314 LANIID^B.

Colonel Butler has the following notes on the breeding of this
Shrike in Sincl:—

" Kurrachi, 7th May, 1877.—I found two nests on this date,
one in the fork of a babool tree, the other on the stump of a
broken-off branch of a tree between the stump and the trunk of
the tree. The former contained four incubated eggs, exact minia-
tures of many eggs I have of L. erythronotus, the latter two small
chicks.—May 12th, same locality, a nest containing two fresh
eggs, and another containing two fully fledged young ones.—
June 20th, same locality, one nest containing three fresh eggs,
another containing four young birds. Eggs most typical are those
which have a well-marked zone near the centre."

" Hydra-bad, Sind, 19th June, 1878.—A nest on the outer bough
of a babool tree about ten feet from the ground, containing three
fresh eggs."

And he further notes :—" The Bay-backed Shrike breeds in the
neighbourhood of Deesa at the end of the hot weather. The nest
is a very firm and compactly built cup, usually placed in the fork
of some low thorny tree at heights varying from seven to ten feet
from the ground.

" June 15th, 1875. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

"July Jsfc, 1876. „ „ 4 „

" July 15th, ,, „ „ 5 incubated eggs.

" July 29th, ,, „ . „ 4 young birds.

" These birds always retire from the more open parts of the
country to low thorny tree-jungle to breed."

Mr. E,. M. Adam says:—" This species breeds about Sambhur
in July. On the 1st August I saw numbers of nests and fledglings
in the Marot jungle."

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing of the Decean, say :—
" Abundant, and breeds all over the Deccan."

And the former gentleman informs us that this species is also
very common in Western Khandeish, and that it breeds in the
plains in June and July, and in the Satpuras in March.

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes :—" This is a very familiar bird,
and builds readily in some roadside tree, where men and carts are
passing all day long. I have the following notes o£ its nests :—

" 1st—8th May, 1869. Nest and three eggs taken at Khandalla,
above the Bhore Ghat.

" 12th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Poona.

"16th-18th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Khandalla.
This nest was in a corinda bush, placed about 4J feet from the
ground.

u 13th May, 1873. A clutch of young birds left the nest this
morning at Poona.

"39th May, 1873. I found a nest of half-fledged young birds
this clay at Poona. The tree was almost denuded of leaves, and
the heat of the sun being very intense, the parent bird was never-
theless sitting close. Its eyes were closed, and it was gasping
hard. One of the young ones had crawled out from under the