18 



or cherry bird, as he is familiarly called, 

 and many charges are made against him 

 because of his fondness for fruit. 



The waxwing labors industriously 

 about our woods and orchards in pur- 

 suit of fruit-destroying insect pests. He 

 raises his young largely upon an insect 

 diet, but he is socialistic in his ideas and 

 considers that a division of labor should 

 be accompanied by a division of profits, 

 and not only does he think thus but 

 boldly acts up to it and takes his share 

 of the fruit, greatly to the consternation 

 of the horticulturist, who has been 

 watching the development of his crops 

 without giving any credit to his eccentric 

 little feathered co-operator. He abso- 

 lutely refuses to recognize the rights of 

 man before his own and believes (if ac- 

 tion is a criterion) that his own interests 

 are nowhere second. 



While the waxwing does devour a 

 large quantity of fruit, the majority of 

 it consists of wild varieties, and it does 

 not in any sense counteract the good 

 work done among insect pests. 



Whether or not to break the monot- 

 ony of discussion is the reason of the 



arrangement of the shrikes among two 

 insectivorous groups we need not argue, 

 but suffice to say that we certainly do not 

 think of accusing the shrike of being 

 either a grain or fruit eater. Nor can 

 our larger form, the northern shrike, be 

 considered i n - 

 sectivorous. He 

 is as " a wolf 

 in sheep's 

 clothing," being 

 a carnivorous 

 feeder in the 

 disguise of a 

 percher. He is 

 called the 

 butcher because 

 of his propen- 

 sity for killing 

 more than h e 

 needs for i m - 

 mediate use 

 and hanging it 

 up on a thorn 

 or a crotch till 

 wanted. 



He cannot be considered numerous, 

 and is rarely seen in bands of any num- 

 bers. He carries on considerable exe- 

 cution, no doubt, among small 

 birds, but the injury thus done is 

 offset by his equally persistent 

 search for and destruction of 

 mic j . Experiments show that he 

 will in the aviary take mice in 

 preference to birds. 



In the counteraction of a result 

 of man's officious interference 

 with nature's balance, he is an ef- 



Northern Shrike. 



Butcherbird. 

 (Lanius borealis.) 



Cedar Waxwing, or Cherry Bird. 

 (Ampelis cedrorum.) 



Loggerheaded Shrike. 

 (Lanius excubitorides.) 



fective agent, as he will be found 

 to be more numerous about the 

 cities and towns during the win- 

 ter months, where he carries on a 

 persistent persecution of that im- 

 ported and pestiferous house spar- 



