. A history of British birds. Birds. LESSER GREY SHRIKE. 605 twig or two, a piece of flag-like rush, and a little wool at the foundation, the whole nest is composed of a downy-leaved cudweed {Gnaphalium dioicum), some in flower and some in seed, and most pulled up by the roots. Naumann describes the nest as usually built in Germany of dry roots, twigs, couch-grass, hay and straw, lined with wool, hair, and feathers. The eggs vary in number from four to seven. Some are very round, measuring '95 by '8 inch. Others are much longer and more pointed, as, for example, 1"05 by "7 inch. The
. A history of British birds. Birds. LESSER GREY SHRIKE. 605 twig or two, a piece of flag-like rush, and a little wool at the foundation, the whole nest is composed of a downy-leaved cudweed {Gnaphalium dioicum), some in flower and some in seed, and most pulled up by the roots. Naumann describes the nest as usually built in Germany of dry roots, twigs, couch-grass, hay and straw, lined with wool, hair, and feathers. The eggs vary in number from four to seven. Some are very round, measuring '95 by '8 inch. Others are much longer and more pointed, as, for example, 1"05 by "7 inch. The average size and shape lies between these extremes. The ground-colour is a pale bluish green. Some eggs have a few small greenish-brown spots, chiefly towards the larger end. Typical eggs have also larger spots or blotches; whilst in examples which are exceptionally rich in their markings the spots round the egg towards the large end are confluent, but do not assume the form of a uniform band round the egg, because the underlying spots, which in all the varieties are paler and greener than the overlying spots, are distinctly visible amongst the others. The eggs of this bird may easily be distinguished from those of the Great Grey Shrike by their smaller size and much greener colour. Erom the largest and greenest varieties of the eggs of the Woodchat it is not quite so easy to separate them; but the latter are very seldom if ever quite so large or quite so green. It is not known that rufous varieties of the eggs of the Lesser Grey Shrike ever occur. The Lesser Grey Shrike is a handsome bird, very similar in colour to the Great Grey Shrike, but with a black forehead, and with pale reddish-bufi'breast and flanks. Like Pallas's Grey Shrike, it has only one T^-ing-bar. The female scarcely diifers from the male. In the young the grey back is replaced by brown, and most of the feathers are trans- versely barred, and the reddish tinge on the underparts is nearly obsolete. Curiously eno
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1883
