BIRDS 



plumage renders him liable to attract notice, 

 and this usually results in his being shot. 



50. Great Grey 

 Linn. 



Shrike. Lanius excubitor. 



A regular autumn and winter visitant, met 

 with every year, and a bird likely to attract 

 notice from its colouring. The northern 

 form known as Pallas's grey shrike, which has 

 more white on the wings, also occurs. 



51- 



Red-backed 

 Linn. 



Shrike. Lanius col/urio. 



Locally, Butcher-bird. 

 A well-known summer migrant, nesting 

 plentifully in mid-SufFolk, and returning to 

 the same locality year after year with great 

 regularity. A late comer, it is also a late 

 breeder, making its nest about the end of 

 May in a thorn hedge, and usually choosing 

 one which divides two grass fields. If the 

 cock bird is seen perched on a telegraph wire, 

 it may be taken for granted that the nest is 

 not far away. The eggs, though they vary a 

 good deal, are not likely to be mistaken for 

 those of any other bird which breeds in the 

 British Islands, and the variety zoned with 

 deep red and purple is very beautiful. This 

 type however is not found in more than one 

 nest in a dozen. The name of ' butcher-bird ' 

 has been given to this species from its curious 

 habit of impaling bees and small birds on furze- 

 bushes or thorn fences. 



52. Woodchat Shrike. Lanius pemeranus, 



Sparrman 

 A very rare summer visitant, which has 

 only occurred three or four times, the last 

 record being in i860. Three specimens of 

 the lesser grey shrike {Lanius minor), a bird 

 intermediate in size between the great grey 

 and red-backed species, have been obtained in 

 Norfolk, and as it is a southern bird it may 

 on some future occasion be met with in 

 Suffolk. 



53. Waxwing. Ampelis garrulus, Linn. 



A most erratic winter visitant, in some 

 seasons dispersed all over the county, and 

 sometimes not occurring once in a long cold 

 winter. There was a considerable immigra- 

 tion in 1849-50 and another in 1866-7 > 

 during the ffost of 1890-1, which lasted eight 

 weeks, no waxwings were recorded either in 

 Norfolk or Suffolk ; but in the early months 

 of 1893 a good many were obtained, and a 

 keeper near Ixworth shot five in one day. 

 Most local collections contain one or two 

 specimens, and the waxwing is so striking in 

 its appearance that the most unobservant 



gunner could not pick up one without 

 noticing that his victim was not a common 

 bird. 



54. Spotted Flycatcher. 

 Linn. 



Afuscicapa grisola, 



Locally, Wall-bird. 

 This well-known summer migrant derives 

 its local name from its habit of building its 

 nest on the bough of a fruit tree or rose 

 trained against a wall. The young birds, 

 when they leave the nest, are as boldly spotted 

 on the back as the young of the mistle-thrush. 



55. Pied Flycatcher. Muscicapa atricapilla, 



Linn. 

 A rather rare spring and autumn migrant, 

 which does not breed in Suffolk. The cock 

 bird, with his jet-black and pure white 

 plumage, is easily recognized, but the female 

 and yoimg might easily escape notice. 

 Another small species, the red-breasted fly- 

 catcher (M. parua), has occurred three or 

 four times in Norfolk, and the male in full 

 plumage rather resembles the robin. 



56. Swallow. Hirundo rustica, Linn. 



A beautifiil and very common summer 

 migrant, appearing about the middle of April, 

 and gladly welcomed by all lovers of nature. 

 A few days of very cold weather with severe 

 hailstorms about the middle of May, 1891, 

 caused the death of many swallows, and several 

 were taken to a bird-stuffer in Bury, who 

 was told by the boys who brought them that 

 ' they kept on dropping down.' As a rule 

 birds suffer far more in hard winters from 

 scarcity of food than from actual cold, but 

 there can be little doubt in this case that the 

 swallows were simply paralyzed by the damp 

 chilly atmosphere. The congregating of 

 swallows and martins before their departure 

 must have been noticed by everybody who 

 takes an interest in bird life, and it is not 

 unusual to see the roof of a church or the top 

 of a house literally covered with them. The 

 southward migration of the swallow extends 

 much farther than is usually supposed, and 

 probably a very few, if any, pass the winter 

 in Europe. 



57. House-Martin. Chelidon urbica, Linn. 

 A summer migrant, rather later than the 



swallow, whose nests can be seen under the 

 eaves of one or more houses in almost every 

 village. These are usually left xmdisturbed, 

 as it is said that ' the martins bring luck to 

 a house,' and it is also supposed to be ' un- 

 lucky ' to molest them. The worst enemy 

 of these birds is the house-sparrow, who often 



185 



24 



