iiATntrs. 309 



eggs, some hard-set, some young. One nest I robbed in April of 

 eggs contained young in the latter end of May, and I believe many 

 of them have two if not more broods in the year. All nests that I 

 have seen have been well made, firm, deep cups of baboo! branches, 

 lined with grass-roots, and occasionally with bits of rag and tow. 

 The eggs are broad ovals of a dead chalky bluish-white colour, 

 spotted, chiefly at the large end, with purple and brown. Five is 

 the greatest number of eggs I have found in a nest." 



Mr. George Eeid informs us that this Shrike breeds from March 

 to July in the Lucknow Division, making a massive nest in babool 

 trees, generally in solitary ones on open plains. 



Colonel Butler writes : — " The Indian Grey Shrike breeds in 

 the neighbourhood of Deesa in February, March, April, May, June, 

 and July. I have taken nests on the following dates : — 



" Feb. 19. A nest containing 4 slightly incubated eggs. 



March 13. „ „ 4 fresh eggs. 



16 4 



19 4 



ji ^"- » )i 3 „ 



;j 20. „ „ 4 „ 



„ 28. „ ,, 4 incubated eggs. 



April 9. „ „ 4 „ „ 



June 1 . ,, „ 2 fresh eggs. 



„ 7. „ „ 4 young birds. 



„ 7. „ „ 2 incubated eggs. 



July 9. „ „ 4 „ „ 



" The nest is usually placed in some low, isolated leafless thorny 

 tree (Acacia, Zizyphus, &c), from six to ten feet from the ground. 

 It is solidly built of small dry thorny twigs, old rags, &c. ex- 

 ternally, with a thick felt lining of the silky fibre of Galotropis 

 gigantea. The eggs vary a good deal in shape, some being much 

 more pointed at the small end than others ; some I have are almost 

 perfect peg-tops. They vary in number from three to five ; and as 

 a rule the colour is a dingy white, spotted and speckled sparingly 

 all over with olive-brown and inky purple, which together form a 

 well-marked zone at the large end." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark : — " Common, and breeds 

 abundantly in the Poona and Sholapoor Collectorates at the end of 

 the hot weather. W. has noticed it breeding at Nulwar and 

 Baichore. Davidson observed that it was very rare in the Satara 

 Districts." 



Mr. J. Davidson further informs us that L. lahtora is a per- 

 manent resident in Western Khandeish, and breeds in every 

 month from January to July. 



My friend Mr. Benjamin Aitken furnishes me with the following 

 interesting note : — " Tou say that the Indian Grey Shrike lays 

 from February to July. Now, in Berar, where this bird is very 

 common, I have found, their eggs frequently in the first week of 

 January, and on not only to July, but to September ; and I once 



