238 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



roundings are of such a character as to inspire 

 feelings which would naturally tend to awaken it. 

 It has been intimated that this Shrike is exceed- 

 ingly destructive to our smaller birds. In rapacity 

 it rivals Falco sparverius of Linnaeus. Its captures 

 are mostly confined to Junco hyemalis, Spizella 

 monticola, Mclospiza melodia, and, occasionally, to 

 species as large as Passerella iliaca. Its favorite 

 food, however, during the winter is our common 

 Jnnco liyenialis, which from its abundance and 

 apparent lack of timidity, requires but a paltry 

 effort to capture. It has been said in "North 

 American Birds' 1 that the English sparrow, since 

 its introduction, is an object of special regard in 

 the city of Boston, Mass. We have never met 

 with any illustrations of the fact, but are led to the 

 opinion that their remarkable prevalence and 

 astonishing tameness, would naturally render 

 them objects of easy capture. An examination of 

 the stomachs of several birds, showed a remark- 

 able predominance of the Black Snow Bird, which 

 was clearly identified by the feathers which had 

 been profusely swallowed. Birds are not exclu- 

 sively eaten. Coleoptera and orthoptera in great 

 numbers are also devoured. Among the broken 

 fragments found in the stomachs of several indi- 



<tD 



viduals associated with the remains of Snow Birds, 

 were identified fragments of Lucanus darna, 

 Lachnosterna quercina, L. Jiirticiila, CEdipoda nebu- 

 losa, and CE. sulphured. 



But a single instance is recorded of this species 



