103 



about August 15th, and was continued in September, when, being 

 in plump condition, they moulted the feathers of the breast and 

 head, as well as some of the back. Mr. Astley noted a similar 

 occurrence in his young bird. But neither my hand-reared female, 

 nor one which my correspondent Mr. Frank procured for me from 

 Germany, had moulted any feathers, when they died, in November. 

 My two males, Nos. i and 2, died, to my great regret, early in 

 December, 1883, victims of consumption, which I tried in vain to 

 stay. 



One point which I ascertained from these examples is, that they 

 change the colour of their legs gradually. In July the tarsus and 

 toes of my young birds was of a delicate French grey ; when they 

 died in December, the light grey had become iron grey ; and had 

 they lived through the winter, I have no doubt they would have 

 become as black as they usually are in adult examples. 



Did time permit, I might say much more of this species, but 

 we must now pass on to consider the VVoodchat and the Grey 

 Shrikes. 



The Woodchat is an extremely rare summer visitor to England. 

 I have only once seen it in England, i.e., near Hertford, in May, 

 1873, when I saw a beautiful example perched on the projecting 

 bough of a noble oak. I have never yet met with anyone else who 

 has seen the bird in England himself; and it is therefore with great 

 pleasure that I shall cite a record of its occurrence in Cumberland. 

 The late Mr. W. Dickinson, F.L.S., states at p. 21 of {lis Remi- 

 niscences of West Cumberland, that, "On April nth, 1872, I saw 

 a Woodchat Shrike near Stainburn Tannery. It sat on the wall 

 several minutes, while I stood within twenty yards of it." 



It was in August, 1881, that I obtained from a Geneva tailor a 

 male and a female Woodchat, which he had reared by hand. Their 

 nestling dress was paler than that of the nestling Red-backed 

 Shrikes ; but an example which my friend Mr. Young obtained the 

 same autumn from Paris, was a very dark individual. 



The male of my Woodchats was easily distinguished from his 

 sister by his superior size, and carriage; by his nearly white throat; 



