THE GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE. 133 



Great American Shrike, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 258. 



Great American Shrike, Lanius Exciibitor, Aucl. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 534; vol. v. 

 p. 434. 



Fourth quill longest, third little shorter, second shorter than sixth, first 

 half the length of second; tail long, graduated; bill brownish-black at the 

 end, paler towards the base; upper parts light ash-grey, the ends of the 

 scapulars and the upper tail-coverts greyish-white; a streak of whitish over 

 the eye; loral space and a patch behind the eye brownish-black; first row of 

 smaller wing-coverts, larger coverts, and quills, brownish-black; secondary 

 quills and coverts edged and tipped with whitish; base of primaries white, 

 forming a conspicuous patch when the wing is extended; tail-feathers brown- 

 ish-black, outer web of lateral feathers, and more than a third of its inner 

 web from the tip, white; the extremities of all the rest, excepting the middle 

 two, also white, gradually occupying less extent on the inner feathers; 

 lower parts greyish-white, the fore part of the breast tinged with brown, and 

 faintly marked with transverse undulating lines of dark grey, as are the sides. 

 Female similar, but with the head and neck slightly tinged with brown, and 

 the lower parts more banded. 



Lanius Excubitor of Europe differs in being considerably smaller, and 

 in having the white on the wings and tail more extended, the bases and a 

 great portion of the inner webs of the secondaries, except the inner three, 

 being of that colour, as well as the bases of the primaries, and forming 

 a conspicuous spot when the wing is closed, and the outer tail-feathers being 

 often white in their whole length. 



Male, 10&, 14 T V 



Breeds from Pennsylvania northward. During winter, migrates west- 

 ward to the Mississippi, and as far south as Natchez. Not uncommon. 



The dimensions of an adult male presented by Dr. T. M. Brewer of 

 Boston, and preserved in spirits, are: — Length to end of tail 10 T 2 j inches, 

 to end of wings 7 T 5 2, to end of claws 8^; extent of wings 14^; wing from 

 flexure 4 T \; tail 4^. 



The roof of the mouth is nearly flat, with a median prominent ridge 

 anteriorly, and two papillate ridges behind. The posterior aperture of the 

 nares is 7 twelfths long; the tongue is slender, 7 twelfths long, emarginate 

 and papillate at the base, concave above, horny toward the end, the margins 

 lacerated, the tip slit. The width of the mouth is 7^ twelfths. The oeso- 

 phagus, a b c, is 2 inches 10 twelfths long, of considerable width, having an 

 average breadth of 4 -twelfths; the proventriculus, b c, 5 twelfths in width, 

 its glands forming a belt only 3 twelfths in breadth. The stomach, d e, is 

 broadly elliptical, 1 1 twelfths long, 9^ twelfths broad; its muscular coat thin, 

 being composed of strong parallel fasciculi, its thickest part not exceeding 1 



