266 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



times in small pines, or big thorn bushes, at other times high up in 

 oaks, birches or apple trees. Nest. — Bulky, chiefly built of dry grass 

 and some moss on foundation of heather twigs, lined with roots, 

 wool, hair, and varied assortment of feathers. Eggs. — 5 to 7, 

 occasionally 8 or even 9 ; ground-colour ranges from greyish to buff, 

 blotched and spotted with two shades of olive and shell-marks of 

 purplish -grey. Often a zone or cap at big end. Average of 117 eggs, 

 26.3x19.3 mm. Breeding-season. — Latter part of April or early 

 May in central Europe, but in the high north not till late May or 

 early Jime. Incubation. — Said to last 15 days. Normally one 

 brood. 



Food. — Insects (coleoptera, hymenoptera, orthoptera, lepidoptera 

 and their larvse) ; also small frogs, lizards, and blindworms, field- 

 mice, and birds of many species, chiefly those about the size of the 

 Finches, Warblers and Larks, but occasionally even Blackbird, 

 Thrush, Fieldfare, etc. 



Distribution. — Great Britain. — Annual autumn and winter- 

 visitant along east side, arriving second week Oct. onwards, 

 generally singly, but periodically in fair numbers. Much more 

 irregular spring and only occasional summer. Most spring records 

 in March, up to mid-April normal, late date one, Essex, May 24, 

 1916. Noted Fair Isle on both passages, and often occurs Orkneys, 

 but apparently much rarer Shetlands. Elsewhere irregular, 

 especially in west, and very rare casual to west Wales and Hebrides. 

 Ireland. — Rare casual, most frequently in north. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from north Russia and Scandi- 

 navia to PjTenees and Alps, and east to Hungary and River Ob. 

 On migration farther south, but not to Africa. Replaced in south 

 France, Spain and Portugal, on Canary Islands, in north-west 

 Africa, north-east Africa, south-east Europe and parts of Asia 

 and North America, by a number of other forms. 



112. Lanius excubitor meridionalis Temm. — THE SOUTH 

 EUROPEAN GREY SHRIKE. 



Lanius meridionalis Temminck, Man. d'Orn.,ed. ii., i, p. 143 (1820 — 

 S. Italy, Dalmatia, S. France, etc. Restricted typical locality : Provence). 

 Lanius meridionalis, J. B. Nichols, Brit. B., v, p. 75. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Like L. e. 

 cccubitor, but whole upper-parts dark slate-grey ; scapulars with 

 conspicuous white tips ; narrow white stripe from nostrils over 

 eye more conspicuous than in L. e. excubitor ; chin, vent, and 

 under tail-coverts white ; flanks pinkish-grey ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts as in L. e. excubitor ; rest of under-parts pink 

 with mauve tinge ; tail as in L. e. excubitor, but generally with less 



