188 DENTIROSTRES. 



FAMILY V. 



Laniid.e. Tlce Jjutcher-hlnls. 



Gkn. Chakac— Bill more or less long, strong, and straight, witli the culmen 

 curved, and the sides compressed to the tip, which is generally hooked and 

 emarginated ; the gonys long and ascending ; the gape sometimes furnished 

 with short bristles ; wings moderate, rounded, or pointed ; tail more or less 

 lengthened, and usually rounded; the tarsi strong, and more or less long ; 

 toes moderate, with the hind toe long and broadly padded beneath; the 

 claws long, curved, and very acute. 



The majority of tlie species belonging to tliis 

 family are inhabitants of the Eastern hemisphere^ a 

 few only being found in the New World. Their food 

 consists of insects^ worms^ and mollusca ; but many 

 of them, not content with such humble fare, kill and 

 devour the smaller birds and quadrupeds. In fact, 

 the hooked tip of the bill, the strong tooth-like 

 fangs with which the upper mandible is armed, and 

 the curved and acute claws, seem at once to indicate 

 that the character of these birds is more predacious 

 than that of their nearest allies. By Linnaeus, and 

 several of the older naturalists, they were classed 

 with the Accipitres : indeed the Shrikes almost equal 

 the Falcons in ferocity and daring. From their 

 perch upon a bough they will suddenly dart upon their 

 prey, which they kill with their beak, not with their 

 feet. They have, moreover, the singular habit of 

 impaling their victims upon a thorn, or hanging up 

 small birds by the tendons of their wing : hence they 

 have received the name of " Butcher-birds.^^ They 

 resemble the Thrushes, with which they insensibly 

 blend, and, like them, are generally met with in 

 woods and coppices. These birds live in companies, 

 fly with unequal and precipitate flight, uttering 

 sharp cries ; they construct their nests with much 

 neatness upon trees, and lay five or six eggs. They 

 possess the faculty of accurately imitating the notes 

 of the birds living in their vicinity. 



This family comprehends the Butcher-birds and 

 the Bush Shrikes. 



