AND IRELAND OF THE RED BACKED SHRIKE. 
20.5 
“ Fairly distributed wherever suitable nesting sites occur ” 
(in lit.). 
Mr. F. Colam, of Birmingham, reports that he has received very 
few specimens from this county, excepting the north-west corner, 
which abuts on to Worcestershire (in lit.). 
Mr. R. W. Chase has met with it in this county (in lit.). 
Leicestershire. The following particulars are extracted from 
Mr. M. Browne’s ‘Vertebrate Animals of Leicester and Rutland’: 
“ A summer migrant, sparingly distributed, and remaining to 
breed.” Young ones were brought to the late Mr. Widdowson 
from the neighbourhood of Melton. Mr. Macaulay considered it 
“ not very common.” Mr. Davenport has never taken its nest in 
the county, and is confident it is a rare bird there. Mr. Browne 
saw a male in Narborough “bogs” on 20th June, 1885, and 
another at Barrow-on-Soar on 15th July, 188G. He mentions 
a male, female, nest, and one egg procured at Belgrave on 27th 
May, 1885, and other specimens procured many years ago. In 
Harley’s day it seems to have nested annually (p. 72). 
Mr. F. B. Whitlock, of Beeston, Notts, writes: “A scarce bird, 
seldom met with at any time of the year. I have a clutch of eggs 
taken near Loughborough ” (in lit.). This relates to the north of 
the county. 
Rutland. From Mr. Browne’s work I hike these notes. 
“ A summer migrant, sparingly distributed, and remaining to 
breed.” Seen at Exton. Several nests reported to have been 
taken in the neighbourhood of Uppingham in 1880. One seen at 
North Luffenham. A few pairs reported by Mr. N. L. Calcraft to 
arrive to breed in Rutland every spring (pp. 72, 73). 
Northamptonshire. “Twenty years ago I should have been 
justified in describing this bird .... as exceedingly rare 
in our neighbourhood ; indeed, till 1860 I never even heard of its 
occurrence near Lilford. Since that time I have been constantly 
told of a pair or two having been met with in the early summer, 
at which time I am unfortunately almost always away from home ; 
and now the Butcher-bird is, though not very abundant, a regular 
summer visitor, and breeds annually in our district . . . . 
I have many notices of the occurrence of this bird in various parts 
of the county, but no records, except from our own district, as to 
whether it has become more abundant of late years. It is, I think, 
VOL. V. 
X 
