132 laniid^e. 



the plumage yellow-green on the head and upper 

 parts of the body : the forehead and sides round the 

 eye, throat, breast, and belly, yellow : tips of the 

 wiug-coverts and lower belly white : outer tail-fea- 

 thers white on the outer web. 



FAMILY II— LANIID^E. 



Rostrum conicum, aut convexum, lateratim compression, dente 

 utrinque versus apicem, apice plus minusve adunca ; pedes tetra- 

 daclyli, tribus anticis, uno postico gracilo. 



Beak conic, or convex, laterally compressed, with a strong tooth 

 or notch on each side near the tip, the tip itself more or less 

 hooked ; feet fourtoed, with three toes before and one behind, 

 the last slender. 



The Laniidae are bold and courageous birds, but 

 many of them, on the other hand, are cruel and rapa- 

 cious : they attack all small birds, and defend them- 

 selves with great address against the larger, not fear- 

 ing Eagles and other birds of prey : especially when 

 they are tending their young, of which they are 

 remarkably tenacious : they lay five or six eggs, and 

 fly in small groups, inelegantly and with pecipita- 

 tion, uttering their piercing cry : the typical groups 

 feed upon birds, the rest upon insects. Many of the 

 species are celebrated for the dexterity with which 

 they impale insects or small birds upon thorns, or 

 force them into the clefts and chinks of trees and 

 rocks ; thence called Butcher, or murdering birds. 



