few roots ; internally, it 



is composed of finer stems and roots, a few feathers 



and flakes of moss and wool (round the rim), and 



finally lined with hair. A 'less frequent type of nest 



