BIRDS 119 



to seek for food in a pig-trough. At Skinburness a bird, in 

 Mackenzie's collection, was caught in the autumn of 1886, as 

 was a single- barred bird at Drumburgh in December 1888. 

 Eastward, Mr. Parkin obtained a Grey Shrike near Brampton 

 in 1880. A keeper named Crow caught one of these birds in 

 a pole-trap, in December 1884, near Bewcastle. A keeper 

 named James shot a handsome two-barred male near Slaggyford, 

 on the early date of September 13, 1884. At Penrith a fine 

 Shrike, now in Mr. H. Thompson's collection, was shot in January 

 1888. Mr. Eaine shot a double-barred Shrike on October 9, 

 1891, near Edenhall. Having thus furnished brief particulars 

 of numerous Grey Shrikes obtained in Lakeland, I may remark 

 that a large proportion of these possessed single white alar bars. 

 Yet only a single bird, retained in the Museum at Keswick, 

 appears to possess the distinctive characters of the adult male 

 of Pallas's Great Grey Shrike. 



Although the visits of this Shrike to Lakeland only extend, 

 under ordinary circumstances, from autumn to spring, yet the 

 presence of stray specimens in the breeding season, although 

 strange, is not entirely unheard of. That good naturalist, Dr. 

 Parker of Gosforth, wrote to me on the 10th of June 1888: 

 ' I saw the Great Grey Shrike last week on my farm, Brunt 

 House, near Netherwasdale.' It is just within the bounds 

 of possibility that such a bird, seen in summer, in reality 

 represented the Lesser Grey Shrike, and not the Great Grey 

 Shrike. 



I have never had the good luck to obtain a Great Grey 

 Shrike alive in Lakeland, although a couple of individuals have 

 entered my possession within recent years. In January 1892, 

 for example, a very handsome, indeed typical, example of Lanius 

 excubitor was sent to me from Dover. On its first arrival it 

 proved to be extremely wild, but, by the end of three weeks, it 

 had become quite attached to me, flying to the side of the cage 

 to meet me as soon as I entered the room in the morning, and 

 pecking playfully at my fingers, fluttering its wings all the time 

 like a young bird, and eagerly taking a mouse or a bird from 

 my hand, — showing manifest delight at my company. 



