98 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



now lying beside me is composed chiefly of moss and 

 wool felted together, and strengthened on the outside 

 with round dry grass-stalks, and a few dead twigs 

 (oak, woodbine, wild-rose, and bramble). The nest is 

 very loosely built into the site, sometimes a few of 

 the surrounding twigs being enclosed with the outer 

 materials. The male makes himself very conspicuous 

 near the nest, and his actions, if observed, soon betray 

 its whereabouts. The female sits closely, and makes 

 little demonstration when disturbed from her eggs. I 

 have known this bird make several nests one after the 

 other in a certain spot as they have been taken. 



RANGE OF EGG COLOURATION AND MEASUREMENT: 

 The eggs of the Red-backed Shrike are from four to 

 six in number, the former often being found. They 

 vary considerably in colour, but so far as I can deter- 

 mine each bird constantly lays one certain type. The 

 ground colour is either pale green, pale buff, white, 

 creamy-white, or salmon colour. The green and buff 

 varieties are usually spotted > freckled, and blotched with 

 various shades of olive-brown, and the underlying 

 markings, similar in character, are pale brown and 

 violet-gray. The white, cream, and salmon-tinted vari- 

 eties are usually spotted, freckled, and blotched with 

 reddish-brown and brownish-red, and with underlying 

 markings of violet-gray. The markings are generally 

 most numerous on the larger end of the egg, where 

 they form a broad, irregular zone, but sometimes they 

 are more evenly distributed. The pale underlying 

 markings are both numerous and well defined ; indeed 

 on some eggs they predominate. Occasionally, a few 

 streaks may be met with. Average measurement, '88 

 inch in length, by '65 inch in breadth. Incubation is 

 performed almost exclusively by the female, and lasts 

 fourteen days. 



