THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE 45 



brownish-red of varying shades, pale markings of violet-gray, 

 and one or two dark brown streaks. The character of the 

 markings differs almost as considerably. On the usual type 

 of egg most of the spots are congregated in an irregular 

 zone round the larger end ; on others they are spread uni- 

 formly over the entire surface ; whilst on some they are 

 very minute and numerous, or very few and distributed in 

 bold blotches. It is not easy to confuse the eggs of the 

 Eed-backed Shrike with those of any other British bird ; and 

 a carefully selected series of them forms one of the most 

 attractive drawers in the egg cabinet. 



Only one brood is reared in the season, and as soon as the 

 young can leave the nest they follow their parents from bush 

 to bush, attracting attention by their noisy cries and con- 

 spicuous habits. Like all late migrants the Eed-backed 

 Shrike leaves this country in early autumn, when September 

 paints the woods and hedges with the first tints of autumnal 

 gold, for its winter quarters in the south of Africa. The 

 old birds migrate in spring in company, and depart in the 

 same manner accompanied by their broods. The young 

 males are not nearly so handsome in their appearance as 

 the gaily attired adult male -bird, being brown and dingy 

 like the female, and in addition the young of both sexes 

 have the upper parts barred with brown, and the pale eye- 

 stripe very indistinctly defined. 



