IN THE NORTH OF KENT III 
than a sparrow flew out. Jt showed a distinct 
patch of grey on its back. Now what bird was 
this? There were two points about it. 
It was a dark-coloured bird, somewhat larger 
than a sparrow, and it showed grey in the back. 
The red-backed shrike, or butcher-bird, im- 
mediately suggested the name to us, the grey 
patch being so noticeable. We looked in the 
nest and found four rather large eggs, for a 
small bird, of a pale ground colour, but spotted 
mostly at the larger end with brown. (The 
size of nests and of eggs diminishes or in- 
creases very regularly with the size of the 
bird, with a few exceptions, e.g. the eggs of 
the full snipe for which see Part II.) Wesought 
for insects or beetles, etc., impaled on thorns 
near the nest (for this is the habit that gives 
the bird its name), but did not see any. This 
isa curious and apparently cruel feature of this 
bird. It extends its butchering habits even 
to other birds of its own or of a smaller size, 
and also to mice, shrews, frogs, lizards, etc., 
always sticking them on the thorns or twigs 
of some favourite bush, which it uses as a 
