62 THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 



female has the colours duller, the back more 

 tinted with gray, and the under parts barred 

 with blackish brown, the ground colour being of 

 a more yellow or grayish white, and without any 

 appearance of the delicate blush colour seen in 

 the male* In the young birds, the upper parts 

 and auriculars are yellowish brown, tinted with 

 gray, having each feather barred transversely at 

 the tip with umber brown, followed at the extre- 

 mity with pale wood brown, altogether shewing 

 rather close undulations ; above the eye there is 

 a yellowish white streak ; the under parts are of 

 the same colour, nearly unspotted on the throat 

 and centre of the belly, but having the flanks and 

 breast of a darker tint, and transversely barred 

 with umber brown. The tail is of a uniform 

 yellowish brown, darker at the tip, and having 

 the two outer feathers edged with white.* 



The length of the adult male is about six 

 inches. 



THE WOODCHAT, LANIUS RUFUS, BRISSON 

 L. rufus, Briss. L. rutilus, Lath. ind. Wood- 

 chat, or Woodchat Shrike of British authors. 

 The Woodchat, until of late years, was not 

 admitted to a place in the British Fauna. Some 

 of the older ornithologists, most probably, were 

 acquainted with it, but as no authentic specimen 



* The description of the young is taken from a specimen 

 orocured on the Continent. 



