THE GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 265 



First winter. Male. — Like adult male but with faint browii 

 wavy bars on breast, and thus like most adult females, but unmoulted 

 juvenile greater coverts have remains of bro^iii tips. The juvenile 

 body -feathers, innermost secondaries, lesser and median wing- 

 coverts and inner greater coverts are moulted from July to Dec, 

 but occasionally a good many juvenile body-feathers are retained 

 until spring moult. Summer. — Moult as in adult, after which 

 does not appear to have bars on breast and tips of greater coverts 

 being worn off it is usually indistinguishable from adult. 



First winter. Female. — Like first winter male but bars on 

 breast usually rather stronger. Summer. — After moult like adult 

 summer female. 



Measurements and structure. — c^ wing 111-118 mm., tail 107-117, 

 tarsus 27-29, bill from feathers on culmen 16-18 (12 measured). 

 $ wing 107-115. Primaries : 1st 14-17 mm. longer than longest 

 primary-covert (about half 2nd), 2nd equal to or 1-3 shorter than 

 6th, 3rd and 4th longest, 5th 2-3 shorter, 6th 10-13 shorter ; 3rd 

 to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries shorter or ec[ual to 

 10th primary, tips rounded. Tail more graduated than in L. minor, 

 central pair longest, rest becoming shorter and outermost 18-25 

 shorter than central. Bill and rictal bristles as in L. minor. 



Soft j^^^'rts. — Bill black-bro^vn, paler base of lower mandible ; 

 legs and feet black ; iris dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — For difference of L. e. meridionalis 

 see under that form, L. e. homeyeri (south Russia, Rumania) has 

 paler upper-parts and whitish fore-head and upper tail-coverts, 

 L. e. przewalskii (Turkestan) is still paler and has more white on 

 scapulars and tail- and wing-feathers, L. e. mollis (Siberia) has 

 more brownish-grey upper-parts and white rump, L. e. algeriensis 

 (north Marocco, north Algeria) has dark blue-grey upper-parts and 

 grey under-joarts, L. e. dodsoni (High Plateaux and southern Atlas) 

 is paler than last, L, e. ehgans (northern Sahara to Palestine) is 

 still paler, L. e Tcoenigi (Canaries) is somewhat like last two 

 but smaller, L. e. aucheri (Palestine, Persia) has very pale blue-grey 

 upper-parts and grey under-parts ; other forms are found in other 

 parts of Asia and Africa and in America. L. minor differs in having 

 very short 1st primary besides black fore-head, shorter tail and 

 other differences. 



Field-characters. — Flight undulating and interrupted. Alights 

 with upward flight on high vantage-point, which it leaves from time 

 to time in pursuit of prey. Like other Shrikes constantly moves 

 its tail when perched. Large size, longer fan-shaped tail, grey 

 back, white under-parts, black ear-coverts, black, white-edged tail, 

 black wings with one, or two. white wing-bars are distinguishing 

 features. Alarm note a harsh shriek ; has considerable i)owers of 

 mimicry (N.F.T.). 



Breeding -habits. — Nesting-sites vary according to locality, some- 



