1 1 6 American Birds 



hardly be blamed for the sins of his ancestors, even though 

 his own parents had likely murdered a caged canary that 

 had lived not far away. He was the son of a murderer, 

 but by adoption into a respectable family who could tell 

 but that this fledgling might develop into a bird of good 

 qualities? We were of the opinion that a shrike had no 

 good qualities, that he was a butcher pure and simple, and 

 killed his own kind for the pure taste of blood and brains. 

 In fact, the first impression I ever got of a shrike or 

 butcher-bird was when I was called out to the back porch 

 and saw our tame canary lying headless in the bottom of 

 the cage. 



But even though the shrike is the enemy of the small 

 birds, they do not seem to realize that he is dangerous. I 

 have often seen birds pay no more attention to a shrike 

 than to a robin. Perhaps he does not attack the birds in 

 the open, where they can fly and dodge and get away. I 

 think the shrike likes caged birds best, those he can scare 

 and catch through the bars and tear to pieces as the victim 

 is held by the wires. 



The shrike is called the butcher-bird from its habit of 

 hanging its meat on a hook or in a crotch. He is much the 

 same size and form as the blue jay. He has a grayish 

 coat. I generally see him flying about the fields and occa- 

 sionally lighting in the stubble, where he picks up crickets, 

 grasshoppers, and mice. The habit of the shrike in impal- 

 ing its food on thorns or fastening it in crotches comes as 

 a necessity to the bird in tearing its food. It has a hooked 

 bill, but is not equipped like the hawks and owls with 

 talons to hold its food. Although this bird undoubtedly 

 kills some small songsters, we wanted to find out whether 



