und; they were composed of thorny twigs,
some with and some without a lining of fine grass and feathers, and
averaged some 5 or 6 inches in diameter by 2 to 4 inches in depth."

Major C.T. Bingham says that "this bird is excessively common about
Delhi, far more so than at Allahabad. At the latter place I only found
it breeding in March and April, but at Delhi I have found nests in
every month from March to August. One evening in June I remember
counting in my walk thirteen nests within the radius of a mile; some
of these contained fresh 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 nave taken nests on the following dates:--

"Feb. 19. A nest containing 4 slightly incubated eggs.
March 13. " " 4 fresh eggs.
" 16. " " 4 "
" 19. " " 4 "
" 20. " " 3 "
" 20. " " 4 "
" 28. " " 4 incubated eggs.
April 9. " " 4 " "
June 1. " " 2 fresh eggs.
" 7. " " 4 young birds.
" 7. " " 2 incubated eggs.
July 9. " " 4 " "

"The nest is usually placed in some low, isolated leafless thorny tree
(_Acacia, Zizyphus_, &c.), from six to ten feet from the ground. It
is solidly built of small dry thorny twigs, old rags, &c. externally,
with a thick felt lining of the silky fibre of _Calotropis gigantea_.
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 speckl