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Bird -Lore 



It made no attempt at flight, but hurried over the ground in a series of 

 fluttering runs and leaps, dodging and turning with great skill whenever 

 necessary to escape capture. On the first occasion, July ii, I was not 

 astonished that the young Shrike in its fright forgot its newly acquired 

 habit of locomotion; but on August 4, by pursuing the same tactics, I 

 was able to hold one of them in my hand again, though at that time the 

 young could not be distinguished from the adult birds when in flight. 



During the month in which the family were under observation they 

 remained within half a mile of the nesting place; finally, however, almost 

 forsaking it, save at night, in favor of another brush -heap about a fourth 



YOUNG LOCiGERHEAD SHRIKE 



of a mile to the south. Over the intervening fields of waving corn and 

 grassy meadow they reigned supreme ; and the grasshopper families within 

 those limits must have been woefully decimated, for such rapacious birds 

 were never before under my observation. 



Their usual cry was harsh and unmusical; but the song, though short 

 and broken, was soft and sweet and well worth hearing. One of the call- 

 notes was a short whistle, very human in its tone, and really musical. 

 When in play with each other among the branches, I often heard them 

 give utterance to a mewing note, remarkably like that of the Catbird. 



My last visit to these most interesting birds was on August 8, and on 

 August 10 they were gone. All search for them this summer has been 

 unavailing, and I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that their appear- 

 ance in this neighborhood was an accident, and not to be repeated. 



