THE GRAT GREY SHRIKE. 63 



removed when eight or ten days old. It becomes so very familiar and affectionate that it will often 

 follow its owner about the house. I have known one raised from the nest kept by a gentleman afc 

 Natchez that frequently Hew out of the houses, poured forth its melodies, and returned at sight of its 

 keeper. But notwithstanding all the care and management bestowed upon the improvement of the 

 vocal powers of this bird in confinement, I iisver heard one in that state produce anything at all 

 approaching in melody to its own natural song. The male bird is easily distinguished in the nest as 

 soon as the brood is a little fledged, it being larger than the female and showing more pure white. It 

 does not shrink so deep in the nest as the female does at the sight of the hand which is about to lift 

 it. Good singing birds of this species often bring a high price. They are long-lived and very agree- 

 able companions. Their imitative powers are amazing, and they mimic with ease all their brethren of 

 the forests or of the waters, as well as many quadrupeds. I have heard it asserted that they possess, 

 the power of imitating the human voice, but have never met with an instance of the display of this 

 alleged faculty." 



THE TENTH FAMILY OF THRUSH-LIKE PERCHING-BIRDS. THE SHRIKES (Lani'uke). 



The Shrikes, or Butcher Birds, from their savage habits as well as from their strong hooked bills, 

 were placed by Linmeus and the old authors in close proximity to the birds of prey. They have all 

 very strong and powerful feet, and many of them capture living prey, such as small birds, mice, &c., 

 but as a rule they are insect-feeders. Representatives of the Shrikes are found in eveiy quarter of the 

 globe, excepting South America. The first group of the Shrikes to be noticed are the Aiisti'alian 

 Thickheads (Packycephala), which are distributed all over that continent, New Guinea, and the 

 Moluccas, and throughout Oceania. Mr. Gould states that " their habits differ from those of most 

 other insectivorous birds, particularly in their quiet mode of hopping about and traversing the 

 branches of trees in search of insects and their larvae. Caterpillars constitute a great portion of their 

 food, but Coleoptera and other insects are not rejected. The more gaily attired species resort to the 

 flowering Acacice, Eucalypti, and other stately trees, while the more dull-coloured frequent the ground. 

 They all build a neat, round, cup-shaped nest, and the eggs are generally four in number. Their 

 powers of flight are not great ; some enjoy a wide range of habitat, while others are extremely local. 

 The song of some is loud and rather pleasing, while others merely emit a whistling note, slowly but 

 frequently repeated." " The Grey-tailed Thickhead," according to the same anthor, " frequents the 

 vast forests of Eucalypti that cover the greater part of Tasmania, and, although it is rather thinly 

 dispersed, is to be met with in every variety of situation, the crowns of the hills and the deep and 

 most secluded gullies being alike visited by it. It frequently descends to the ground in search of 

 insects, but the leafy branches of the trees, particularly those of a low growth, are the situations to 

 which it gives the preference. The adult male, like most other birds of attractive plumage, is of a 

 shy disposition ; hence there is much more difficulty in obtaining a glimpse of that sex in the woods 

 than of the sombre-coloured and comparatively tame female, or even of the yoiing males of the year, 

 which during this period wear a similar kind of livery to that of the latter. The actions of this species 

 are somewhat peculiar, and unlike those of most other insectivorous birds ; it pries about the leafy 

 branches of the trees, and leaps from twig to twig in the most agile manner possible, making all 

 the while a most scrutinising search for insects, especially Coleoptera. When the male exposes 

 himself, as he occasionally does, on some bare twig, the rich yellow of his plumage, offering a strong 

 contrast to the green of the surrounding foliage, renders him a conspicuous and doubtless highly 

 attractive object to his sombre-coloured mate, who generally accompanies him. It sometimes resorts 

 to the gardens and shrubberies of the settlers, but much less frequently than might be supposed, when 

 we consider that the neighbouring forests are its natural place of abode. The Grey-tailed Thickhead! 

 utters a loud whistling call of a single note, several times repeated, by which its presence is often de- 

 tected. I was unsuccessful in my search for its nest, and the eggs are still desiderata to my collection."" 



The Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) is an occasional visitant to England, but has not 

 yet been known to breed in that country. The occurrences reported of its capture point to it as a 

 winter migrant only, and at this season of the year it was observed by the writer on more than one 

 occasion in Heligoland. It is one of the largest of the whole family of Shrikes, and is altogether a 



