OF NEW ENGLAND. 151 



bees, large beetles, particularly those called by the boys gold- 

 smiths, seem his favorite game. I have taken four of these 

 large beetles from the stomach of a Purple Martin, each of 

 ■which seemed entire and even unbruised." 



"The flight of the Purple Martin unites in it all the swift- 

 ness, ease, rapidity of turning and gracefulness of motion of 

 its tribe. Like the Swift of Europe, he sails much with little 

 action of the wings. * * *." 



(d). "His usual note peuo peno 2)euo, is loud and musical; 

 but it is frequently succeeded by others more low and guttural." 

 To the above extract I have nothing of interest to add. 



§ 13. The VireonidSB, or vireos (sometimes called "green- 

 lets" ), possess the following features in common with the Lani' 

 idee, or shrikes (§ 14), at least with our subfamily, Laniince,. 



Bill rather short and stout, distinctly notched and hooked, 

 also well furnished with bristles ; tarsus scutellate ; primaries 

 ten, but with the first in the Vireonidce often spurious, or 

 seemingly absent. (Fig. 6.) 



The Laniidce differ distinctly in being more than seven inches 

 long, in having the " sides of the tarsi scutellate behind," and 

 in having long, rounded tails. The bill, moreover, is large 

 and stout (not so broad as high, and scarcely twice as long), 

 while the feet are comparatively weak. The shrikes might 

 well be called "raptorial passeres," being notorious for their 

 boldness and mode of slaughter among others birds, etc. They 

 are unsocial and unmusical, though perhaps mimics. Like the 

 vireos, normally they are never seen on the ground, but they 

 possess a much stronger flight than their small relatives. They 

 build rather bulky nests in the woods, and lay eggs, rather 

 coarsely marked, and never ( ?) with a pure white ground. The 

 Butcher-bird is a type (fig, 7). The vireos, on the other hand, 

 are small, insectivorous birds, allied in habits to many of the 

 warblers. ' They frequent, for the most part, woodland, and 

 are rarely if ever seen upon the ground. They usually flutter 

 among the branches in search of their prey, though they occa- 

 sionally snap it up in passing from tree to tree. They are 



