Bethel, Maine
1903.
June 5
(No 3)
been dead several days. It showed no signs of decomposition
but the eyes had sunk almost out of sight and the flesh
on the breast was hard and dry. It bore absolutely no
signs of external injury & a portion of the flesh had been
removed while the plumage was smooth & perfect. The Swallow was gone at 4 P.M. but the Bluebird remained.
Migrant Shrike
  Just after the Shrike had left the Swallow impaled on
the fence stake it was joined by its mate a larger,
longer, lighter-colored bird no doubt the male. In the
afternoon I visited the place again in company with
Dr. Gehring and again found both Shrikes. They were
never actually together but seemed contented with keeping
one another in sight as they sat perched on the
fence posts or telegraph poles along the roadside sometimes
within thirty yards of each other. We saw the male fly
down to the dusty road & pick up what looked like
a large beetle and the female pull a quantity of sheep's
wool from the side of an empty barrel standing in
a pine of cultivated ground. After arranging it carefully
in her bill she took it up the road & into a maple
near the one I started her from this morning. I looked
this tree over carefully afterwards but could not see
anything in it that resembled a nest. Probably the
bird really went on beyond it to another tree.
  Both Shrikes spent the greater part of the time when
I was watching them within an area of about 20 acres.
Most of this was perfectly open, intervale grass fields the
only trees being those in the long row of planted sidewalk
sugar maples & a few scrubby willows wild cherries etc.
scattered along the lines of fences that divided
the fields from one another. The Shrikes occasionally
perched on some of those trees but their