SHRIKES. 261 



SHRIKES (Lanius). 



Though these birds have the general characters of the order, 

 they feed much upon insects, their feathers are soft, their 

 voices have some music, though little melody, and their feet 

 are formed like the rest of the order; but their bills are larger 

 and stronger, have the tip of the upper mandible decidedly 

 hooked, and that of the lower one fitting a deep notch in the 

 upper ; the general opening of the bill slightly curved, the 

 margins of the mandibles strong, and shutting very close, 

 and the whole bill so much compressed laterally, as to have 

 great strength in proportion to its quantity of matter. The 

 sharp points of the mandibles and the notch enable the bill 

 to pinch much more strongly than that of any of the other 

 insectivorous birds ; and they use the bill for killing smaller 

 birds, which is so much " their vocation," that they have got 

 the name of "butcher birds," as they slaughter many, and 

 hang the carcases, or parts of them, on the hedges, as if ex- 

 posing them to other birds. This is, in fact, their object; for 

 as there are many little birds that will peck at dead birds or 

 beetles, which they do not attack when alive, the shrikes lite- 

 rally track the hedges, and watch on an elevated twig, or fly 

 along a little higher than the bushes, and if they observe a 

 little bird below them they drop down, bear it to the ground, 

 and, seizing the neck between the close-shutting margins of 

 their beak, strangle it in a moment. When they hunt on the 

 wing, they capture by surprise rather than speed, and the cry 

 which they utter seems to distract the attention of those birds 

 on which they prey. The smaller graminivorous birds are their 

 chief feathered prey ; but they also feed on mice. The mar- 

 gins of woods are favourite places of resort for shrikes ; and 

 they are so courageous, that they drive off crows and magpies, 

 and some of the smaller hawks. The small birds crowd angrily 

 about them, and attempt to beat them with their wings. 



