CLASSIFIED NOTES 497 



in Franco, north to the Loire, and in the maritime provinces of North-western Italy south to 

 Rome. One specimen has been recorded from the south of England (Sussex, January 1911). 

 [K. c. R. j.] 



LESSER GREY-SHRIKE [<;.< minor Gmelin. French, pte-yrircke d'ltalie; German, 

 kleiner Graitwiirger or W-ilnjer ; Italian, averla cenerina]. 



1. Description. Recognised by its deep black frontal bar, which is continued in a very 

 broad band through the eyes to the ear-coverts, and its grey upper parts. Sexes alike, except 

 that the female is less brightly coloured and the black frontal band is not so clearly denned. 

 Length 8 in. [203 mm.]. General colour of the upper surface light bluish grey, darkest on the 

 head and lightest on the rump ; a broad black band across the forehead reaching behind the 

 eyes and continued from the lores to the ear-coverts; primaries black on their terminal half 

 and white on their basal half; secondaries black tipped with white; middle tail feathers black ; 

 outer pairs white with black shafts, and with a small black rounded patch on the inner 

 web ; chin and middle of the belly white ; remainder of the under svirface delicate rose-pink. 

 [\v. P. p. and T. \v.] 



2. Distribution. Breeds in Central and Southern Europe west to France, but not in the 

 north, sporadically in Germany and Italy, in great numbers in Austro-Hungary and the Balkan 

 states, also in Mid and South Russia north to the Russian Baltic Provinces and Livonia. In Asia 

 it breeds from Asia Minor, Persia, and W. Turkestan to the Altai. On migration it occurs 

 in Holland and Belgium, and has been recorded about sixteen times from England, chiefly from 

 the southern counties in autumn. Its normal winter quarters lie in Africa, where it ranges 

 south to German East Africa, the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, Angola, and British East 

 Africa. [F. c. R. j.] 



WOODCHAT-SHRIKE [Ldnius senator sen&tor Linnseus ; Ldnius pomerdnus Sparrman. 

 French, pie-grieche rousse ; German, rotkiJpfiger Wiirger ; Italian, averla capirossa]. 



1. Description. Recognised by its red crown and nape. Sexes alike, excepting that the 

 female is not so brightly coloured. Length 7 in. [190 mm.]. Adult male, top of the head and 

 back of the neck reddish chesnut ; a frontal band of black submarginally banded with white ; 

 mantle and lower back black ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; wings black, fringed on their 

 outer webs with rusty and on their inner webs with whitish ; middle pairs of tail feathers black ; 

 remaining pairs white at the base and at the tip ; middle portions black ; scapulars white ; 

 under surface of the body white, washed on the flanks with rust-colour, [w. p. p. and T. w.] 



2. Distribution. This species is chiefly confined to the Mediterranean subregion, and is 

 plentiful in North-west Africa from Marocco to Tripoli, and the Iberian Peninsula. In France, the 

 Low Countries, Germany, Switzerland, and Austro-Hungary it is local and not common, but is 

 more numerous in Italy, Sicily, the Balkan Peninsula, South Russia, the Caucasus, and Asia 

 Minor. In Corsica and Sardinia, as well as in Palestine to Persia, it is replaced by allied races. 

 In winter it migrates through North Africa to the tropical west coast districts ; while the 

 eastern race winters in East Africa and Arabia. Over forty occurrences are on record from 

 the British Isles, mostly from the southern and south-eastern counties of England, once from 

 Scotland, and once Ireland. [F. c. R. j.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. As there is reason to believe that this species has occasionally bred 

 with us in the Isle of Wight, and possibly also in Hampshire, the following particulars are given. 

 The nesting site in mid-Europe is generally among the branches of a tree some twelve or fifteen 

 feet from the ground, but in Spain it often nests in bushes. Flowering plants are much used 

 in the construction of the neatly built nest, which is lined with wool, fine grasses, feathers, 

 or hair as a rule. The eggs are 5 or 6, sometimes 7 in number, pale greenish or less commonly 

 brownish yellow or creamy in ground-colour and only rarely pink, zoned at the big end with 



