Birds of the Hedgerow 



often have to fly to the nearest copse, where 

 there are usually plenty of Pheasants' feathers, 

 and the number of their journeys may be 

 imagined when we hear that Gould counted no 

 less than 2000 feathers in the lining of a single 

 nest ! 



Perhaps more exclusively a bird of the hedgerow 

 than any yet mentioned is the Red-Backed Shrike, 

 commonly known as the Butcher Bird, owing to 

 its curious habit of impaling large-bodied insects 

 and even small birds on thorns close by its nest. 

 While its hooked beak, with a prominent notch or 

 tooth, gives it the appearance of a small Falconet, 

 its habits remind one of the Flycatcher. It un- 

 doubtedly has its favourite perches, from which it 

 descends on some beetle or mouse, and to which 

 it returns after a capture. Consequently, it is 

 frequently seen on telegraph wires, especially if 

 there happen to be a thorn hedge in the neigh- 

 bourhood, which fulfils all the requirements for 

 both nest and " larder." The male is an exceed- 

 ingly handsome bird. The head is grey, with a 

 black stripe running from the base of the beak, 

 through the eyes, as far the ear-coverts. The 

 back is bright reddish brown, giving place to 

 reddish grey above the tail. The under parts 

 have a rosy tinge. Everything combines to make 

 him a striking object as he sits on the outside of a 

 hedge, but the female is by no means so con- 

 spicuous. The grey on the head is duller and 

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