THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[March, 



versation was held between them, for after a little chatter it would 

 appear that an understanding was arrived at, which proved that the 

 body of the pipit was not then in proper position. At that time it 

 was hanging legs and body down and appeared to be caught by a 

 thorn through one wing only. Active proceedings were commenced 

 by the male bird holding down the wing while the female dragged up 

 the body, pulling and tugging at it until it was firmly held by one or 

 more thorns in its back. Instead of wrenching off the head as I expected, 

 ths female butcher bird began to pull the feathers from the lower part 

 of the body (the male still holding the bird down) and to disembowel 

 the victim, now and then using its claws in the operation ; then after 

 getting a quantity in its beak disappeared in the thick of the hedge. 

 It was then I heard for the first time the cry of the young birds, and 

 knew the position of the nest. After seeing the female go twice with 

 food I ventured to disturb them, and there was the nest, but so art- 

 fully concealed by the leaves, &c, that I had actually overlooked it 

 before, although I had examined the very place. The nest contained 

 the five young birds now exhibited, then about a week old. I after- 

 wards made my arrangements for capturing the whole family and the 

 result is before you. I have also brought a portion of the contents of 

 the bottom of the nest, so as to give some slight idea of the enormous 

 quantity of insects and young birds they must consume. There you 

 will see thousands of wing-cases of beetles either whole or fragmentary 

 as well as small bones of birds, chiefly nestlings, enough to fill a saucer 

 of moderate size. 



Now, in walking towards the hedge I flushed another bird, and 

 upon looking carefully into the grass I found a nest, which contained 

 three young pipits just hatched, also one egg. This evidently was the 

 family of the bird the butcher had killed, and his song of joy had thus 

 led to his own destruction. I have no doubt that later on both mother 

 pipit and her young ones met with the same fate as the male bird, for 

 on looking for the nest a few days after I captured the shrikes, only 

 the single egg remained. 



The pipits construct a nest very quickly, but this must have been 

 done almost under the eyes of the shrikes. Is it possible that they 

 were purposely spared for a time ? This would imply a forethought 

 and reasoning power we can scarcely conceive. 



Dover. 



