BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



young bird of this species alive : it had been taken by means of bird-lime near 

 Glendow, on November igth; he kept this bird alive for some months. Herr 

 Mathias Rausch (Gefiederte Welt, 1891, p. 475) observes that this bird is not of 

 the slightest value for aviculture as a singer, for although he both mocks well 

 and sings industriously, he, by his call-notes, makes the other singers crazy with 

 anxiety and fear, and thereby disturbs them in their song. " One can only find 

 it caged in the possession of peculiar fanciers, who mostly aim at completeness, in 

 respect of all birds belonging to this category." * 



From a long study of birds in confinement, I should imagine that Herr Rausch 

 speaks here theoretically, and not from experience : if the cry of a Shrike in a 

 cage is calculated to terrify a small song-bird in another cage, surely the small 

 song-birds of South America ought to be alarmed by the cries of the Pileated Jay, 

 or even those of the Sulphur Tyrant ; yet they pay no more heed to them than 

 to the calls of perfectly innocent birds : I believe that predaceous species are 

 recognised by sight, more readily than by their voice. 



Family LANIIDSE. 



THE LESSER GREY SHRIKE. 



Lanius minor, GMEL. 



THIS is so rare a straggler, on migration, to the Bnglish coast, that I cannot 

 consider it has sufficient claim to be described in the present work. In 

 1883, Seebohm mentioned that only four examples had been recorded; and, at the 

 end of 1889, Howard Saunders was tillable to add to this number. 



* I imagine his meaning to be that the}' keep all Passeres, whether interesting or not. 



