4 S 
British Birds. 
comes over in such large hordes as the Gold-Crest, although I noticed it as a 
migrant on Heligoland in larger numbers than the last-named bird. The golden- 
orange crown, richer in colour than that of the ordinary Gold-Crest, with the black 
band on each side of the crown, and the conspicuous white eyebrow, distinguish 
the Fire-Crest from the Gold-Crest at a glance. The habits and mode of nesting 
are similar in the two species. The eggs, from five to ten in number, are more 
rufous than those of the Gold-Crest and are almost chocolate in colour, either 
sprinkled with reddish dots or with a ring of the latter round the larger end of the 
pcrcr 
THE SHRIKES. 
Family 
LAN II DM. 
The Ruby-Crest ( Regains calendula) of North America has been supposed to 
have occurred in Scotland ; a specimen from Loch Lomond, said to have been 
shot by Dr. Dewar, in 1S52, being in the British Museum. 
This is a wide-spread family of birds, and is represented even 
m Australia, but not in South America. The members of the family 
which occur within British limits are all true Laniidai, and do not 
belong to the aberrant groups which are found in tropical countries. 
The Lesser Grey Shrike ( Lanins minor). This species visits Central and 
Southern Europe in summer, extending to Persia and Central Asia and wintering in 
Africa. It is one of the ‘ Grey ’ section of the genus Lanins , and can be recognised 
at any age by its short first primary- 
quill. The adult birds have a broad 
black band on the forehead, and a beautiful 
rosy blush over the breast. The species 
has occurred at least four times in 
England, as an occasional visitor both in 
autumn and spring. Its food consists 
principally of insects, which it is said to 
impale on thorns after the manner of its 
kind, but, according to Seebohm, it will also 
devour fruit in the shape of figs, cherries, 
and mulberries. The nest is a rough 
structure of moss and twigs, lined with 
wool, and the eggs, from four to seven in 
number are white, or greenish-white, with 
markings of brown and purplish-grey. 
The Great Grey Shrike (Lanins excubitor). This large species is a regular 
winter visitor to Great Britain, and comes to us from Scandinavia, where the bird is 
a summer visitor only. In Central Europe it is a resident species. 
This species, like the next, is told from the other British Butcher-birds by its 
large size and grey colouring above, with the base of the forehead and a small 
eyebrow white, contrasting with the black lores and ear-coverts ; the wings and tail 
The Lesser Grey Shrike. 
