46 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



GREAT GREY SHRIKE, Lanlus excubitor. The 

 Great Grey Shrike is a rare species, especially in 

 this county, only two Somersetshire specimens 

 having come under my notice : the first of these 

 was killed on the Nynehead estates, and its capture 

 was recorded hy the Eev. Murray A. Mathew, in the 

 ' Zoologist' for 1863 : he says, " It was shot on the 

 Nynehead estate in November, 1862, by a labourer, 

 who gave it to his children to play with ; afterwards, 

 as it became rather stale, it was thrown away on the 

 dung-hill, from whence it was rescued by Mr. San- 

 ford's keeper, luckily before it was too stale for 

 preservation : it is now in the possession of Captain 

 Sanford." The other occurred near Wiveliscombe, 

 on the 31st of March, 1864, and is recorded by my- 

 self, in the * Zoologist' for that year (p. 9048) : it is 

 a very fine specimen, and is now in the collection of 

 Mr. Bidgood, the Curator of the Museum of the 

 Taunton Archaeological Society. 



This bird is generally an accidental winter visitant 

 in England, most of the specimens having been taken 

 from October to March inclusive : it has, however, 

 occurred in a few instances in the summer months. 



The food of the Great Grey Shrike consists prin- 

 cipally of mice, shrews, small birds,* frogs, lizards 



* The remains of a Blue Tit were found in the stomach 

 of one of these birds (Zool. for 1805, p. 9455). The Blue 

 Tit seems to be a favourite food, as there are two other notes 

 in the ' Zoologist' of its being seen feeding on it. 



