202 THE SPECIES 



lynx. Plate xi. PICID^, 



150 torquilla, 6^ in. Wryneck. Above greyish brown, much spotted ; 

 throat buff with many narrow blackish bars ; 

 remiges 21 ; first primary short, second and third 

 longest ; tail soft and rounded, greyish, with five 01 

 six rippling dark brown bars ; 12 tail feathers, the 

 two outer ones hidden under the two next. 



The W»yiieck — Dimensi-rns, Eh ; Eggs, Do— rgains its name of lynx from its shriek, and 

 its popular name from its habit of twisting its neck round. Its call is ** oh, dear, dear, dear, 

 dear, dear ! " It is a summer migrant, often known as the Cuckoo's mate from coming at the 

 same time as the Cuckoo. Its flight is a short and quick one, but it is generally seen at rest. 

 It lays its eggs in a hole in a tree, but, unlike the Woodpecker, it never bores the hole in 

 which they are laid. The eggs are from 6 to 10 in number, and are laid among a few chips 

 of rotten wood. 



Lanius. Plate vi. LANIINjS, (Passeridse). 



76. pomeranus, 7 in. WooDCHAT. Crown and nape chestnut ; head 

 black ; back black ; rump white ; white below ; 

 wings black, tipped with white ; two middle tail 

 feathers black, the rest black and white. 



75. collurio, y\ in. Red-backed Shrike. Head grey ; back chest- 

 nut ; chin white ; lower breast buff ; wings black, 

 edged with chestnut ; two middle tail feathers 

 black, with white tips. 



74. minor^ %\ in. Lesser Grey Shrike. Grey above ; whitish 



below ; forehead black ; wings tjlack, with one 

 white spot , first primary very short, third primary 

 longest. 



73. excubltor, 9^ in. Great Grey Shrike. Pearl grey above ; whitish 

 below; forehead whitish ; wide black stripe through 

 eye ; wings black, with one or two white bars ; two 

 middle tail feathers black, others edgect with white. 



The Woodchat — Dimensions, Fg ; Eggs, Et — is a rare visitor, recorded as having bred in 

 the Isle of Wight. The flight is swift and curving, with an occasional hover. The call Is a 

 " kra, kra," but there is also a somewhat musical song, mostly mimetic of the birds in th= 

 neighbourhood. The female has red margins to the wing coverts, but is otherwise much 

 .duller in plumage than the male. The nest is a conspicuous one in the fork of a tree ; it is 

 made of twigs, and grass, and wool, and generally has a few flowers of Gnaphalium, and 

 there are four, five, or six eggs. 



The Red-backed Shrike — Dimensions, Gb ; Eggs, Eo — arrives in May, and is our 

 commonest representative of the Butchers, for such is the meaning of Lanius, the 

 name being derived from the way in which these birds kill their victims and hang them up 

 on thorns, so as to form a larder near the nest. The flight is a dipping one, with many a 

 poise and hover ; and in times of danger the bird can be recognised by a characteristic twirl 

 of its tail. A Shrike never pursues its prey, but it will attack and kill any bird under its own 

 size. The note is " tst-tst-tsook-tsook," but the male can mimic the song of his neighbours. 

 The female is brownish red above, with very pale edges to the secondaries. The nest is 

 about seven inches across and easily found ; it is made of twigs and plant stems, and lined 

 with hair and wool, and contains from four to six eggs. 



The Lesser Grey Shrike — Dimensions, Hh ; Eggs, Fm — is an accidental straggler to oui 

 chores. 



The Great Grey Shrike — Dimensions, Ig ; Eggs, Gh — is a regular winter visitor. It 

 dangles its legs as it flies, works its wings rapidly, dips and swoops, and frequently hovers. 

 It is called excubitor, or the sentinel, from sitting on some conspicuous bianch. Its alarm 

 aote is a "shake;" its call a '* trui." The female is duller in plumage^ and has grey 

 crescents on the breast. It breeds in Northern Sweden. 



Larus. Plate xxxi. LARIDM. 



357- minutus, 11 in. Little Gull. Head changing fi-om black to 

 white ; back grey ; primaries tipped with whit& 

 without black bars, and being black below ; re- 

 miges 28. 



