thing to come across quite a collection of remains stuck on the sharp thorns. 

 These are known as 'larders' by the country people. The birds seem to have 

 regular spots to which they retire to feed, and the bleached and shrivelled 

 remains of small birds, mice, bees, and lizards tell their own tale. The 

 flight of this tiny robber is not strong enough to enable it to pursue the 

 small birds through the air, so it has to pounce down on them unawares, 

 killing them with its powerful bill. It may sometimes be seen hovering 

 in the air like a miniature Kestrel, and regularly quarters the ground in 

 search of the tiny Shrew-mice, which it drops on as they run about among 

 the grass. It also carries off the young from other birds' nests, and has 

 even been known to carry off young pheasants from the rearing-coops. 

 The flight of the Red-backed Shrike is very undulating, reminding one 

 rather of that of the Green Woodpecker. 



The song of the Red-backed Shrike is very simple, consisting merely 

 of a few short notes quickly repeated, but it is occasionally heard to imitate 

 the notes of other birds, in the same manner as the Starling. Its call-note 

 is a harsh chirp, and when its nest is threatened its alarm-note is a loud 

 ' click-click-click ,' followed often by a shrill piping 'dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee' 



About the third week in May the Red-backed Shrike chooses a nesting- 

 site. This is usually among the topmost twigs of some thick thorny hedge, 

 or in some tall bush which is overgrown with brambles, wild roses, or bind- 

 weed. It does not appear to care much for concealment, as the nest is very 

 often built in some hedge beside a much-used road or path. The nest is 

 a bulky one for the size of the bird, and is made chiefly of the dry stems 

 of plants, dead grass, rootlets, and moss ; the outside is often very carelessly 

 and loosely built, but the cup which contains the eggs is always beautifully 

 rounded, and is generally composed of fine rootlets, horse-hair, and sometimes 

 a little wool. 



The eggs laid vary in number from four to six, and vary considerably 

 both in the ground-colour of the shell and in the markings. They may be 

 divided into four distinct types. The first is pure white or creamy white 

 in ground-colour, with very fine spots of rich reddish brown, and large well- 

 defined underlying markings of violet grey; the second type has a rich 

 salmon-coloured ground, boldly blotched and spotted with brownish red of 

 various shades, sometimes with a few hair-like streaks of rich dark brown, and 

 violet grey underlying spots ; the third is dirty buff in ground-colour, spotted 

 and blotched with pale olive brown, and with pale brown and inky grey 

 underlying markings ; the fourth is pale green in ground-colour, spotted 



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