146 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



and firm. Perhaps the butcher mother chooses 

 this sage to keep the mites from invading the 

 nest. You know, our birds must have a serious 

 time with the mites at nesting seasons. If the 

 swallows and phoebes and linnets who raise their 

 broods two or three times in the same nest would 

 learn a lesson from the butcher-bird they would 

 do well. A few pieces of wild sage or pennyroyal 

 woven in with the grass or mud would be a pro- 

 tection. 



The eggs of the butcher are usually six, grayish 

 brown with darker markings. By this number of 

 eggs you might conclude that butchers are very 

 numerous in the West. But the truth is, they are 

 not often seen. Never in flocks! They are soli- 

 tary birds, always "keeping still" on the watch, 

 like a cat at a mouse-hole. 



Of course, the shrikes are not common in our 

 garden, for the reason, we suppose, that the food 

 we provide for the other birds is not to Butchy's 

 liking. We seldom see a shrike in our grounds. 

 But we have tracked him! We found a little 

 mocker impaled on a cactus leaf, the thorn 

 stuck straight through the skull, at the base of 

 the brain. However, as we started out with say- 

 ing, we have a warm place in our hearts for 

 Butchy. He is n't so bad as he might be! 



