BLACK SHRIKE. 191 



a branch of a small cedar {Cedrela) that overhangs 

 the high-road at Cave, I had noticed early in 

 June what appeared to be a heap of straw, tossed 

 up by a fork and lodged there, which the action 

 of the weather had in some degree smoothed at 

 the top, the ends trailing downwards. One day, 

 however, as I was looking up at it, I saw the brown 

 female of this species emerge from the bottom, 

 and presently return, entering at a narrow hole 

 beneath. As it was not more than twelve or fifteen 

 feet from the ground, I immediately sent my lads 

 to climb the tree, and cut the branch, which they 

 accordingly brought me, with the huge nest at- 

 tached. The boys reported that it was empty, 

 and that it had four entrances ; but on examina- 

 tion, I found that every one of these was merely 

 a hollow in the immense walls, produced by the 

 receding of one part of the loose materials from 

 another. While^ they held it up in the position 

 it had occupied on the tree, I searched beneath 

 for the true entrance ; which, when I had found 

 it, I had much difficulty to find again, so concealed 

 was it by the long draggling ends of the mass. 

 On inserting my finger, however, I felt the soft 

 and warm plumage of young birds, and pulled 

 out three, almost fully fledged. All three had 

 the plumage of the female, but one was manifestly 

 darker than the others : if this was, as I presume, 

 a cock, the conclusion above, that the young male 

 bears the livery of the female, is confirmed. As I 

 did not want the young, I placed them on a lower 

 limb of a large tree in the yard ; and as, on the 



