GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 167 



thorn, the more readily to pull off small pieces from it. 

 It is from this habit of killing and hanging up their 

 meat, which is observed also in other Shrikes, that they 

 have been generally called Butcher Birds.* Part of a 

 letter from my friend Mr. Henry Doubleday of Epping, 

 in reference to the Grey Shrike, is as follows : " An old 

 bird of this species, taken near Norwich in October 1835, 

 lived in my possession twelve months. It became very 

 tame, and would readily take its food from my hands. 

 When a bird was given it, it invariably broke the skull, 

 and generally ate the head first. It sometimes held the 

 bird in its claws, and pulled it to pieces in the manner 

 of Hawks, but seemed to prefer forcing part of it 

 through the wires, then pulling at it. It always hung 

 what it could not eat up on the sides of the cage. It 

 would often eat three small birds in a day. In the spring 

 it was very noisy, one of its notes a little resembling the 

 cry of the Kestrel." 



Mr. Blackwall has recorded of this species that a " bird- 

 catcher following his occupation at Gorton, near Man- 

 chester, and having arranged the cage containing his call- 

 bird, and placed his twigs well smeared with birdlime in 

 the manner best adapted to attain his object, he patiently 

 waited the result. A Grey Shrike flew to the cage, most 

 likely for the purpose of devouring the decoy-bird, and 

 perching upon the limed twig attached to its summit 

 became entangled in the viscid material which covered it. 

 The frightened Shrike made vigorous efforts to disengage 

 itself from the unpleasant situation in which it was placed, 

 but without avail ; its struggles only tended to involve it 

 more completely in the tenacious toils with which it was 

 encumbered. At length it was secured and placed in a 

 dark cage with the Redpoles which had been previously 

 * Lanius, a butcher ; lanio, to cut or tear in pieces. 



