Cambridge, Mass.
1906
January 8
  A Shrike has appeared in our garden several times
of late. On December 16 (1905) I saw him fix the remains
of a House Sparrow in the fork of a slender branch of the
Parkman's apple tree. He stood on the branch just behind the
fork and pulled and tugged at the Sparrow with all his
might for a minute or two sometimes fluttering his wings.
After securing the Sparrow in this way he tore off and ate
small fragments of its flesh without moving from his original
position. After this he flew away. I then examined
the remains and found that they consisted only of the
tail and legs attached to the hinder part of the body.
As so much of the flesh has been eaten and as what
remained was frozen hard the bird must have been
killed a day or two ago.
Northern Shrike in our Garden, eating a Sparrow.
  The Shrike was next seen on December 26. About noon
of the following day Mr. F. M. Chapman saw him enter
the Garden from the direction of Sparks Street in hot pursuit of
a House Sparrow. The latter sought refuge in the tangle
of lilacs & other shrubbery at the rear of our house but the Shrike
followed him closely through those both birds hopping
from twig to twig where the branches were too dense to
permit flight. On reaching the eastern end of the thicket
the Sparrow again took wing and at once passed out of
Mr. Chapman's sight but the agonized outcry which the poor
bird uttered one instant later announced that it had been
overtaken & stricken down, no doubt in flight. Half a minute
after this Mr. Chapman found it on the lawn with the Shrike
standing within a few inches of it dealing a few final blows
at its still writhing body. Soon after this the Shrike seized
the Sparrow in its bill and, after flying a few yards,
transferred it to its feet thus carrying it off out of sight
in an easterly direction