ORDER PASSERES. 485 



destroys a number of pernicious insects, and never in the 

 slightest degree injures the harvests. According to Gmelin 

 and Latham, the Cinereous Shrike is found in North America. 

 The last mentioned writer declares it to be frequent at Hud- 

 son's Bay, where it breeds, making the nest half way up a 

 pine or juniper tree, in. April. It is called then Wapaw, 

 Whisky John, or White Whiskey John ; and Latham says, it is 

 also found as far south as Georgia, and known by the name of 

 big-headed mocking-bird. But M. Vieillot declares that this 

 is a different species from the Lanius Excubitor, and has deno- 

 minated it L. Borealis. His reason for this distinction is, 

 that the bird in question has the first remex rather shorter than 

 the fifth ; the second and third equal and the longest of all ; 

 while in the Cinereous Shrike the first and fifth are equal, and 

 the second longer than the third. Those found in the United 

 States, retire in spring into the dense forests, and build their 

 nests in the fork of a small tree, composing it of dried herbs 

 and white moss, with plenty of feathers within. The female 

 lays five or six eggs, of a dirty white, or pale ash-colour, marked 

 towards the large end with gray and red stripes. 



M. Vieillot states, that the shrike which most approaches 

 to the Lanius Excubitor in the New World is the Lanius Lu- 

 dovicianus described by Brisson under the name pie-gri^che de 

 la Louisiane. The first mentioned naturalist, however, consi- 

 ders this also as a distinct species, though exhibiting many re- 

 lations to Excubitor. It differs, however, in the deeper colour 

 of the upper part of the body, and in the beak, which is more 

 robust, and armed with a more decided tooth. The male also 

 has a black forehead. This species is numerous in the south- 

 ern parts of the United States, and travels in families during 

 the autumn. The Americans call it the butcher bird. It lays 

 five or six eggs spotted with brown. 



We have given a figure of Geoffray's Shrike. It is of tlie 

 size of a thrush, with a bill somewhat stout, straight, flat, and 

 hooked at the point, with a slight notch ; head crested, with 



Vol. VI. 2 K 



