RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 609 



sometimes are so thickly massed on the large end of the egg as to entirely 

 conceal the ground-colour. In some eggs the markings are finely powdered 

 on .the shell ; in others they take the form of bold spots and blotches ; and 

 in all eggs the underlying spots are both numerous and well defined. The 

 eggs vary in length from '95 to '8 inch, and in breadth from '7 to '62 inch. 

 It is very difficult to distinguish between the eggs of the present species 

 and those of the TVoodchat Shi-ike. The latter bird's are, however, on an 

 average larger, not so bright, and usually more boldly marked. 



When the young are being reared, the parent birds are even more daring 

 and vigilant in search of food ; and when the young birds quit the nest 

 they are still accompanied by their parents a noisy little band, exciting 

 the attention of all observers by their harsh notes as they chase the insects 

 and fly from bush to bush. It is very probable, as the Red-backed Shrike 

 only rears one brood in the season, that these parties keep together and- 

 migrate in company. As is the case with most late immigrants, the birds 

 quit our shores early in autumn, leaving for their winter quarters in 

 September. Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser mention an instance, however, 

 where a young bird of this species was seen by them as late as the llth 

 of November. 



The male of this beautiful bird has the head, nape, upper back, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts clear slate-grey ; the back and scapulars are rich 

 chestnut-brown ; the wing-coverts are black, broadly edged with rich chest- 

 nut ; the wings are black, the primaries very narrowly and the secondaries 

 broadly margined with chestnut. The two central tail-feathers are black ; 

 the rest have the basal half white, the terminal half black tipped and 

 narrowly margined with white. A narrow frontal line, the lores, the 

 feathers round the eye, and the ear-coverts are black ; the underparts are 

 rosy red, shading into white on the chin and under tail-coverts. Bill 

 black ; legs, toes, and claws black ; irides dark brown. The female 

 usually differs considerably from the male. She has no black about the 

 head ; and the whole of the upper parts are reddish brown ; above the 

 eye is a pale buff streak; the wings are similar in colour to those of 

 the male, but the rufous margins are paler and not so broad ; the tail 

 is brownish red, tipped with buff and margined on the outer web of 

 the outside feather with dull white. The general colour of the under- 

 parts is buffish white, transversely barred on the sides of the neck, the 

 breast, and the flanks with brown. Young birds resemble the female 

 above described, but have the upper parts also barred and the eye-stripe 

 very indistinct. 



VOL. i. 2s. 



