274 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



but occasionally a few first winter body -feathers are retained. 

 Female. Moult as male. Fore-head slightly speckled and crown 

 and mantle paler and with longer brown tips than in adult female. 



Measurements and structure. wing 86-94 mm., tail 85-94, 

 tarsus 22-24, bill from feathers on culmen 11.5-13 (12 measured). 

 $ wing 85-94. Primaries : 1st 5-10 mm. longer than longest 

 primaiy-covert, 3rd and 4th longest, 5th 1-2 mm. shorter, 2nd 8-11 

 shorter, 6th 5-7 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. 

 Secondaries about equal 10th primary, tips rounded. Tail fairly 

 square, but outermost pair about 20 mm. and penultimate pair 

 about 5 shorter than others. Bill and rictal bristles as in L. minor. 



Soft parts. Bill black, base of lower mandible dark slate ; 

 legs and feet slate-black ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS. No subspecies. Black and white upper-parts and 

 chestnut flanks are distinctive. 



FIELD-CHARACTERS. Contrast of black and white in plumage and 

 rufous under-parts makes it conspicuously different from other 

 British Shrikes. Flying at a distance might be confused with 

 Woodchat, 'which, however, has white rump. Usually perches on 

 bough fairly near ground from which it darts to ground or into air to 

 catch an insect. Note a harsh, complaining, almost squealing " keer, 

 keer, keer" (H.F.W.). 



BREEDING-HABITS. Usually breeds in olive-trees about 8-10 ft. 

 from ground, on main branch. Nest. Small, neatly built of roots, 

 rags, bents, etc., lined fine roots and fibres. Eggs.A-G, sometimes 

 7 ; pale buff or yellowish-brown ; with zone of umber-brown and 

 deep leaden-coloured spots, chiefly round large end. Average of 100 

 eggs, 20.7x15.7 mm. Breeding-season. From end April or early 

 May to June in Asia Minor ; from mid-April onward in Palestine. 

 Two broods. 



FOOD. Chiefly insects (orthoptera, coleoptera, etc.) : not observed 

 to take j"oung birds. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. One adult male, Woodchurch (Kent), 

 July 11, 1905 (* mpro). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds in south-west Persia, Asia Minor, 

 Cyprus and Syria, formerly also in Greece. Winters in north-east 

 Africa and south Arabia. 



LANIUS COLLURIO 



116. Lanius collurio collurio L. THE RED-BACKED 

 SHRIKE. 



LANIUS COLLURTO Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 94 (1758 " Habitat 

 in Europa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Lanius collurio Linnaeus, Yarrell, i, p. 209 ; Saunders, p. 151. 



