HOODED SHRIKE. 173 



without falling. We see in this how an All-wise Pro- 

 vidence, while in the organization of beings He bestows 

 upon all the organs necessary to their habits of life, 

 deprives them in the same manner of whatever might 

 impede the due performance of their several functions. 

 A great and sublime lesson to those who would rule 

 over our fellow-creatures. We must not only make laws 

 to control the wicked, but deprive them of the means 

 of injuring themselves and others. 



The Tchagra is about the size of our European Grey 

 Shrike; its tail, very slightly sloped, is simply rounded 

 at the end; the upper part of the head is of a brownish 

 black, slightly shaded with olive; the back of the neck 

 and scapulars and upper part of the body are of a tan- 

 brown colour; throat whitish. A white band springs 

 from the corner of the eye, and is prolonged from 

 thence with a black line, which is parallel. The neck 

 above and the body below are ash-coloured; the great 

 covers of the wings and the upper edges of the quill 

 feathers are of a ferruginous red, the rest brown, with a 

 greenish shade above; below entirely ash-coloured. The 

 two middle feathers of the tail are of a brownish grey, 

 imperceptibly shaded with a deeper colour; the others 

 are blackish, all tipped with white. Beak horny black, 

 as well as the feet; iris brown. 



This bird frequents the most covered and thickest 

 places; it would be very difficult to discover were it 

 not continually betrayed by its song. The male has a 

 note which is heard far off, and which is very well 

 expressed by 'tcha-tcha, tcha-gra,' from which Le Vaillant 

 derived its name. 



The female is rather smaller than the male, and has 

 not the upper part of its head black; in every other 

 respect they are exactly alike, except a rather darker 

 vol. i. 2 A 



