110 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



then had a hunt for the first Whitethroat which, this time, 

 I found easily enough. It was whole, with but few feathers 

 missing, and was hung by a thorn through the neck in a 

 fairly thick place in the blackthorn thicket. However, I 

 photographed it and a young Shrike I saw sitting on the 

 bush and left. There was nothing else there and the 

 Whitethroats were twenty yards apart. Both had been 



Whitethroat impaled on thorn by Red-backed Shrike, the right 

 hand one beheaded and mostly stripped of feathers. 



{Photographed by J. H. Owen.) 



killed by dashing their heads against a branch or stone ; 

 the brains in one case were oozing ; each had the scalp 

 largely removed. 



On July 20th I again visited the nest, and where the Shrikes 

 had put the second Whitethroat I found three large bumble 

 bees impaled on separate bushes about a yard apart ; two 

 were fresh, the other stale. I could find no other prey. 

 I have had no further chance of making observations. 



