187 



WOODCHAT. 



WOOD SHRIKE. WOODCHAT SHRIKE. 



Lanius rufus, Brisson. Bewick. 



" rutllus, Latham. Montagu. 



" pomeranuSf Gmelin. 



Lanius — A butcher. Rufus— 'Red. 



This Shrike is found in Europe — in Germany, France, the 

 Netherlands, Switzerland, Sicily, Italy, and Greece. In Africa 

 — in Egypt, Senegal, and at the Cape of Good Hope. 



The following are the only specimens of the Woodchat that 

 appear to have been recorded as having occurred in England: 

 — In Yorkshire, one; in Kent, two, one of them near Can- 

 terbury; in Norfolk, two, one of them near Swaffham; in 

 Suffolk, two; in Worcestershire, one, near Evesham; two in 

 the Scilly Islands, one an adult male, the other an immature 

 bird, in September, 1849; one in Derbyshire, May 19th., 1839; 

 and one near Guildford, in Surrey. In Ireland and Scotland 

 none have been met with. 



The Woodchat is by no means of a shy nature, but builds 

 in the immediate vicinage of houses and public roads. It 

 exhibits an antipathy against other birds, even those which 

 it cannot prey on, such as magpies and pigeons, chasing and 

 driving them from its haunts. 



The most extraordinary fact connected with this bird, as 

 with others of its species, is its mode of dealing with its 

 food — already described: one has been seen fixing a yellow- 

 hammer on a thorn. It feeds occasionally on such small 

 birds, but also on worms, caterpillars, and insects; it takes 

 its prey on the ground, as well as in the air. I have in a 

 previous article given my opinion as to its having been fancied 

 that the Shrikes' motive in fixing their prey in the curious 

 way they do, was to act as a decoy. 'Credat, non ego.' 



