88 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Length about 5*25 ; wing 1-9 ; tail 2 to 2*3 ; tarsus '8 ; 

 bill from gape • 65. 



Distribution. — This species has a wide range over India and 

 Burma, and is divided into several sub-species. The Ceylon 

 form occurs also in South Travancore. With us it is common 

 round tanks and in paddy fields and grass lands in the low- 

 country ; on the hOl patanas it occurs as high as 5,000 feet. 



Habits. — The flight is weak and jerky, and the call a little 

 " kink, kink, kink." The birds feed mainly on small insects 

 and larvae. The breeding season starts with the earliest rains 

 in October or November, and lasts intermittently till June 

 or even later. The nest is a neat little purse-shaped structure 

 woven of thin strips of grass or reeds, the outer wall being 

 laced round the long stems of grass in which it is placed. The 

 opening is at one side. In the low-country the site generally 

 chosen is a clump of reeds or long grass growing in or near 

 water. Three or four eggs are laid ; the ground colour is a 

 beautiful clear blue with bold blotches in various shades of 

 chocolate-brown and generally some interlacing lines of the 

 same shade at the larger end. Average size '60 by '45. "It is 

 interesting to note that the ground colour of the eggs in the 

 different sub-species varies considerably. Those from Ceylon 

 are the deepest blue, further north the colour is not so rich ; 

 in Oudh it is white, and in Burma pink. 



Family Laniid-.^. 



Shrikes. 



The Laniidas form a family group in which the plumage of 

 the young is cross-barred, generally both above and below. 

 All the members are insectivorous, and some of the larger 

 true Shrikes tackle small birds, mice, frogs, &c. The bill is 

 strong and generally both hooked and notched. Rictal 

 bristles are present. The nostrils are clear of the line of the 

 forehead, and are more or less overhung by bristles and hairs. 

 There are ten primary quills and twelve tail feathers. There 

 is only one moult a year in autumn. 



Shrikes are found all over the world, except in South 

 America, but are most numerous in Africa. 



