The Great Cinereous Shrike. BIRDS. The Crested Shrike. 341 
most abundant British species of this family ; it is a 
summer visitor to this country, where it is most com- 
monly seen in the southern counties, and does not 
appear to advance further to the north than Cumber- 
land. It arrives here from its African winter-quarters 
about the end of April, and quits us again in September. 
This bird is found in most parts of Europe, as far north 
as Norway and Sweden; in Africa it has been met with 
in various places from Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope. 
The male is about seven inches and a half in length ; 
the female a little larger. The male has the back of 
the head and neck gray, the chin and throat white, and 
a band running over the base of the bill, and through 
the eyes, black; the back and wing-coverts are chestnut- 
red, the upper tail-coverts gray, the wings black, with 
the margins of the feathers red, and the lower surface 
pale red. The two middle tail-feathers are black, the 
rest white at the base, and black at the extremity, the 
extreme tips of all being white. The female has the 
whole upper surface reddish-brown, with no black on 
the head, the tail brown, and the lower surface grayish- 
white, with numerous brownish transverse lines. The 
food of tlie Red-backed Shrike consists partly of insects, 
particularly the common cockchafer ; and partly of 
small vertebrate animals, such as mice, shrews, and 
small birds. Of the latter it has been known to kill 
birds as large as finches, and has even been seen in 
pursuit of a blackbird. In common with many other 
species of this family, this bird has the singular habit 
of hanging up its prey, either by fixing it in the forked 
branch of a tree or shrub, or by impaling it upon a 
thorn, so as to pluck off the feathers of birds, and tear 
away their limbs with more facility. Even its insect 
prey is served in this way, cockchafers being often 
found impaled by it upon a thorn passing through the 
thorax, and with the abdomen torn away. From this 
curious habit the Shrikes are frequently called Butcher- 
birds. 
The Red-backed Shrike makes a large nest of a 
cup-like form, composed of the coarse stalks of plants, 
moss, and roots, and lined with bents and hair. The 
nest is placed in a strong hedge or thick bush, and 
contains four or five eggs, which vary in colour, being 
either bluish, greenish, or reddish-white, and spotted 
with different shades of brown. The oi dinary note of 
the male is a chirping noise, like that of a sparrow; but 
he is said sometimes to utter a sort of song. 
THE GREAT CmEREOUS SHRIKE {Lanius excuhitor) 
— Plate 11, fig. 37 — is also met with in this country, 
but appears to be only an occasional visitor here ; on 
the continent of Europe it is a well-known bird, and is 
abundant in France. It is a good deal larger than the 
preceding species, measuring about ten inches in length ; 
the head is marked with black as in the Red-backed 
Shrike; the upper surface is pearly-gray, the lower 
surface pure white, and the wings and tail are black ; 
the former with a white bar near the base of each fea- 
ther, and the latter with each quill tipped with white, the 
amount of white increasing toward the sides of the tail. 
The female resembles the male, but is duller in colour. 
In its habits this bird agi’ees with the preceding, and 
its food consists of mice, shrews, small birds, frogs, 
lizards, and insects. These it fixes upon a thorn or 
forked branch, before proceeding to devour them ; and 
it is a popular notion that the bird captures nine birds 
or other animals, and suspends them in this way, 
before beginning to eat any of them. Hence is derived 
one of its common names — Nineldller. It is a bold and 
combative bird, attacking crows and other birds much 
larger than itself, when they come into its haunts; and 
it has even been used instead of a falcon to fly at small 
birds. The foreign falconers often make a very dif- 
ferent use of it, employing it in trapping hawks during 
the autumn and winter. The Shrike is fastened to the 
ground, and, on the approach of the hawk, begins 
screaming loudly, and thus gives the falconer notice 
of the fact ; from this he is called excuhitor, or the 
sentinel. 
THE ‘WOOD-CHAT {Lanius rutilus) is about the size 
of the Red-backed Shrike, but has the back of the 
head and neck rich chestnut-red, the back black, and 
the lower surface white. In its habits, it resembles 
the Red-backed Shrike, and like it is a summer visitor 
to Europe, in the southern parts of which it is not 
uncommon, but does not advance far towards the 
north, and is only an occasional visitor to this country. 
It builds its nest upon the forked branch of a tree, 
generally selecting an oak. 
THE AMERICAN GRAY SHRIKE {Lanius borealis), 
a common species in the United States, resembles the 
Cinereous Shrike of Europe in size and general aspect, 
and indeed, was formerly regarded as identical .with 
it. The principal differences consist in the presence 
of transverse dusky lines on the lower surface, and in 
the bluish colour of the bill, which has the tip alone 
black ; the whole bill being black in the European 
species. In its habits, this bird agrees with its eastern 
congeners, feeding on small vertebrate animals and 
insects, which it impales upon thorns ; amongst insects, 
grasshoppers are said to be its favourite food. 
THE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE {Imamus luclovicianus), 
another American species, is found only in the 
southern states of the American Union. It is common 
in the rice -fields of Carolina and Georgia, where it is 
regarded with favour, on account of its destroying 
mice, for which it will watch for hours, like a cat, 
beside the stacks of rice. It also devours crickets and 
grasshoppers. 
THE CRESTED SHRIKE {Lanms cristatus). Numer- 
ous species of shrikes inhabit India and the neiglibour- 
ing countries ; and amongst these, the commonest is 
the Crested Shrike. It is about the size of our Red- 
backed Shrike ; the head is crested, and has a black 
spot on the ears ; the plumage is reddish-brown above, 
pale tawny beneath, with transverse brownish lines ; 
the tail is reddish. This bird resembles the preceding 
species in habits, preying, like them, upon insects and 
small birds, and building its nest in thickets and 
bushes.. It has a peculiarly harsh chattering note ; 
which, according to Mr. Blyth, affords one of the 
earliest intimations of the advent of the cold season in 
Calcutta, when it is heard with a favour not due to 
its musical properties. 
THE INDIAN GREY SHRIKE {Tephrodornis pondi- 
ceriana) is a common bird in Southern India, but also 
occurs in Nepal and other northern districts, being 
