110 BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE WOODCHAT. 

 (Lanius rufus, Linn. Pic-gricclic ronssc, Temm.) 



THE bill is dark, tinged with blue, notched at the 

 tip, and beset with bristles at the base, where, a 

 small spot of dirty white partly extends from the 

 nostrils to the eyes, which are hazel; the fore part 

 of the head, over the eyes and auriculars, and a 

 stripe falling down on the sides of the neck and 

 joining the shoulder feathers, are black ; the lesser 

 coverts nearly the same : a patch of white is formed 

 at the base of the primaries : the secondaries are 

 tipped with dull white; the tail dusky; the coverts 

 and rump the same, but mixed with \vhite ; the first 

 three outside feathers are white at the base and 

 tips, and the outside one, which is shorter than the 

 rest, is white on the outer web. The throat,- fore 

 part of the neck, and the breast, are dingy white, 

 the belly and vent the same, but partaking a little 

 of dull yellow; the hinder part of the head and 



