THE SHRIKES. 39 



where he is red, and also has a yellow throat and fore- 

 head ; her wings and tail are brown where the male's 

 are black, and her crown and back of a grey-green 

 hue. 



With the Minivets it is common to see one red bird with 

 a small flock of yellow ones no doubt the old pair and 

 their brood ; the natives, however, put a different inter- 

 pretation on it, and call one species the " beloved of seven 

 damsels." 



I have seen the Short-billed Minivet in confinement, 

 brought down from the hills in consignments of small 

 birds from thence ; but the Minivets did not do very 

 well ; being true insect-feeders they need a great deal of 

 care, and I do not recommend anyone to keep them 

 except with a view to export. Such lovely and harmless 

 creatures surely deserve introduction into any country 

 where they could live if turned out at large. The nest 

 of this bird, like those of Minivets generally, is cup-shaped, 

 made of fine twigs coated outside with lichens, and placed 

 rather high up in a tree, the Minivets being thorough 

 tree-haunters, and not coming to the ground as many 

 Shrikes do. The eggs are three to five in number, spotted 

 with red and purple on a whitish ground. In the Hima- 

 layas the bird breeds in May or June. 



THE PIPING-CROW SHRIKE OR AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE 

 (Gymnorhina tibicen)* is a Shriks of an entirely different 

 type again, of which we have no representatives in India ; 

 but as it is frequently imported, it deserves a notice here. 

 This " Magpie " only deserves its name by reason of its 

 pied plumage ; in form it rather resembles the common 



