59 



WOODCHAT. 



WOOD SHEIKE. WOODCHAT SHEIKE. 



PLATE XXIX. 



Lanius rufus, BEISSON. BEWICK. 



" rutilus, LATHAM. MONTAGU. 



" pomeranus, GMELIN. 



THE nest is said to be placed in the angle of the branches of a tree 

 a preference being given to the oak. It is composed of sticks, wool, 

 and moss, and lined with wool and fine grass. 



Both birds sit on the eggs in turns. 



Alfred Newton, Esq., of Elvedon Hall, Thetford, has favoured me 

 also with a drawing of the nest of the Woodchat, from which the 

 accompanying plate is taken. He describes it as particularly large for 

 the size of the builders, being upwards of three inches and a half in 

 diameter inside, and nearly two inches deep. The outworks of this 

 nest are composed of a flowering plant, the stalks of which are laid 

 parallel to one another, which give the nest a singular appearance. A 

 good deal of wool is used in its construction, and it is lined with dry 

 grass mingled with a few small feathers. 



It has been stated that this species uses aromatic herbs in the con- 

 struction of its nest. 



The eggs are described by Mr. Hoy as being four or five in number, 

 and varying much in marking, as well as in size and shape. The zone 

 is not so frequent, or rather not so conspicuous, as in those of the 

 Red-backed Shrike, but still it is irregularly traceable in most instances. 

 In some the ground colour is pale blue; in others dull white, with a 

 band of rust-coloured spots round the lower end; in others the whole 

 surface is more or less spotted with a lighter colour. 



