THE PERCHING BIRDS. 75 



plaint against them, and as it is, this is quite unrea- 

 sonable, for small birds will kill each other rather 

 than be incommoded, and a state of perpetual war- 

 fare is only avoided because of lack of weapons and 

 strength. 



The ordinary utterances of the shrike are harsh 

 and thoroughly disagreeable, fitting with the general 

 character of the bird, but it has one faculty that 

 shows the bird has a pretty high degree of intelli- 

 gence, that of imitating the cries of birds in distress, 

 and when, responsive to this, a number are gathered 

 together, to choose a victim. This is a degree of 

 cunning that always excites my admiration. 



Sandwiched between the shrikes and the cedar- 

 bird and what a difference there is between them ! 

 is a far southwestern and Mexican bird to which Dr. 

 Coues has given the name of Crested Shining Black 

 White-winged Flysnapper. I saw this bird in July, 

 1890, near Bisbee, Arizona, and the brief glances 

 that I had made me think of the bird as one that 

 would be a great addition to any avifauna. It sang 

 with much effect, caught flies with admirable grace, 

 and looked so princely in its shining suit that I could 

 but wonder that it should be content to have wan- 

 dered into such a heaven-forsaken region. It is said 

 they feed "almost exclusively" on the mistletoe. 

 Well, the mistletoe was extraordinarily abundant, 

 and did the flysnapper only make believe to launch 

 out after insects ? 



Probably there is no more marked bird in the 

 United States than the well-known Waxwing, or, as 

 it is more generally known, the Cedar-bird. His 



