LANIIDA, 147 
THE GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 
LANius EXCUBITOR, Linnzus. 
The Great Grey Shrike is a conspicuous and fairly regular visitor 
from the Continent to the British Islands in autumn and winter ; 
while it has occasionally been observed in spring and even in 
summer, though there is no evidence that it has ever bred with us. 
It is naturally more frequent on the eastern side (especially in the 
Humber district, where it pursues the small migrants) than on the 
west; but though records are wanting from the Hebrides, it has 
occurred in Argyll and often in the Orkneys, while it was seen by 
Saxby in the Shetlands. In Ireland it is an irregular visitor in 
winter. 
Many of the specimens obtained in winter have a white bar on 
the primaries only, the bases of the secondaries being black ; 
whereas in the typical Z. excudbiztor the bases of the secondaries are 
white, and the wing exhibits a double bar. The form with only one 
bar is the Z. major of Pallas, and, as shown by Prof. Collett (Ibis 
1886, pp. 30-40) it meets and interbreeds with Z. excuditor in 
Scandinavia, typical examples of both races being actually found in 
the same brood, while intermediate individuals are not uncommon. 
Where the sexes have been determined by dissection the double- 
barred bird has generally proved to be a male and the single- 
barred a female. The typical Z. excubitor breeds as far east as 
St. Petersburg, beyond which, and in Western Siberia, Z. mayor 
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