SHRIKES 391 



dignified presence. Though so reserved in bearing he is full of 

 vivacity and song, and will sometimes dart up in the air and come 

 down singing. 



His sallies often appear to be made for insects, being in regular 

 kingbird manner, and at times in southern California when tlie 

 brush is full of millers, the birds seem to be catchiug them. But 

 berries are their ordinary food, the mistletoe, pepper, and juniper 

 being prime favorites. 



In the breeding season in leaving the trees to go back to their 

 nesting grounds, they often rise obliquely for perhaps a hundred 

 feet and then fly on evenly straight to their destination, though 

 sometimes while flying level and high they change their course by 

 odd, sudden jerks. When near the nest the male often closes his 

 wings and shoots obliquely down with tilting tail. 



About the nest the birds have a variety of notes. The commonest, 

 which resembles the call of a young robin, is given by both male 

 and female, with a flash of the tail. The male has also a scold, a 

 meadowlark-like note, and a harsh alarm-call drawn out like ca-rack 

 or cn-rac-ark. His ordinary song, though with weak, squeaky 

 notes, has phrases of rich quality suggesting the o-ka-lee of the red- 

 wing ; and taken as a whole, jumbled notes, flutelike tones, musical 

 outbursts, and all, the song is most pleasing because of its vivacity 

 and brightness. 



The nests of the few individuals I have watched were built mainly 

 by the males, the females of a brush patch going ofif by themselves 

 while their lords worked at home. 



FAMILY LANIIDJE: SHRIKES. 



GENUS LANIUS. 



General Charnrtcrs. — Bill large and powerful, notched, toothed, and 

 hooked ; wing with ten j)riniaiie.s ; wing- and tail rounded ; feet large and 

 strong ; tai-sus distinctly scaled. 



KKY TO ADULTS. 



6J 



Fig. 48-J. 



1. Lores and na.sal tufts never wliolly black .... borealis. p. ;J'.»2. 

 r. Lores and nasal tufts always wliolly })lack. 



•J. Indtr parts pure wliite excubitorides. p. :;t>L'. 



li . I'ndei- parts dull white, grayish. <>r Itrownish. often finely harred with 

 grayish. 



3. Upper parts tinged with brownish ganibeli. }>. -VX). 



3'. Uppei- parts d.irk slate gray ailtlionyi. p. ;;ii;l. 



