Bird Notes from the Nile. 47 



When we were at Asyut we saw the 

 larder of a great Shrike or Butcher Bird. 

 It was neatly arranged on the branch 

 of a sont tree. Beetles, flies, and many 

 delicate morsels were stuck on the thorns 

 ready for dinner, or, perhaps, to feed its 

 young ones, but we could not discover 

 a nest on the tree. There are two other 

 Shrikes : the Lesser Grey Butcher Bird, 

 which is, however, very rare, and the 

 Pallid Shrike ; this latter ranges as far 

 as the Second Cataract in small numbers. 

 The Masked Shrike is a spring and 

 summer visitor, and may often be seen 

 among the trees and bushes on the river 

 banks. The Red-backed Shrike, too, 

 comes to Egypt in the spring, but is 

 rather uncommon. 



Most of the Fly-catcher family only 

 pass through the country during migra- 

 tion, though the Spotted Fly-catcher 

 sometimes remains to breed in the Delta 

 and the Fayum. 



The favourite of the epicure, the 

 Ortolan, is found occasionally in Middle 

 and Lower Egypt, but not in Upper 

 Egypt and Nubia, and it is only a 



