HOW THE SHRIKE HUNTS. 



243 



bird. And though very often the shrike hangs up its prey 

 by driving a sharp thorn through its neck, the bird must be 

 dead before this is done, because the shrike has neither the 



strength nor the sharp claws needed 

 to carry a struggling and frantic 

 bird from a quarter to half as heavy 

 as himself. It is his custom either 

 to peck his victim on the head, or 

 to throttle it by pinching its throat, 

 but not to torture it. Hanging it 

 up is a mere matter 

 of convenience, and 

 shows that the shrike 

 has forethought for 

 the rainy day that is 

 coming, when dinner 

 will not be so easily obtained. If 

 any young observer finds where the 

 shrike has left his meat, he should 

 leave it and watch it occasionally, 

 to see whether the bird ever comes 

 back for it. 



Since the shrike has a bad name, 

 let us see what harm it does. In 

 winter the great northern shrike has 

 a very limited bill of fare. A few 

 chickadees, nuthatches, downy wood- 

 peckers, red -polls, crossbills, pine 

 linnets, snow buntings, and tree-spar- 

 rows, with possibly, now and then, 

 a pine grosbeak are all the birds, 

 except the English sparrow, small enough for him to master, 



FIG. 51. SPARROW HUNG UP 

 BY SHRIKE. 



