A Wooni.AND Traoedy 



79 



b()ii}»hs above tlie moiildcriiij^ rcinuins of liis own 

 Nlaiij^literccl brother to await tlie insects that come 

 to devour Iiini. 

 Then lie darts 

 upon them witli 

 somethinj^ of 

 the fly -catcher's 

 eaj'erness, eatinj^ 

 them up at once, 

 or llyini; otf with 

 them ahve to im- 

 pale in his store- 

 house. 



In No. 4 we 

 see the female 

 butcher-bird, on 

 her return from 

 a successful chase 

 after prey of 

 j^reater import- 

 ance. She has 

 cau^^ht a liarvest- 

 mouse, the tini- 

 est and prettiest 

 of our Knj4- 

 lish mammals, 

 and thouj^h with- 

 out a license 

 to hani^ j^ame, 

 has threaded it 



throuj^h the neck on a branch of hawthorn, as 

 a preliminary to eating it. 'I'hi^ enables her to 



NO. 4. I IlK lU' KlIKR HIRPS WIKK 

 INM'AIINi; A IIAk\ I >l-\ltU-,K. 



