136 BULLETIN 197, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



scribed under the California shrike. The measurements of 50 eggs of 

 this southeastern race, in the United States National Museum, average 

 24.2 by 18.7 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 

 25.9 by 18.3, 23.6 by 19.9, 22.3 by 18.7, and 23.4 by 17.8 millimeters.] 



Flumages. — [Author's note : The sequence of molts and plumages 

 is the same as for the migrant shrike, to which the reader is referred.] 



Food. — The local name of the loggerhead in many localities, i. e.,' 

 butcherbird, is indicative of the popular opinion of its food habits. 

 However, popular opinion in this case, as in so many others, is often 

 erroneous in its conclusions. The basis for the rather generally held 

 belief that the species is injurious lies in the undoubted fact that it 

 sometimes does take small birds. This habit, however, is not widely 

 or even generally indulged and is much more the exception than the 

 rule. The condemnation of the bird for it, therefore, is again remi- 

 niscent of the treatment meted out to the birds of prey, so widespread 

 and detrimental to that gi'oup. 



In certain respects the loggerhead exhibits predatory habits, and 

 if such a combination can be visualized it might be said to be a passerine 

 raptor ! Not possessing talons with which to grip prey while feeding, 

 it resorts to the well-known and thoroughly characteristic trait of im- 

 paling its victims upon thorns, barbed wire, or other sharp projections ; 

 hence the local name butcherbird. 



Naturally, what birds are taken are small ones. Little of definite 

 information appears in the literature regarding specific varieties, but 

 there is much generalization. Sparrows and warblers appear to make 

 up the bulk of small-bird prey. The writer has seen myrtle warblers 

 {Dendroica coronata) victimized on at least two occasions, and English 

 sparrows {Passer domesticus) are fairly often taken in cities and 

 towns, probably because of the ease with which they are secured. 



Wright and Harper (1913) relate that they saw a loggerhead chas- 

 ing a red-cockaded woodpecker {Dryohates horcaUs) in the Okefeno- 

 kee Swamp in southeastern Georgia and found the remains of one 

 young and one adult bluebird {Sialia sialis) on a stump, also the work 

 of the shrike. Pearson and the Brimleys (1942) record the finding 

 of the dried body of a myrtle Avarbler on a thorn by C. S. Brimlcy and 

 a similarly treated chipping sparrow {Sjnzella passenna) by Pearson. 

 The brains of the sparrow had been eaten from a cavity in the back of 

 the skull. Observations by F. H. Craighill are quoted by these au- 

 thors to the effect that he has seen "young birds" hanging in small 

 plum trees but apparently no identification was made of the young. 

 Craighill is further quoted as saying : "Last week I saw a shrike pur- 

 suing a small bird with evident felonious intent. I had never before 

 seen that here [Rocky Mount, N. C] except when tliere w^as snow on 

 the ground and shrike food was scarce." Again, there is no identifica- 

 tion of the "small bird." 



