146 WOODCHAT. 



only a visitor ; arriving about the end of March, or early in April, 

 and leaving again between August and October. Eastward, it 

 breeds in South Russia, Turkey, Asia Minor, Palestine and Persia ; 

 while in winter it occurs in Arabia, and down the East African coast 

 to about 5° N. lat., also on the west side to the Gambia and the 

 Gold Coast. Throughout Northern Africa it is abundant in summer, 

 arriving from the southern side of the Sahara in March. 



The nest, composed of a variety of materials and frequently 

 adorned with the flowers of aromatic plants, is placed in the fork of 

 a branch of almost any kind of tree, without the slightest attempt 

 at concealment. The eggs, usually 5 in number, are, as a rule, 

 rather larger than those of the Red-backed Shrike, but similar in 

 colour ; the exception being the red variety, which, although not 

 unknown, is very rare : average measurements '92 by "68 in. In 

 its habits and its food this species resembles other Shrikes, though 

 insects of various kinds, especially grasshoppers and beetles, appear 

 to form a larger proportion of its diet ; it is also very fond of 

 bathing. The note usually heard is a harsh krah kack krah ; but the 

 male has also a low and rather pretty song in spring, and shows 

 great capacity for imitating the notes of other birds. 



The adult male, represented in the lower figure, has an elongated 

 white spot above each nostril ; forehead, lores, ear-coverts, sides of 

 neck and back black ; crown and -nape chestnut-red ; scapulars 

 conspicuously white ; wing-feathers blackish, with white bases to the 

 primaries, forming a single bar ; coverts and secondaries tipped 

 with buftish-white ; lower back grey ; tail-coverts nearly white above, 

 turning to grey below ; tail-feathers chiefly black with white tips and 

 with white outer webs and bases to the exterior pair ; under parts 

 buftish-white, darker on the flanks. Length 7'i in.; wing 3*9 in. 

 The female has all the colours less bright and the upper parts 

 tinged with rufous and buff. The young bird, represented in the 

 upper figure, is russet, streaked and mottled with darker brown and 

 dull white on the upper parts, and with wide rufous margins to the 

 quills ; under parts much barred with brownish ; bill yellowish-horn. 



ViREONiD/E. — Mr. Edwin Brown (Mosley's Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 pp. 94 and 385, pi. 6) has described and figured a male of the 

 American Red-eyed ' Flycatcher,' Vireo olivaceus, which a Derby 

 bird-catcher known as ' Hatter Dick ' asserted that he had captured, 

 with a female not preserved, at Chellaston in May 1859. Several 

 species have been admitted to the British list on no better evidence! 



