78 



ON THE PREDACIOUS HABITS OF THE SHRIKE. 



within the sphere of my own observation, may not, perhaps, be deemed 

 superfluous, or uninteresting. 



Twice, during the last summer, birds of this species have been 

 brought to me that had been taken in the nets of bird-catchers, on 

 attempting to seize upon their brace birds ; the nets had been spread 

 under a hedge. An instance also occurred of one of these shrikes 

 being seen by a lad, (on whose veracity I can rely,) to carry off a 

 small bird ; which, on a stone being thrown' at it, was dropped, and 

 proved to be a young whitethroat, (Curruca cinerea, Brisson,) that 

 had but recently left the nest. 



Wishing to ascertain the manner in which the shrike attacks its 

 prey, I opened the door of a cage containing one of these birds, and 

 was about to put a sparrow in it, when, before I could disengage it 

 from my hand, the shrike seized it most instantaneously in its claws, 

 striking out in the manner of a falcon. Its death was effected in an 

 instant. The shrike extended his wings and spread his tail over it, in 

 precisely the manner of a hawk, and killed it by picking a hole in the 

 skull. He then flew to a perch, carrying the sparrow in his claws, 

 and fixing one foot upon it, began to devour it ; nor did he desist until 

 he had nearly finished the whole bird, which he held in this manner 

 for upwards of two hours. 



I did not observe that the shrike endeavoured to find a nail or stake 

 on which he might fasten his victim, as is the usual habit of birds of 

 this genus ; but I doubt not, that had there been any such conve- 

 nience, he would not have failed to avail himself of it. The feathers, and 

 other indigestible parts, were afterwards ejected in pallets by the mouth. 

 This shrike was quite a young bird, and had not fed himself above a 

 month. 



Mr. Selby remarks, that various small birds have been observed to 

 build their nests and rear their young unmolested, within a very short 

 distance of the shrike's nest ; and I remember once noticing a white- 

 throat's nest within ten paces of that of a pair of these birds. This is 

 certainly a very curious fact ; and Sir W. Jardine mentions an instance, 

 in which a wild duck was discovered sitting within ten yards of the 

 eyry of a peregrine falcon. It would, however, be absurd to infer from 

 the latter, that the peregrine is not a bird of prey ; and accordingly the 

 former cannot be adduced as an argument against the rapacious habits 

 of the shrike. 



The flush er appears to subsist principally on the larger insects, (and 

 I have noticed, that, when it can procure this food in great abundance, 

 it eats only the abdomen) ; but if, at any time, it experiences a defici- 



