102 GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE. 



perching, moaned out its melancholy notes, with many lively gesticula- 

 tions, not at all accordant with the pitiful tone of its ditty, which 

 reminded one of the shivering meanings of a half-frozen puppy. 



This species is found generally over the United States, and is not 

 migratory. 



The Red Owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-one inches 

 in extent ; general color of the plumage above, a bright nut brown or 

 tawny red ; the shafts black ; exterior edges of the outer row of scapu- 

 lars white ; bastard wing, the five first primaries and three or four of 

 the first greater coverts, also spotted with white; whole wing quills 

 spotted with dusky on their exterior webs ; tail rounded, transversely 

 barred with dusky and pale brown; chin, breast, and sides, bright red- 

 dish brown, streaked laterally with black, intermixed with white ; belly 

 and vent white, spotted with bright brown ; legs covered to the claws 

 with pale brown hairy down ; extremities of the toes and claws pale 

 bluish, ending in black ; bill a pale bluish horn color ; eyes vivid yel- 

 low ; inner angles of the eyes, eyebrows, and space surrounding the 

 bill, whitish ; rest of the face nut brown ; head horned or eared, each 

 consisting of nine or ten feathers, of a tawny red, shafted with black. 



ORDER II. PIC^. PIES. 



Genus 4. LANIUS. SHRIKE. 



Species I. LANIUS EXCUBITORf* 



GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE, or BUTCHER-BIRD. 



[Plate V. Fig. 1.] 



La Pie-grihche grise, Buff, i., 296. PL enl. 445.— White Whisky-John, Phil. Trans. 

 Lxii., p. 386. — Arct. Zool. ii., No. 127. 



The form and countenance of this bird bespeak him full of courage 

 and energy ; and his true character does not belie his appearance, for 

 he possesses these qualities in a very eminent degree. He is represented 

 in the plate rather less than his true size ; but in just proportion ; and 

 with a fidelity that will enable the European naturalist to determine, 

 whether this be really the same with the great Cinereous Shrike {Lanius 

 excuhitor, Linn.), of the eastern continent or not ; though the progressive 

 variableness of the plumage, passing, according to age, and sometimes to 



Lanius septentrionalis, Gmel. 



