430 Birds of Colorado 



the secondaries white ; the tail with increasing amounts of white from 

 the central feathers outwards ; the outermost pair wholly white, except 

 for a small spot on the shaft towards its base ; below white without 

 freckhng or vermiculation ; iris brown, bill black in sxinimer, dusky- 

 horn in winter, legs black. Length 8-25 ; wmg 3-90 ; tail 3-90 ; culmen 

 •55 ; tarsus 1-0. 



The sexes are aUke ; young birds have the upper-parts finely verini- 

 culated with dusky and the lower -parts also finely barred with dusky 

 on a browTiish ground. 



Distribution. — Breeding in western North America from Saskatche- 

 wan to south-eastern CaUfornia, northern Mexico and western Texas. 

 In winter over the southern part of its breeding range, and further 

 south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 



The White-rumped Shrike is a common summer bird in Colorado, 

 chiefly met with on the plains and at lower elevations and becoming 

 rare in the mountains. The highest recorded locaUties seem to be 

 those of Warren (08), who met with it between Sulphur Springs and 

 Grand Lake in Middle Park on May 11th, and who tells me he occasion- 

 ally met with it at Crested Butte at 9,000 feet, but always in the fall. 

 It arrives from the south early in April (April 5th Aiken for El Paso 

 CO., April 9th — 14th W. G. Smith for Loveland), and may winter 

 occasionally in the southern part of the State. The following are 

 further recorded locahties : Boulder co. (Henderson), Denver 

 (Henshaw), Limon, Pueblo and Del Norte (Aiken), Baca co. (Warren), 

 Mesa CO., wintering near Grand Junction (Rockwell), San Juan co. 

 (Drew), La Plata co. (Morrison). 



Habits — ^The White-rumped Shrike preys chiefly on 

 grasshoppers and other large insects, of which it must 

 consume enormous quantities, less commonly on smaller 

 birds and mice. It impales its prey on thorns, and 

 frequently makes use of the barbs of barbed w^ire fencing 

 for this purpose, though the reason for this practice 

 seems uncertain. It catches its })Tey darting down on 

 it from a fixed post, or sometimes hovering above it like 

 a Hawk. It has a variety of call-notes and a not un- 

 pleasing song. It breeds in May, and fresh eggs are to 

 be found at any time during the latter half of the month, 

 or even the beginning of June. It seems probable that 

 in the plains at least two broods are raised. Dennis 

 Gale's notes give ample details on the nidification of 



