422 SHRIKES 



tion; their proverbially gentle, refined ways make them seem superior 

 creatures of the air to whom he can but yield his affection. 



I shall never forget a pair that I once found by a clear mountain 

 lake. They were perched upon two evergreen spires that guarded a 

 silent bay, whose dark water was gilded by the lingering light of the 

 setting sun. FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY. 



1905. HERRICK, F. H., Home Life of Wild Birds, 36-38; 85-102. 1911. 

 SAUNDERS, A. A., Auk, XXVIII, 323-329 (nesting). 



56. FAMILY LANIID^E SHRIKES. (Fig. 68.) 



The number of species ascribed to this family by different authors 

 varies widely, few agreeing as to exactly what subfamilies should be 

 admitted. The true Shrikes, however, of the subfamily Laniince, num- 

 bering seventy-seven species, are a well-defined group, of which only 

 two occur in the New World. Their habits, in the main, conform to 

 those of our species. 



621. Lanius borealis Vieill NORTHERN SHRIKE. Ads. Upperparts 

 gray; wings and tail black; primaries white at the base, secondaries tipped 

 with white or grayish; outer, sometimes all, the tail-feathers tipped with 

 white, the outer feather mostly white; forehead whitish; lores grayish black; 

 ear-coverts black; underparts white, generally finely barred with black; bill 

 hooked and hawklike. Im. Similar, but entire plumage more or less 

 heavily barred or washed with grayish brown. L., 10*32; W., 4*55; T., 4'00: 

 B. from N. t '55. 



Range. N. N. Am. Breeds in the Hudsonian zone and locally in the 

 Canadian from NW. Alaska, n. Mackenzie, and n. Ungava to the 

 base of the Alaska Peninsula, cen. Sask., s. Ont., and s. Que.; winters s. to 

 cen. Calif., Ariz., N. M., Tex., Ky., and Va. 



Washington, rare and irregular W. V., Oct.-Feb. Ossining, tolerably 

 common W. V., Oct. 26-Apl. 17. Cambridge, common W. V., Nov. 1-Apl. 

 1. N. Ohio, not common W. V., Nov. 6-Apl. 3. Glen Ellyn, not common 

 W. V., Oct. 24.-June 5. SE. Minn., common W. V., Oct. 17-Mch. 28. 



Nest, of twigs, grasses, etc., in low trees or bushes. Eggs, similar in color 

 to those of L. ludovicianus, 1'05 x *76. Date, Ft. Anderson, Mack., June 11. 



This bird may be known at once by his colors gray, black, and 

 white, by the consternation his appearance causes among the Spar- 

 rows, and by his peculiar flight, which is steady and straightforward, 

 with much flapping, and close to the ground till he nears his intended 

 perch, which is reached at the last moment by a sudden upward 

 turn. 



He is so well known as a bird of hawklike, sanguinary character 

 that most students are astonished when they find out that toward 

 springtime he develops into a vocalist of no mean powers. Often in 

 the warm days of March he may be heard singing on the top of some 

 tall tree, a song that would do credit to a Catbird indeed, it recalls 

 strongly that loquacious songster. He is, I think, a better singer than 

 his southern cousin, but resembles him in habitually impaling his prey 

 on a thorn, a fence barb, or a forked twig. His food consists chiefly 



