PERCHERS. 



91 



upon the wing, skimming over fields and ponds, catch- 

 ing small insects, whicli constitute their food. One 

 kind builds its nest upon the rafters in the barn, and 

 is called the Barn Swallow ; another builds its nest 

 under the eaves, and is called the Eave Swallow ; 

 another under cliffs, and is called the Cliff Swallow ; 

 another digs a hole in a sandbank for its nest, and is 

 called the I^ank Swallow ; and the Purple Martin comes 

 and makes its nest in the martin houses placed for it 

 near our dwellings. Some persons suppose that these 

 birds, requiring air and sunshine as much as we do, 

 spend the winter in the mud at the bottom of ponds. 



Shrikes and Vireos. 



The Shrike, or Butcher Bird, is about as large as a 

 Robin, of a bluish color, with black wings and tail. 

 Although belonging to the song-birds, it is a hawk in 



Shrike, or Butcher Bird. 



its disposition, preying upon sparrows, warblers, and 

 other small birds, as \\'ell as upon insects. It often 

 imitates the cries of other birds, perhaps to call them 

 from the trees and bushes, that it may get a chance 

 to seize one of their number. It is called Butcher 

 Bird from its habit of impaling or hanging up its prey 



