THE NOKTHEKN SHRIKE 149 



tions of his head and body as if he would fain 

 arrest them by his murderous gaze. The birds did 

 not utter the cry or make the demonstration of 

 alarm they usually do on the appearance of a 

 hawk, but chirruped and called and flew about 

 in a half wondering, half bewildered manner. As 

 they flew farther along the line of trees the 

 shrike followed them as if bent on further cap- 

 tures. I then made my way around to see what the 

 shrike had caught, and what he had done with 

 his prey. As I approached the bushes I saw the 

 shrike hastening back. I read his intentions at 

 once. Seeing my movements, he had returned 

 for his game. But I was too quick for him, and 

 he got up out of the brush and flew away from 

 the locality. On some twigs in the thickest part 

 of the bushes I found his victim, — a goldfinch. 

 It was not impaled upon a thorn, but was care- 

 fully disposed upon some horizontal twigs, — 

 laid upon the shelf, so to speak. It was as warm 

 as in life, and its plumage was unruffled. On ex- 

 amining it I found a large bruise or break in the 

 skin on the back of the neck, at the base of the 

 skull. Here the bandit had no doubt gripped the 

 bird with his strong beak. The shrike's blood- 

 thirstiness was seen in the fact that he did not 

 stop to devour his prey, but went in quest of 

 more, as if opening a market of goldfinches. The 



