158 LANIAD^E. 



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 re- 

 ference 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. Selby, 

 who has seen the Grey Shrike when alive in its wild state, 

 says, " its flight is interrupted, being performed by jerks ; 

 and when perched, the tail is kept in constant motion." 

 It has considerable power of voice, and sufficient flexibility 

 to enable it to imitate the notes of some of the smaller 

 birds ; and this power it is said to exercise as a decoy, the 

 more easily to obtain food by deceiving small birds. A 

 writer in the Naturalist, says, " My first acquaintance with 

 the Butcher Bird was occasioned by hearing notes not en- 

 tirely familiar to me, though much resembling those of the 

 Stonechat. Following the sound, I soon discovered the 

 utterer ; and while listening, to my surprise, the original 

 notes were discarded, and others adopted of a softer and 

 more melodious character, never, however, prolonged to 

 anything like a continuous song. Its grave ash-coloured 

 garb, with its peculiar black patch on the cheek, soon con- 

 vinced me that my unknown friend was the Butcher Bird." 



* L(inius t a butcher, lamo, to cut or tear in pieces. 



