LAOTCTS. 309

eggs, some hard-set, some young. One nest I robbed in April of
eggs contained young in the latter end of May, and I believe many
of them have two if not more broods in the year. All nests that I
have seen have been well made, firm, deep cups of babool branches,
lined with grass-roots, and occasionally with bits of rag and tow.
The eggs are broad ovals of a dead chalky bluish-white colour,
spotted, chiefly at the large end, with purple and brown. Five is
the greatest number of eggs I have found in a nest."

Mr. George Reid informs us that this Shrike breeds from March
to July in the Lucknow Division, making a massive nest in babool
trees, generally in solitary ones on open plains.

Colonel Butler writes :—" The Indian Grey Shrike breeds in
the neighbourhood of Deesa in February, March, April, May, June,
and July. I have taken nests on the following dates:—

" Feb. 19. A nest containing 4 slightly incubated eggs.
March 13. „ , 4 fresh eggs.

„ 16.

„ 19.

„ 20.

„ 20.

„ 28.

April 9.

June 3.

7.

99 7-

July 9.

4

3 „

4. »

4 incubated eggs.

^ ?? 5?

2 fresh es.

4 young birds.
2 incubated eggs.

" The nest is usually placed in some low, isolated leafless thorny
tree (Acacia, Zizypirns, &c.), front six to ten feet from the ground.
It is solidly built of small dry thorny twigs, old rags, &c. ex-
ternally, with a thick felt lining of the silky fibre of Calotropis
glgantea. The eggs vary a good deal in shape, some being much
more pointed at the small end than others; some I have are almost
perfect peg-tops. They vary in number from three to five; and as
a rule the colour is a dingy white, spotted and speckled sparingly
all over with olive-brown and inky purple, which together form a
well-marked zone at the large end."

Messrs. Davidson and Wen den remark :—" Common, and breeds
abundantly in the Poona and Sholapoor Collectorates at the end of
the hot weather. "W. has noticed it breeding at Nulwar and
[Raichore. Davidson observed that it was very rare in the Satara
Districts."

Mr. J. Davidson further informs us that L. Witora is a per-
manent resident in Western Khandeish, and breeds in every
month from January to July.

My friend Mr. Benjamin Aitken furnishes me with the following
interesting note:—"You say that the Indian Grey Shrike lays
from February to July. Now, in Eerar, where this bird is very
common, I have found their eggs frequently in the first week of
January, and on not only to July, but to September; and I once