Volume 24, Plate I / Ornithology (Birds)

Great or Ash-Coloured Shrike

Lanius excubitor

A moderately strong bird near nine inches long, the male shews clear pearl grey above and pure white below, broken by deep black on the wings, tail, forehead, lores, and an oval auricular patch, with white at the primary bases. Solitary and migratory, it haunts well wooded hedgerows and parks, feeds on small birds, mammals, reptiles, and large insects, and impales its prey on thorns before devouring it.