SHRIKE. 27 



21— OLIVE SHRIKE. 



L'Oliva, Levail. Ois.u. 105. pi. 75. f.1.2. & 76. 1, 



Lanius olivaceus, Shaw's Zool. vii. 330. 



SIZE of the Woodchat; length seven inches. Bill and legs 

 black ; irides rufous brown ; plumage above yellowish olive green ; 

 forehead and under parts yellow oker, paler on the sides ; eye placed 

 in a bed of black, passing down on each side of the neck in a streak, 

 edged with pale yellow oker ; quills edged with yellow ; tail rounded, 

 or very little cuneiform ; the two middle feathers as the back, the 

 others partly yellow ; but this colour occupying less space inwards, 

 the two outer ones having most yellow; the others dusky within, and 

 yellowish on the outer margins. 



Young birds differ from the adult female, in having the head and 

 neck behind olive grey, and the forehead rufous white; the black band 

 on the side of the neck edged with white ; chin, throat, and breast 

 rufous, or yellow ; belly, thighs, and vent dirty olive white ; the 

 green parts are more dull than in the old bird, and the quills are 

 edged with white. 



The young female is rather smaller, and more dull in colour 

 above ; beneath to the breast pale ferruginous; chin and belly dusky 

 white ; the streak of black through the eye wanting. 



Inhabits the inward parts of the Cape of Good Hope, especially 

 the forests contiguous to the Bay of Lagoa, and the borders of the 

 Gamtoos, Sondag, and Swarte Kop, but not near the Cape itself; 

 makes the nest on bushes and trees, and lays five eggs ; the bill and 

 legs are at first brown ; the black mark behind the eye not visible; 

 in this state it greatly resembles the female. 



E2 



