LANIUS 229 



Pie-gri&clie grise, French ; Averla maggiore, Ital. ; Grauer 

 Wilrger, German ; Klaauwier, Dutch ; Graa, Torniskade, Dan. ; 

 Varsler, Norweg. ; Storre Tornskata, Swed. ; Isompi-Lepinkdinen, 

 Finn. ; Skirri, Mettcihakki, Lapp. ; Europaiski Sorokoput, Russ. 



c ad. Upper parts light blue-grey ; a narrow line on the forehead 

 and over the eye white ; lores and a large patch below the eye, including 

 the ear-coverts deep black ; scapulars broadly and secondaries narrowly 

 tipped with white ; wings black with a double or occasionally a single 

 white band ; lesser coverts blue-grey ; tail black the outer feathers almost 

 altogether, and the others, the two centre excepted, broadly terminated 

 with white ; chin, throat, and under parts white ; bill and legs blackish ; 

 iris brown. Culmen 0'7, wing 4'4, tail 4-0, tarsus TO inch. The female 

 has the under parts greyish with traces of indistinct transverse vermicu- 

 lations, and the young are duller, the black portions are tinged with brown, 

 the under parts are dirty greyish white, and the bill and legs brown. 



Hob. Europe generally, ranging into western Asia. 



Bold and fearless, it does not seek concealment, but may usually 

 be seen perched on a bare bough or the top of a tree' or bush, and 

 is to be met with both in the hills and plains, in orchards, 

 plantations, or fields wher.e trees are scattered about. It feeds on 

 large insects, lizards, frogs, mice, and small birds, and has a habit 

 of fixing its prey, when secured, on a thorn or in a small tree-fork. 

 Its call-note resembles the syllable truu, and its cry shek, 

 shek. It is often made use of by falconers when trapping 

 hawks, to give notice of the approach of a bird of prey. It 

 breeds as far north as Lapland, and sometimes two broods are 

 raised in the year. Its nest, which is placed in a large bush or 

 in a tree, often in a fruit tree, is constructed of twigs, bents, 

 and moss, lined with wool, feathers, or hair, and is large and 

 bulky. The eggs, 4 to 6, and sometimes even 7 in number, are 

 dull white, with purplish grey underlying shell-markings, and 

 dull brown surface -spots and blotches, and in size average about 

 1-07 by 0-77. 



As regards the supposed occurrence of L. major Pall., in Europe, I fully 

 agree with Prof. Collett (Ibis, 1886, pp. 3040) that the specimens 

 obtained were only varieties of L. exculitor. 



