THE GREAT (iREY-SHRIKE 



as small f'ro^s. l>liml\\<>rms. li/anls. birds <>l mam spears, and tit-Id 

 mice. Like other shrikes, this specie! has two or three recognised 

 " larders," generally tliorn bushes, where it impales its prey, prin- 

 cipally, no doubt, for convenience in eating it In many cases small 

 birds are decapitated first and the head swallowed whole, but it has 

 been seen picking beetles to pieces by holding them in one foot, 

 resting on the other as well as on the tarsus of the engaged foot 

 During the spring it frequently takes young birds from the nest, 

 hunting partly by ear as well as by eye. A long list might be com- 

 piled of birds which it has been seen to attack and kill, principally 

 the smaller species, such as goldcrests, wrens, redbreasts, buntings, 

 tits, finches, larks, etc., but, according to Lord Lilford, it has also 

 been known to take the lesser spotted- wood pecker ; and occasionally, 

 when pressed by hunger, has boldly attacked blackbirds, thrushes, 

 and fieldfares, approaching from behind with a sudden swerve, and 

 despatching them with blows from its strong bill. 1 The indigestible 

 parts are thrown up in the form of pellets. 



The young are assiduously fed on a varied diet by both parents, 

 and remain with them for some weeks after they have flown. Mac- 

 pherson says that the old birds forage for them long after they are 

 able to fly, 2 and this is confirmed by Naumann, who states that the 

 young are fed when they are so large as to be almost indistinguish- 

 able from their parents. 



A characteristic which appears to have been first noted by Mejer 

 (Journal fitr Ornithologit, 1887, p. 205) is the fondness of this species 

 for bathing early in the morning. After the first dip, he retires to 

 MMne elevated spot, gives himself a good shake, and often returns 

 to his bath, afterwards resorting to some tree top, where he dries 

 his plumage in the morning sun. 



Taken from the nest, this shrike is readily tamed, and in Holland 

 plays a curious part in the capture of passage-hawks (Falco peregrinwi) 

 on their autumn migration across the great heath of Valkenswaard. 



> Cf. alao " Clarified Notes," p. 242. ' Zooloffiil, 1801, p. W. 



VOL. II. 2 L 



