71 



LESSEE GREY SHRIKE. 



LANIUS MINOR, J. F. Gmelin. 



Lanius minor_, Gmelin, S. N. i. p. 308 (1788) ; Naum. ii. 

 p. 15 ; Yarr. ed. 4>, i. p. 205 ; Dresser, iii. p. 393. 



Pie-Grieche d'ltalie, French; Grauer Wiirger, German. 



This species, which is a common summer visitor to 

 many parts of Southern, South-eastern, and Central 

 Europe, is recorded by Mr. Howard Saunders (from 

 whom I quote as the latest authority) to have occurred 

 in four instances in our country; the first of these 

 occurrences was that of a female, killed in November 

 1851 in Scilly, two others were obtained near Great 

 Yarmouth in 1869 and in May 1875 respectively, and a 

 fourth was taken near Plymouth in September 1876. 

 My own acquaintance with this Shrike is very small, 

 and I may here state that I was completely in error in 

 my statement in ' The Ibis' article on the birds of Spain, 

 that this species was not uncommon in that country, 

 where, indeed, I never personally met with it, though I 

 have reason to believe that it has occurred in Catalonia, 

 and perhaps in Valencia. 



A friend, who is well acquainted with this species. 



