WOODCHAT. 217 



trees, and preferring the oak. The nest is placed in the 

 fork of a projecting branch, composed on the outside with 

 sticks and wool, mixed with white moss from the bodies of 

 the trees, and lined with fine grass and wool." In the 

 Netherlands, to which country these observations refer, he 

 continues, it is not a wild bird, often building close to 

 houses and public roads, and arrives and departs about the 

 same time as the Ked-backed Shrike. Writing of this 

 species in Algeria, Mr. Salvin says (Ibis, 1859, p. 312) that 

 it "breeds in great numbers on the hill-sides in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Djendeli, making a nest composed almost 

 entirely of one material, viz. a small grey flower, which the 

 bird collects with the stalk, and entwines into its nest, 

 employing the same for the lining. The whole structure is 

 beautifully neat and compact." Other writers have noticed 

 that the Woodchat, like the Lesser Grey Shrike, as already 

 mentioned, makes choice of odoriferous plants in the con- 

 struction of its nest. The eggs are four or five in number, 

 and very variable ; some being white tinged with green or 

 pale olive blotched irregularly with olive and lilac of diffe- 

 rent shades, the markings sometimes diffused and some- 

 times forming regular spots often disposed in a zone, while 

 other specimens are of a cream-colour with light red and 

 suffused lilac spots. They measure from -97 to *86 by from 

 7 to -65 in. 



This Shrike does not visit the most northern parts of the 

 European continent ; but is found in nearly all the countries 

 lying between the Mediterranean and the Baltic. In Den- 

 mark, however, it seems to occur only occasionally. In 

 North Germany it is more abundant, but becomes less 

 common, according to Dr. Borggreve, to the eastward. 

 There appears to be no trace of it in Russia, except in the 

 extreme south the provinces bordering the Caspian and 

 Black Seas. It inhabits both European and Asiatic Turkey, 

 and was observed by De Filippi in Persia, reaching that 

 country probably from Palestine or Arabia, in both of which 

 it is found. On the eastern side of Africa its range extends, 

 according to Dr. von Heuglin, southward as far as lat. 5 N., 



VOL. i. F F 



