270 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



bearing trees. The birds are great gourmands and often 

 gorge themselves to such an extent that they are unable to fly. 

 They move in compact flocks with a rather swift and some- 

 what undulatory flight. 



Food habits. — The cedar-bird feeds to a considerable extent 

 on fruit, both wild and cultivated, and its fondness for cher- 

 ries has gained for it in the North the name of "cherry bird." 

 Examination of 152 stomachs, however, showed that 74 per 

 cent of the food consisted of wild fruit and only 13 per cent 

 of cultivated fruit, while cherries were found in only 9 of 41 

 stomachs taken in June and July. The bird is said to be par- 

 ticularly fond of raspberries, blueberries, serviceberries, and 

 buffalo berries and relishes all kinds of wild cherries. Bar- 

 rows says: 



On the other hand we have no bird which is more valuable to 

 the horticulturist as an insect eater, for it not only eats insects 

 freely and at all seasons when they are obtainable, but it seems 

 to be partial to the farmer and fruit grrower. Thus it eats cater- 

 pillars of many kinds and sometimes almost confines itself to a 

 diet of canker worms when they are unusually abundant.t 



During its stay in the South this species feeds to a large 

 extent on cedar berries and hackberries. It takes, also, the 

 berries of the haw, sumac, bittersweet, chokecherry, black 

 alder (Ilex verticiUata) , and greenbrier. 



SHRIKES: Family Laniidae. 



LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE; FRENCH MOCKINGBIRD; 



BUTCHERBIRD : Lamus ludovicicmus ludovicianus 



Linnaeus. 



State records. — The shrike (fig. 19), known in the South as 

 loggerhead or "French mockingbird" (and sometimes er- 

 roneously as "catbii'd"), is a fairly common resident in the 

 southern half of the State, from Tuscaloosa and Shelby Coun- 

 ties to the coast (fig. 20) . It is of somewhat local distribu- 

 tion and is most abundant in the Central Prairie Region. In 

 the vicinity of Montgomery dozens of the birds may be seen 

 any day along the roadsides. Avery reported it common also 



JBarrows, W. B., Michigan bird life, p. 557, 1912. 



