148 NATUEAL HISTOEr. 



gi"oup to which they properly belong. The Shrikes, or 

 Butcher-birds, are the typical family of the Dentirostral 

 group, having the tooth-like projection very prominent, 

 as seen in Fig. 117. They may be styled the Raveners 

 of the order of Perchers. In their habits they resemble 

 the Raptorial birds. They sit motionless on their perch 

 watching for their prey, which consists of small birds, 

 quadrupeds, and reptUes, and the larger insects, such as 

 grasshoppers. It is by a sudden darting movement that 

 they take their prey. Many of them have the curious 

 habit of impaling their victims upon thorns, showing how 

 appropriate is their name ; and they sometimes do this to 

 so many more than they need for themselves, that some 

 are left to dry and decay in this position. J/MrrNuttal 

 ' says of the American Shrike that it has great powers of 

 imitation, which it uses sometimes to decoy other birds 

 into a near approach, so that it may make them its vic- 

 tims. Its murderous propensity is very strong. One 

 of them, it is related by Mr. J. Brown, of Cambridge, at- 

 tacked a cage in a window containing two Canaries. In 

 its fright one of the little birds put its head through the 

 bars, which was snapped off by the Butcher-bird, leaving 

 the dead body in the bottom of the cage. The next day, 

 when the cage was in the room, this bold murderer en- 

 tered for another attack, but was driven off. 



246. The family of Warblers consists of small birds 

 having rather long and slender bills, with the tip slight- 

 ly curved and notched. It contains a large proportion 

 of those species which are most remarkable for their 

 powers of song. Among them are the Bluebird and 

 Chickadee of this country, and the Nightingale of Eu- 

 rope. Of this last Izaak Walton thus quaintly speaks : 

 "But the Nightingale, another of my airy creatures, 

 breathes such sweet, loud music out of her instrumental 

 throat, that it might make mankind to think that mira- 

 cles are not ceased. He that at midnight, when the very 

 laborer sleeps securely, should hear, as I have very often, 



