GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE 



79 



with a single spot of white on the primaries, just below their co-^ 

 verts; the scapulars, or long downy feathers that fall over the up-^ 

 per part of the wing, are pure white ; the rump and tail-coverts a 

 very fine grey or light ash; the tail is cuneiform, consisting of 

 twelve feathers, the two middle ones wholly black, the others tipt 

 more and more with white to the exterior ones, which are nearly all 

 white ; the legs, feet and claws are black ; the beak straight, thick, 

 of a light blue color, the upper mandible furnished with a sharp 

 process, bending down greatly at the point, where it is black, and 

 beset at the base with a number of long black hairs or bristles; the 

 nostrils are also thickly covered with recumbent hairs ; the iris of 

 the eye is a light hazel ; pupil black. The figure on the plate will 

 give a perfect idea of the bird. The female is easily distinguished 

 by being ferruginous on the back and head ; and having the band 

 of black extending only behind the eye, and of a dirty brown or 

 burnt color; the under parts are also something rufous, and the 

 curving lines more strongly marked; she is rather less than the 

 male, which is different from birds of prey in general, the females 

 of which are usually the larger of the two. 



In the Arctic Zoology we are told, that this species is frequent 

 in Russia, but does not extend to Siberia; yet one was taken within 

 Behring's straits, on the Asiatic side, in lat. 66°; and the species 

 probably extends over the whole continent of North America, from 

 the Western ocean. Mr. Bell, while on his travels thro Russia^ 

 had one of these birds given him, which he kept in a room, having 

 fixed up a sharpened stick for him in the wall; and on turning 

 small birds loose in the room, the Butcher-bird instantly caught 

 them by the throat in such a manner as soon to suffocate them; 

 and then stuck them on the stick, pulling them on with bill and 

 claws ; and so served as many as were turned loose, one after ano- 

 ther, on the same stick. ^ 



* Edwards, v. VII, p. 231, 



