228 



Bird Studies. 



frequently harried by him. He too appears to be unable to refrain from kill- 

 ing more than he can at once use, as witness his many impaled victims. While 

 more frequently making sorties from his perch, he also stops in his flights as 

 he passes low over the ground to catch some bird or insect prey. He too is 

 a song bird and perhaps of greater attainments than his relative. 



The great Northern Shrike is of far northern distribution during the 

 breeding season and is only known as a winter visitor or migrant, in the 

 States from Virginia and Kansas northward. 



The Rough-winged Swallow is about five inches and three quarters long. 

 The upper parts are brownish with a strong gray tone. The throat and 

 _ . . . breast are nearly the same color as the back but of a some- 

 Swallow what lighter shade. The belly is white. Adult birds have 

 steigidopteryx serripennis the outcr edge of tkc first wtTig feather serrate or rough 

 '^"''■*" to the touch. This is occasioned by the sharp and re- 

 curved webs of the feather, which forms minute, recurved hooks. 



Immature birds do not possess this last characteristic but may be known 

 by their size and the color of the throat and breast, which is much like that of 

 the adults but generally has a distinct wash of rusty brown. 



ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. 



The birds nest in stone walls, under bridges, and in holes in banks, where 

 a loose structure of grasses and feathers serves as a nest. Four to eight 



