260 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



not I am quite positive ever breed within our limits. It is found as a breeder in 

 in North America beyond the northern United States. The Shrike, or Butcher- 

 bird as it is usually called, which breeds here, and is common, especially in the 

 northwestern part of the commonwealth, is the Loggerhead, that in many instances 

 I have found is mistaken for borealis. The Northern' Shrike, although occurring 

 more or less regularly in all parts of the state in winter, is more numerous in the 

 northern tier of counties, and in the mountainous regions than elsewhere. In 

 Cameron, Potter, Elk and Susquehanna counties, this, the largest Butcher-bird H 

 rather plentiful winter visitor about orchards, fence-rows and fields is termed 

 by many " Little Gray Hawk." The name of Butcher-bird is given to the species 

 because of the curious habit they have of impaling their prey on thorns or sharp- 

 pointed twigs. They subsist mainly on large insects (beetles and grasshoppers), 

 and they likewise devour small birds particularly sparrows mice and other 

 small mammals. Butcher-birds are rather stout, heavy and hawk-like in appear- 

 ance. While it is true that they kill a good many small wild birds, and even 

 sometimes boldly attack cage-birds, they merit our protection as their dietary* is 

 mainly made up of noxious insects ; and the Northern Shrike, which devours more 

 small birds than the others, kills many mice as well as insects, and he also preys 

 considerably on English Sparrows. The bulky nest is generally builtin thorny trees 

 or bushes ; eggs four to seven, dull white, spotted with light brown, purplish or 

 olive. The eggs of ludovicianus measure .97 long by .72 wide, those of the variety 

 excubitorides are about the same size, and the eggs of borealis are a little over 1 inch 

 long by about wide. 



"Bill very powerful, strong, and much compressed, the tip abruptly hooked, 

 deeply notched, and with a prominent tooth behind the notch ; both mandibles dis- 

 tinctly notched, the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent 

 up. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, strongly scutellate. Primaries, ten ; 1st pri- 

 mary halt the 2d, or shorter. Wings short, rounded ; tail long and much graduated. 

 Sides of tarsi with the plates divided on the outside." Bill and feet bluish black; 

 eyes dark brown. Sexes are alike ; the bill is less than an inch long. In some con- 

 ditions of plumage it is impossible to distinguish the Loggerhead from the White- 

 rum ped. 



GENUS LANIUS LINNAEUS. 

 Lanius borealis VIEILL. 



Northern Shrike ; Great Northern Shrike ; Butcher-bird. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 96). 



Length about 10g inches ; extent about 14 ; tail about4 ; wing4| ; tarsus 1 ; above 

 pale bluish-gray, whitening on upper tail-coverts and scapulars, and some specimens 

 have upper parts faintly tinged with pale rusty ; below whitish (sometimes tinged 

 with pale brown), breast and sides "waved" with dusky or grayish lines ; lores and 

 a broad streak back of eye black ; wings and tail blackish ; the primaries are white 

 from base to about half their length ; nearly all tail feathers have white tips and 

 outer webs of lateral ones are white. 



Habitat. Northern North America, south in the winter to the middle portions ot 

 the United States (Washington, D. C., Kentucky, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, etc.). 



The Northern Shrike is more common in the upper than the lower 

 half of Pennsylvania, where it is as a winter resident from November to 

 April, frequenting briery thickets, thorn hedges and grassy fields near 



* In 1885 1 collected a dozen or fifteen Loggerhead Shrikes in Florida, and two of them were stained 

 about the lace, with what appeared to be juices of mulberries or other soft fruit ; possibly this species 

 feeds sometimes on berries, etc. 



