292 



Insecurely placed, being partly turned over. This nest, con- 

 taining two lialf-fledged malvs. was composed almost entirely 

 of plant-flher and chicken feathers; a few small twigs only 

 being on the outside. It measure.'! inside of cavity four and 

 one-half inches wide and two and a halt inches in depth. 



"Erie, May 21, 1SS9. To-day Mr. Sennett and I found three 

 nests of Shrikes east of this city. They all were built in thorn 

 or wild crab apple trees along the roadside and were from 

 ten to twelve feet above the ground. One nest contained five 

 fresh eggs; parent bird sitting on nest. When I was securing 

 this nest and eggs the old birds tlew near me uttering sharp, 

 rasping cries. The eggs four, five or six. in number are white 

 spotted with light brown, purplish or oliv;; they measure 

 about .97 long by .72 of an inch wide. 



THEY SQUEAK LIKE MICE. 



"The notes of young Shrikes are not unlike the squeak of a 

 mouse. Indeed, my friend, Mr. Sennett, yesterday, when I was 

 killing the young we had captured, stepped on a strap, and 

 hearing the squeaky voices of the birds in my hand thought 

 at first that he had trod on a mouse. When taking the nests 

 which contained young the old Shrikes were quite bold, and 

 when the squeaky cries of their children were heard they flew 

 directly at my head, but on finding it Impossible to drive me 

 away by these attacks they alighted close by, and remained 

 silent witnesses to the despoliation of their treasures, which 

 were soon secured by me for the State Museum, and then 

 both the parent birds were shot." 



WHERE THEY WATCH FOR PREY. 



When feeding these birds repair to fence-rows or 

 hedgt'.^*, bnshes in fields and along the margins of 

 woods and thickets; they also frequent grass fields 

 and meadows and perch on fences, dead branches of 

 trees and bushes, or on tall weeds. From these com- 

 manding and elevated watching places they re.idily 

 discover grasshoi>pers, large ground inhabiting bee- 

 tles and small mammals which form the chief part of 

 their iiionii. Shrikes, like Ulaokbiids and Grows often 

 visit plowed grounds in t]uest o-f insects, mice, etc 



