560 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



planation. Undoubtedly the Shrike returns sometimes and eats some of 

 the food thus stored, but this is by no means its invariable custom. When 

 its prey is abundant it usually contents itself with eating the brain and 

 perhaps a part of the head, impaling the rest. If food is very scarce, or 

 perhaps for some other reason, it not infrequently attacks larger birds, 

 and the writer has seen it making vigorous efforts to capture Blue Jays 

 and Pine Grosbeaks, and there are many records of its flying against 

 windows in the effort to get a Canary Bird hanging just inside. 



The Northern Shrike is very commonly confounded with the Logger- 

 head and its varieties which, however, are not found in Michigan during 

 the winter, although the species may overlap each other a little in spring 

 and fall. In spite of the numerous "records" there is no reason whatever 

 to believe that the Northern Shrike has ever nested within our limits; on 

 the contrary it nests always in the far north and is seldom or never seen 

 within our boundaries between the first of May and the first of October. 

 Its nest is quite similar to that of the other shrikes, being very large for the 

 size of the bird, made of twigs (usually thorny), weed-stalks, grasses, 

 wool, hair, feathers, etc., and placed usually in a low, thick, thorny bush 

 where it is comparatively safe. It is deeply hollowed and the eggs are 

 four to seven, soiled white, spotted with brown, and average 1.05 by .76 

 inches. 



The ordinary call of the Northern Shrike is a rather harsh scream or 

 shriek, but, as observed repeatedly by competent observers, it has a veritable 

 though decidedly peculiar song on occasions. Bicknell describes one of 

 these songs as follows: "The song was a medley of varied and rather 

 disconnected articulation, an occasional low warble always being quickly 

 extinguished by harsh notes, even as the bird's gentle demeanor would 

 soon be interrupted by some deed of cruelty. It has been claimed that the 

 Butcher Bird attracts birds and small animals by imitating their cries, 

 thus making them its easy prey. It is true that notes similar to the scream- 

 ing of small birds and the squealing of mice are interspersed through its 

 song, but they are uttered without method and sometimes actually in 

 conjunction with the most harsh and startling sounds of which the bird is 

 capable" (Auk, Vol. I, 324-325). 



TECHNICAL DESCRITTTON. 



Adult in winter (sexes alike) : Upper parts clear ash-gray, bleached to white or whitish 

 on outer edges of scapulars, on upper tail-coverts, and along u]5per edge of the loral and 

 post-ocular black stripe; a white spot on the lower eye-lid; a broad streak under and behind 

 the eye deep black, as are also part of the nasal bristles, but the bristly feathers in the 

 middle, at the base of the culmen, are usually white or whitish, and the lores mixed black 

 and gray; under parts light grayish, or almost white on throat and belly, the breast and 

 sides thickly marked with fine wavy cross-lines of dusky; wings mainly black, most of the 

 primaries ])uie white at base, and most of the secondaries and tertiaries tipped with whitish; 

 middle tail-feathers entirely black, or with very narrow white tips, the remainder of the 

 tail-feathers broadly white-tipped; upper mandible blackish, the lower dusky at tip but 

 yellowish at base; feet black; iris brown. In summer the lores are said to be clear black, 

 and this is sometimes the case with winter specimens. 



Young of the year (and in first winter): Similar to adults, but lores gray; upper and 

 under parts strongly washed with brownish; wings, tail antl post-ocular stripe brownish 

 dusky or dull black; greater wing coverts usually edged and tipped with rusty or buff; 

 the under parts strongly and extensively cross-lined with brownish, only the chin and \w\]y 

 unmarked. 



Length 9.25 to 10.75 inches; wing 4.35 to 4.00; tail 4.50 to 4.70; culmen .70 to .SO. 



