196 SHRIKES. 



Falcons, respecting the treatment of their young. 

 The Falcon tribe invariably driving them off to 

 shift for themselves, as soon as they are full grown, 

 and capable of getting their own living. Whereas 

 the Shrikes, although cruel to a degree in their 

 general -habits, show a marked attachment, and of 

 long continuance, to their young ; and are, indeed, 

 in all respects, as far as concerns each other, the 

 most amiable birds imaginable. They never drive 

 them off, but live together on the best terms till 

 the following season, when they separate by the 

 instinctive laws of nature, each to procure its mate. 

 This, we are sorry to say, is the only redeeming 

 good quality we can point out in the character of 

 the Shrike genus; for in all other respects, their 

 whole lives seem to be spent in dealing out death 

 and terror to their fellows of the feathered creation. 

 A London bird-catcher, not long ago, caught one of 

 them (Lanius excubitorj) in his clap-net, in the act 

 of pouncing down upon a valuable decoy Linnet. 

 At first he thought himself fortunate in capturing 

 so rare and valuable a prize; but in a very short 

 time he was glad to get rid of it at any price, for 

 though it fed well on small birds and raw meat, and 

 seemed tolerably accustomed to confinement, the 

 moment it opened its mouth, and uttered its well- 

 known note, his whole collection of singing birds 

 were put to silence. All small birds, indeed, have 

 the strongest antipathy to the Shrike, either betray- 

 ing anger, or moaning, or expressing signs of fear 

 when it approaches their nests. They will also 

 mob, attack, and drive it away as they do the Owl, 

 as if they were well aware of its plundering pro- 



