BIRDS 45. Great Grey Shrike. Lanius excubitor^'L'mn. The great grey shrike, though a compara- tively rare visitor to us, has nevertheless so often been seen that an enumeration of the dates of its occurrence at several places in the county seems scarcely necessary. I have notes of its appearance in the valley of the Avon, and Lees gives Blackmoor Park as a place which it visited in 1867, while Mr. W. Ed- wards says that one was several times seen in the Malvern Cemetery in 1897. 46. Red-backed Shrike. Lanius collurio, Linn. This is a regular summer migrant, and breeds in the Teme valley and in many places in the county. Its habit of impaling food on thorns is too well known to require confirma- tion. A more or less vertical thorn, and one which grows out of a strong branch of a haw- thorn bush, generally so near the middle as to be out of sight, is selected, and unless close search is made it escapes observation. The following articles of food have been seen by the author impaled on thorns by this shrike, namely, mice, shrews, voles, young birds, including a young partridge, blackbeetles, humblebees, bluebottle flies and large-bodied moths. [Woodchat Shrike. Lanius pomeranm, Sparrman. 'Stated by Mrs. Perrott to appear in the neighbourhood of Evesham ' (Hastings, p. 65, 1834).] 47. Waxwing. Ampelis garrulus, Linn. The waxwing has occurred in the county several times, perhaps not very infrequently. A fine male was shot at Atch Lench in the winter of 1859-60, and soon after came into the hands of the writer. In February, 1893, one which had been shot near Worcester was brought to Mr. Holloway of that city for preservation. During that winter a consider- able number of waxwings visited England. The waxwing is stated by Hastings to be of ' infrequent occurrence ' in the county, and Lees reports that specimens have occurred near Malvern, but he supplies no particulars. Mr. W. Edwards, however, writing from Malvern, says: '1896, three specimens were killed, two at Welland and one at Malvern Wells. I saw a pair feeding on the lawn at Holly Mount.' 48. Pied Flycatcher. Muscicapa atricapilla, Linn. ' An inhabitant of the woods near Eardis- ton' [Hastings, p. 65). To the above I can add several other locali- ties in the county, namely, near to the city of Worcester, Spetchley and Malvern. Lees speaks of it as a Malvern bird, ' Rare, but oc- casionally seen ' ; and Mr. W. Edwards says, ' One at the Rhydd, near Hanley Castle.' This bird has also been seen at Powick. In the near parts of the counties of Warwick and Gloucester several specimens have been re- corded. 49. Spotted Flycatcher. Muscicapa grisola, Linn. This is a regular summer migrant, and one of the latest, seldom making its appearance before the end of May. The apple orchards of Worcestershire are peculiarly suited to the habits of the flycatcher, and pairs may be noted in such places all through the summer, taking their station on some low bough or the top of a stake and capturing insects on the wing under the tree. In old orchards there is abundance of places on the crooked and moss-grown trees which are convenient for the lodgment of a nest, and they may be seen stuck about in the quaintest manner. I be- lieve that only one brood is raised, for as well as arriving late in the spring, the flycatcher is one of the earliest to depart in the autumn. 50. Swallow. Hirundo rustica, Linn. It is with the greatest regret that I am obliged to relate that in Worcestershire, as in other counties, the swallow has within the last few years become a comparatively rare bird, and the following will, I believe, give a toler- ably exact idea of the decrease in its numbers. The premises where I now live used a few years ago to afford convenience for as many as seven nests ; but by a gradual decrease they were reduced to one in 1898, and in the sum- mer of 1899, not a single pair nested here. The accommodation remains, and the old nests are still in place, but the birds have gone. That this is not a merely local record will, I think, be evident if a census of the swallows is made at their roosting-places in the osier beds in our streams, where the decrease in their number is so remarkable that I shall not be exaggerat- ing if I say that where there are now scores there were formerly thousands. 51. House- Martin. Chelidon urhica (Linn.). Like the swallow, the martin now appears in decreased numbers, but in not nearly so great a degree. There never was a time when it was as abundant as the swallow, and I cannot call to mind its roosting in clouds like that bird. 52. Sand-Martin. Cotile riparia (Linn.). There does not seem to be any diminution in the number of sand-martins, though, as the 151
