314 LANIID^E. 



Colonel Butler has the following notes on the breeding of this 

 Shrike in Sind : 



" Kurrachi, 7th May, 1877. I found two nests on this date, 

 one in the fork of a babool tree, the other on the stump of a 

 broken-off branch of a tree between the stump and the trunk of 

 the tree. The former contained four incubated eggs, exact minia- 

 tures of many eggs I have of L. erythronotus, the latter two small 

 chicks. May 12th, same locality, a nest containing two fresh 

 eggs, and another containing two fully fledged young ones. 

 June 20th, same locality, one nest containing three fresh eggs, 

 another containing four young birds. Eggs most typical are those 

 which have a well-marked zone near the centre." 



" Hydrabad, Sind, 19th June, 1878. A nest on the outer bough 

 of a babool tree about ten feet from the ground, containing three 

 fresh eggs." 



And he further notes : " The Bay-backed Shrike breeds in the 

 neighbourhood of Deesa at the end of the hot weather. The nest 

 is a very firm and compactly built cup, usually placed in the fork 

 of some low thorny tree at heights varying from seven to ten feet 

 from the ground. 



" June loth, 1875. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs. 



July Jst, 1876. 4 



"July 15th, 5 incubated eggs. 



" July 29th, ,, 4 young birds. 



"These birds always retire from the more open parts of the 

 country to low thorny tree-jungle to breed." 



Mr. R. M. Adam says : " This species breeds about Sambhur 

 in July. On the 1st August I saw numbers of nests and fledglings 

 in the Marot jungle." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing of the Deccan, say : 

 " Abundant, and breeds all over the Deccan." 



And the former gentleman informs us that this species is also 

 very common in Western Khandeish, and that it breeds in the 

 plains in June and July, and in the Satpuras in March. 



Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes : " This is a very familiar bird, 

 and builds readily in some roadside tree, where men and carts are 

 passing all day long. I have the following notes of its nests : 



" lst-8th May, 1869. Nest and three eggs taken at Khandalla, 

 above the Bhore" Grhat. 



" 12th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Poona. 



"16th-18th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Khandalla. 

 This nest was in a corinda bush, placed about 4| feet from the 

 ground. 



" 13th May, 1873. A clutch of young birds left the nest this 

 morning at Poona. 



" 39th May, 1873. I found a nest of half-fledged young birds 

 this day at Poona. The tree was almost denuded of leaves, and 

 the heat of the sun being very intense, the parent bird was never- 

 theless sitting close. Its eyes were closed, and it was gasping 

 hard. One of the young ones had crawled out from under the 



