74 THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE 



insects, especially the stag-beetle and grasshopper, though in its 

 natural state it will capture and destroy any birds inferior to 

 itself in strength and courage. Its name Lanius (Latin for 

 butcher) and Butcher-bird were given to it from its habit 

 of impaling beetles and small birds on thorns in the vicinity 

 of its nest. Its flight is peculiar, being composed of a series 

 of dips, like that of the Wagtail ; and when it quits its perch on 

 the summit of one tall tree to fly to another, it drops and rises 

 again so as to form a curve like that of a loose rope hung from two 

 tall masts. Another peculiarity of the Shrike is a remarkable power 

 of imitating the song of other birds, which it is said to exercise in 

 order to obtain its food more easily, by beguiling the nestlings of 

 the smaller birds into answering it by a chirrup, and so betraying 

 their retreat. The notes which it has been observed to imitate are 

 those of the Nightingale, Robin, Swallow, and Stone-chat. Its 

 proper note is harsh, resembling somewhat that of the Kestrel, 

 Shake-sJwke ! the call note is truii\ Of the Lesser Grey Shrike, 

 Lanius minor, there have been few occurrences in these Islands. 



LESSER GREY SHRIKE 



LANIUS MINOR 

 Grey above : breast and flanks roseate ; wing-bar white. 

 Of this species only four occurrences recorded until recently — in 



Scilly Islands, Norfolk and Devon. 



THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE 



LANIUS COLLURIO 



Head, nape, shoulders and upper tail-coverts ash-grey, a black band reaching 

 from the gape to beyond the ears ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts 

 reddish brown ; throat white, passing into rose-red on the breast and 

 flanks ; wings blackish, edged with reddish brown • tail nearly even at 

 the end, four middle feathers black tipped with reddish grey, the rest 

 white from the base through two-thirds of their length, the other third 

 black with a white tip ; second primary longer than the fifth. Female — 

 upper plumage rusty brown, tinged near the nape and tail with ash- 

 grey ; lower white, the sides barred transversely by narrow curved lines ; 

 outer webs and tips of the outer tail feathers yellowish white, four middle 

 ones uniform dusky brown. Length seven inches ; breadth eleven 

 inches. Eggs cream-coloured, greenish, or delicate grey variously 

 mottled and spotted with light brown and ash-grey. 



The Red-backed Shrike, though not generally diffused throughout 

 England, is to certain localities a far from uncommon wanderer, 

 but for some reason it has been scarce in 1908. In the wooded 



