562 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Tlie Shrikes have a peculiarity which is not shared by any 

 other predacious bird. When they have slain their prey, no 

 matter whether it be bird, beast, reptile, or insect, they take it to 

 some- thorn tree, and there impale it, pressing a long and sharp 

 thorn into the body, so as to hold it firmly. The Great Grey 

 Shrike will thus impale the smaller birds, frogs, field-mice, and 

 other creatures which are nearly as large as itself, and in some 

 instances it has been known to kill and impale the thrush. It 

 does not always employ thorns for this purpose, but will use 

 sharply-pointed splinters of wood, or even an iron spike if no 

 better instrument can be found. 



Why it should have recourse to such a singular mode of 

 holding its prey is quite a mystery. Some have said that the 

 digestive organs of the Shrike are incapable of dissolving 

 fresh meat, and that the bird is obliged to render its prey 

 semi-putrid by exposure before it can venture to make a meal. 

 But, as the Shrike frequently eats a little bird or insect as soon as 

 caught, this theory falls to the ground. 



Whatever theory may be right or wrong, the fact remains that 

 the Shrikes impale the creatures which they have killed, and 

 prefer to hang them near their nests. The Eed-backed Shrike 

 is not so formidable a foe to birds as its larger relative, but 

 makes insects its chief prey. The nest of this Shrike always 

 affords a curious sight, and as the bird is plentiful it may easily 

 be seen. 



There is not the least difficulty in finding a Shrike's nest, for 

 the owner really seems to use every means which can attract 

 attention. In the first place, it is a bird of insatiable curiosity. 

 It will follow, or rather precede, a human being for half an hour 

 at a time, keeping always some thirty or forty yards in front, 

 settling near the top of a hedge, and wagging its long tail up and 

 down as if to make itself more conspicuous. Last year I amused 

 myself by making a Shrike move up and down a long hedge for 

 a very long time, while I was insect-hunting among the flowers. 

 Whenever the Shrike begins to act in this manner, it may gene- 

 rally be presumed that a nest is at no great distance. 



Then, if perchance the careful observer should note these signs 

 and approach the spot where the nest is placed, the bird sets up 

 a hideous squall, just as if it intended to inform the searcher 

 that he was right at last. The alarm cry of the blackbird in quite 



