80 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Constitution, attacks, &c. 



nivorous birds; though the slenderness of its 

 legs, and the formation of the toes, give it, in 

 some measure, the appearance of being a shade 

 between them and the granivorous. The upper 

 part of the body is of a reddish ash-colour, the 

 breast white, varied with a few dark-coloured 

 lines running across each other, and it has a black 

 line from the beak, parallel with the eyes. 



The constitution of the butcher-bird seems to 

 be perfectly congenial with its conformation, as 

 it lives as well upon flesh as upon insects, and 

 thus partakes, in some measure, of a double na- 

 ture; its appetite for flesh indeed is the most 

 prevalent, and it never takes up with the latter 

 when it can obtain the former ; it may therefore 

 be said to lead a life of continual combat and op- 

 position; as "from its size it does not much terrify 

 the smaller birds of the forest, so it very frequently 

 meets with those willing to try their strength, 

 and it never declines the engagement, even with 

 the pie, the crow, and the kestril, though each 

 of them is considerably bigger than itself. It 

 not only fights upon the defensive, but often 

 commences the attack, and always with advan- 

 tage, particularly when the male and female 

 "Unite to protect their young, and to drive away 

 the more powerful birds of rapine; they <lo not 

 then wait the approach of the invader; but the 

 instant they see him preparing for the assault at 

 ft distance, they sally forth, attack him with fury, 

 ud wound lu'ui so severely on every side, that 



