i 3 8 THE BIRDS OF THE WOODS 



taken in Greece was mostly composed of Antennaria dioica, one of the ever- 

 lasting flowers. 



The woodchat (L. pomeranus) should be looked for either in the 

 Woodchat. v e ' 



heart of the forest, or in leafy woods near fields and pastures. In 



central Europe it is not common, but from Spain, through southern Europe to 

 Asia Minor, is the best known of all the shrikes ; while in Denmark and north 

 of the Vistula it is occasionally met with. In England it is known only as a 

 rare visitor, though it is recorded to have nested in the Isle of Wight. It winters 

 in Africa, and appears on the south coast of the Mediterranean in March as it 

 comes northwai'd. Arriving in central Europe in April and May, it leaves for 

 the south in August or September. The nest is compactly built of twigs and 

 grass and the stems and flowers of cudweed, or some other aromatic plant ; and 

 though placed conspicuously in the fork of a tree, its owner takes great care 

 of the young, defending them bravely against other birds and even man. 

 This shrike subsists on insects, principally beetles and grasshoppers, but also preys 

 on young birds, mice, and other small animals. Resembling other shrikes in 

 its harsh call, its song is rather soft and pleasing, being composed of imitations 

 of the notes of other birds, many of them larger than itself, with a few 

 notes of its own. 



Red-Backed The red-backed shrike (L. collurio), the last we have to deal 



shrike. with here, feeds mainly on beetles and bees, and is found in places 

 where these insects abound, in wooded dells where wild flowers grow, as well as 

 in parks and enclosures, in thornj' hedges near fields and meadows, and on bushy 

 commons. It is a bold, active bird, perching among trees or on telegraph-wires 

 when singing or on the look-out for its victims, which it rarely pursues should it 

 fail to secure them at the first dash. Like other shrikes, it jerks its tail when 

 excited, and flies from one place to another in a series of undulations, with much 

 poising and hovering. Its powers of vision seem to be unusually keen, since it 

 can apparently distinguish at a distance wasps and bees from the large flies which 

 they resemble, and avoids their stings by biting oft' their heads, and then 

 squeezing out the soft -parts by rubbing the body against a twig. This 

 shrike is likewise an enemy to all kinds of small birds, which it bites in the 

 wing so as to cripple them ; and it also attacks other small animals, such as mice, 

 lizards, and frogs. When, in shrike-fashion, it impales its prey on a thorn, it 

 hangs it up by the mouth if the body is large enough : and in eating birds 

 it begins with the brain. While the female is sitting, the male hangs food on 

 the thorns round the nest as a convenient larder. The nest is generally 

 placed on a forking branch in a thorn-bush, about a man's height from the ground ; 

 and is a slovenly structure, about 7 inches across, made of plant-stems and twigs 

 lined with grass, wool, and hair, rarely without a little moss and a few 

 flowers. It contains from four to six eggs by the end of May or beginning 

 of June. The red-backed shrike is found throughout Europe, but is rare in 

 Spain and Portugal ; it occurs both in Britain and Scandinavia, and breeds in 

 the mountainous parts of Greece, Asia Minor, and central Asia. On migra- 

 tion the western race travels down the Nile Valley to South Africa, and is 

 common in East Africa, while the Asiatic type goes south to the Persian Gulf. 



