A Woodland Tkaokdy Si 



writhing Ixxly adds (<» tin.- ^toic in llic shrikes 

 lardiT. 



A '^iuhI placi' and tiiiu- to w.itili a hutclu'r-bird 

 at work is in a ciuict Ik-Id by a copse just alti-r the 

 inowiu}^. Hut you luust hide carefully. The short 

 l^rass is then tull ot beetles, ci ickets, aud j^rass- 

 hoppeiN, as well a^ ot uu\:c, shrews, aud li/ards, 

 who cau conceal themselves less easily than they 

 were wont to do in the Ion<^ hay before the cuttin;^. 

 At such times, hawks and owls make a luie liveli- 

 liood in the lieliN ; but their habit is to hunt their 

 ijuany on tlu- open. They hover and drop upon 

 it. 'Chat is not the butchei -bird's plan ; he is a 

 mole cautious and secret foe ; he sits casually on 

 hi>. branch or his telej^raph wire, with his head on 

 one side, till his prey stirs visibly ; then he pounces 

 on him from above, makinj4 a short excursion eacii 

 tuni-, and returmn^ to rest on his accustomed 

 position. When he catches a bird, and eats it at 

 »)nce, he begins by spittm^ it on a thorn : then he 

 attacks tlu' skull lir-^t, breakinj^ it throu^^h and 

 eatin^f the brain, which is his favoui ite tit-bit. 

 He also maki's i aids on the nests of othei birds, 

 aud carries olf the nestlings. 



if you open the crop of a butclu-r-bird, the con- 

 tents will show you that, in KiiLjland at least, its 

 main articles of diet consist of bees and tlies, hui 

 especially of beetles. it is full of their hard win)4- 

 cases. Now, ornithologists liavi" loni^ noticed that 

 the distribution of butcher-birds in the land is 

 very capricious ; in one district they will be fairly 

 numerous (thouj^h, at best, they are raie birds), 



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