18 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



RED-BACKED SIIIUKE ON ITS NEST. 



something protruding about an inch 

 from the mouth of one of them. To 

 my surprise I discovered that it was 

 the wing of an adult blue tit. Young 

 Shrikes eject pellets of undigestible 

 food just in the manner common to 

 hawks and owls. 



Although the male bird of this species 

 is such a dour, unlovable creature when 

 judged from a human standpoint, he 

 makes an ideal lover and a good hus- 

 band. During the days of courtship 

 he is true to the universal traditions 

 of his sex in making himself look 

 thoroughly ridiculous, and throughout 

 the time of wedded bliss is most kind 

 and attentive to his mate. 



The members of this species build 

 large nests of slender twigs, honeysuckle 

 stems, rootlets, dead grass, moss, wool, 

 and hair, in isolated thorn bushes, 

 hedges, woods, and rough commons in 

 most parts of England, with the excep- 

 tion of the extreme north and west, 

 where it is less frequent. 



The eggs number from four to six, and 

 are liable to great variation both in 

 regard to ground colour and markings, 

 hence the species exercises a great fas- 

 cination over egg collectors who make 

 varieties a speciality. Sometimes the 

 ground colour is white, and at others pale 

 buff, pale green, or salmon coloured, 

 spotted, blotched, and freckled with 

 pale brown, violet, grey, or reddish 

 brown. Generally the markings form 

 a zone round the larger end. I have 

 seen a show case with something like 

 fifty clutches in it, no two of which 

 were alike. 



This bird does not, as a rule, arrive 

 in its summer haunts until the month 

 of May, and departs again for Africa in 

 August and September. 



