76 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND— No. 9. 



SHRIKES. 



General Remarks on the order Inbessores — The Great Xorth- 

 ern Shrike, or Butcher Bird — American Gray Shrike. 



In our brief notice of the birds of New Eng- 

 land, we now arrive at the second order of the 

 class Aves or Birds, the Insehsorks, or Perchini/ 

 Birds, at once the most numerous and interest- 

 ing, the birds belonging to it nearly equalling the 

 numbers of all the other orders collectively ; and 

 among such a multitude we may well look for a 

 considerable diversity of forms and modiKcations 

 of structure, with a corresponding difference in 

 habits and dispositions, suited to the exigencies 

 of the different tribes ; yet a few general charac- 

 teristics prevail throughout the order ; and though 

 species may be found in it differing widely in 

 structure and habits, the connection between 

 them is so finely graduated by the intervening 

 forms that no break is observed in the great nat- 

 ural chain, but on the other hand, it is often dif- 

 ficult for systematists to define the limits of their 

 different groups. The most prominent character- 

 istic of the order is the power of grasping with 

 the feet, or perching, as the name of the order 

 indicates, which is possessed by all its members ; 

 the power of flight is also possessed by all in a 

 perfect degree, and in many groups is highly de- 

 veloped ; and from its possessing in general the 

 greatest united perfections of the properties of a 

 bird, it has been taken as the typical order of the 

 class. Although the great part of the birds of this 

 order are of small size, yet they are the most ef- 

 ficient in ministering to the pleasures of man, by 

 their lively presence, animating our fields and 

 forests with enlivening song, gaiety of colors and 

 sprightliness of action, holding in check the myr- 

 iads of devastating insects that would otherwise 

 desolate our fields and render futile our labors. 

 It is true that a few species are considered nox- 

 ious at certain seasons, from their preying some- 

 what upon our fruits, and sprouting or immature 

 grain, but these annoyances can generally be 

 avoided, by proper precautions, the same birds 

 making ample remuneration at other seasons for 

 the little injury they may do. All the true song 

 birds are embraced in this order. 



In characterizing the Insessores, Cuvier ob- 

 serves : "They have neither the violence of the 

 Birds of Prey, nor the fixed regimen of the Poul- 

 try and Water-fowl ; insects, fruit and grain con- 

 stitute their chief food, which consists more ex- 

 clusively of grain, as the beak is stouter and 

 stronger, and of insects, as it is more slender. 

 Those in which it is strong even pursue other 

 Birds." For greater convenience naturalists have 

 divided this extensive order into five tribes, or 

 sub-orders, basing their division upon natural 

 characteristics, generally upon the form of the 

 bill. The first sub-order is that of the Dentiuos- 

 TRES or tonth-billed birds, in which the bill is 

 more or less notched towards the point, embracing 

 the Shrikes, Flycatchers, Tlirnshes, Tanagr.rs, 

 Warblers, &c.; in short, a large part of the in- 

 sectivorous birds, though many also feed consid- 

 erably upon soft fruits. The other divisions are, 

 the Canirostres, or cane-billed birds, embracing 

 the Crows, Starlings, Finches, &c.; the ScAN- 

 80RES, or climbing birds, including the Parrots, 



Woodpeckers, Wrens, Creepers, Nuthatches, Cuck- 

 oos, Szc. ; the Tenuirostres, or slender-billed 

 birds, embracing the Huniming-Birds, Sun Birds, 

 Honey Suckers, the gorgeous Birds of Paradise, 

 &c.; and the FissiROSTRES, or cleft-billed birds, 

 this name from their wide mouth, containing the 

 Kingjisher, Night Jars, Swallows, &c. 



Systematists differ considerably in their views 

 in regard to the importance, magnitude and rela- 

 tions of the different groups; the ingenious ar- 

 rangement of Mr. William Swainsox, a well- 

 known and erudite naturalist, seeming as well 

 based in nature as any, will be chiefly followed in 

 these sketches, particularly in this order ; but space 

 does not allow, nor necessity require, at this time, 

 an extended discussion of its principles. The 

 Dentirostres are divided by this gentleman into 

 five families ; the Shrikes (Laniadce) the Thrushes 

 {MerididcB,) the Warblers {Sylriadce,) the Chat- 

 terers, or (more properly) the Fruit-eaters {Am- 

 pelidce,) and the true Fiycatcher (iMuscicapidce.) 

 Each of these families are also divided into five les- 

 ser groups or sub-fannlies, a large portion of 

 which are unrepresented in our fauna. Of the first 

 family, Laniadce, we find representatives of two 

 of its groups ; the Lania7iai, true shrikes, and the 

 Tyrannince, embracing our Flycatchers ; the true 

 Flycatcher (Muscicapa) as restricted by Cuvier, 

 Swainson and others, being confined to the east- 

 ern continent, though ia the system of Linnajus, 

 the American Flycatchers range in the genus 

 Muscicapa of that renowned naturalist. 



It is everywhere observable in nature, that the 

 transition fi-om one class of animals to another is 

 by minute and beautiful gradations ; thus in the 

 Laniadie we meet with birds possessing the in- 

 trepid spirit and predacious habits, inasmuch as 

 they subsist upon living prey, of the rapacious 

 birds ; and in the true Shrikes the bill is strongly 

 toothed, as in many of the birds of prey, and they 

 feed more or less upon living birds. The Shrikes 

 are found generally in limited numbers, in all 

 parts of the world, but they more particularly 

 abound in Africa and the warmer parts of Asia ; 

 North America possesses but five species, and 

 only two are found in New England, but one 

 of which can be mentioned as a regular visitant. 

 Nearly all the species are noted for their cruelty 

 and tyrannical disposition, some foreign species, 

 as the Lanius collaris of South Africa, which has 

 become proverbial for its cruelty, pouncing at 

 every opportunity upon small birds, locusts and 

 other large insects, immediately impaling its vic- 

 tim on a thorn, leaving it to dry in the warm and 

 arid atmosphere ; tluis pursuing its murderous 

 career throughout the day, apparently from a love 

 of mischief rather than a desire for food. From 

 their cruelty, the Shrikes have, by some natural- 

 ists, been classed with the rapacious Falcons. 



The species most common to New England is 

 the noted BuTCUER Bird, or Great Northern 

 Shrike, {Lanius boreal is, Vieill.,) which regular- 

 ly descends to us from Canada and more northern 

 regions in the latter part of autumn, migrating as 

 far southward as Virginia on the sea-coast, and 

 Natchez on the Mississippi, in the interior, a few 

 remaining with us throughout the winter. On the 

 return of spring they retire to the north to breed, 

 or to the mountainous parts of the Middle and 

 Eastern States, frequenting, at this season the 

 deepest forests, where they construct a large, firm 



