288 On the Ornithology of Wilts \_Laniad(t]. 



tliat one of these birds kept in confinement, would force the heads 

 of small birds, with which it was fed, through the wires of its cage, 

 and thus hang them up to be pulled to pieces, and devoured at 

 leisure: this we learn from Pennant, and the habit has been verified 

 by Yarrell, Doubleday, and several others. It always destroys its 

 victims, whether mouse, bird, reptile or insect,- by strangulation, 

 previous to affixing them to a thorn or stake, in the manner de- 

 scribed above. An ancient writer in a treatise on "Falconrie or 

 Hawkinge," considering this bird to be an inferior species of hawk, 

 accuses it of alluring its victims to destruction in the following 

 quaint passage ; " Her feeding is upon rattes, squirrells, and lisards, 

 and sometime upon certain birds she doth use to prey, whom she 

 doth entrappe and deceive by flight, for this is her devise. She 

 will stand at pearch upon some tree or poste, and there make an 

 exceeding lamentable cry and exclamation, such as birds are wonte 

 to doe, being wronged or in hazarde of mischiefe, and all to make 

 other fowles believe and thinke she is very much distressed, and 

 stands needfulle of ayde ; whereupon the credulous sellie birds do 

 flock together presently at her call and voice, at what time if any 

 happen to approach neare her, she out of hand ceazeth on them, 

 and devoureth them (ungrateful subtile fowle!) in requital of their 

 simplicity and pains. These hawks are of no account with us, but 

 poor simple fellows and peasants sometimes doe make them to the 

 fiste, and being reclaimed after their unskilful manners, doe have 

 them hooded, as falconers doe their other kinds of hawkes, whom 

 they make to greater purposes." I need hardly add that the writer 

 of the above, in mistaldng the shrike for a hawk, at the same time 

 very much over-rated its powers, and mistook its habits, for it is 

 notorious that so formidable an enemy does it prove to the songsters 

 of the grove, that no sooner is its voice heard, than every other 

 note is hushed, and concealment is the only order of the day. It 

 derives its scientific name "Excubitor," (sentinel) from the iise to 

 which it is put in Holland and Germany by the Falcon-catchers ; 

 who, taking advantage of its quickness in perceiving a hawk at a 

 distance, and its alarm and loud screams thereon, make it a valuable 

 assistant in their calling. The provincial name of "murdering 



