Shrike WESTERN BIRDS 



would not begrudge the mice but their habit of some- 

 times pursuing, and killing, small birds has given them 

 the name of Butcher-bird and a most unsavory repu- 

 tation. 



Because of this reputation the Biological Survey has 

 made an exhaustive study of their food habits. In 

 Bulletin No. 30 we are told that, like the Hawks and 

 Owls, these birds disgorge the hair and bones of vertebrae 

 eaten, which helps the investigators to diagnose their bill 

 of fare. Prof. Beal tells us that 83 per cent of the 

 Shrike's food is insects, 2 per cent spiders and a few 

 snails, vertebrates 12 per cent, the western bird eating 

 more insects than the eastern, this probably being due 

 to the fact that insects are found at all times of year in 

 the milder climate of the west. 



GENUS LANIUS: NORTHERN SHRIKE. 



Northern Shrike: Lanius borealis. 

 FAMILY— SHRIKES. 



The Northern Shrike is the largest of the family and 

 is a dweller in the far north, coming into the United 

 States only as a winter visitor, and being found on the 

 western coast to central California and south to Ari- 

 zona, New Mexico, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia. 



It is a handsome, showy bird about ten and one-half 

 inches long, the prevailing color being gray, with the 

 under parts whitish, generally finely barred with black; 

 the wings and tail are black with white patches, the 

 white on tail forming a semi-circle in flight; the forehead 

 is white and a line through the eye, black. 



This is the member of the family that does the most 

 harm among other birds and is mostly responsible for the 

 bad reputation of the tribe. In the east the Shrike 



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