BIRDS OF NEW YORK ' 36 1 



Island, N. Y., I saw a Butcher bird sitting on a telegraph pole. Thence 

 he flew about 40 rods high over the railroad shops, chasing a flock of about 

 5 English sparrows. He chased an individual about 100 feet high and 

 about 40 rods off, where he seemed to catch it, then flew and lit on the 

 topside prongs of the lightning rod which is about 140 feet high on the tall 

 chimney at the railroad shops, some 40 or 50 rods from where I was. I 

 started to go toward the lightning rod, but in about one minute saw the 

 Butcher bird descend from that direction and chase an English sparrow 

 through the air within about 6 rods of where I was. After rising about 

 20 or 30 feet above the sparrow and within some 50 feet of the latter, the 

 Butcher bird would rush for the sparrow, and after two or three such 

 quickly repeated unsuccessful passes, caught it in the air about 15 feet 

 from the ground and about 8 rods from me. The sparrow squealed as 

 soon as caught and they fluttered directly down to the ground together, 

 when the Butcher bird gave the sparrow two or three rips with his bill at 

 intervals of about 4 seconds, and then in about one- third of a minute flew 

 off past me with the sparrow in his claws. I then looked at the lightning 

 rod and saw something upon one of its top prongs, and upon going near 

 and examining it with a telescope found it to be a bird, seemingly a sparrow 

 newly killed and impaled head first upon one of the lightning rod prongs, 

 with its legs sticking out and toes expanded as if the bird had been stuck 

 alive upon the prong, which seemed to be about 4 or 5 inches long and about 

 one-fourth of an inch thick. Probably the Butcher bird had caught the 

 first sparrow high in the air and at once flew up to the top prongs of the 

 lightning rod and thereon impaled it, and then immediately flew down 

 and caught the second sparrow of the flock as described above." 



