102 
GKEAT AMERICAN SHRIKE. 
perching, moaned out its melancholy notes, with many lively gesticula- 
tions, not at all accordant with the pitiful tone of its ditty, which 
reminded one of the shivering moanings of a half-frozen puppy. 
This species is found generally over the United States, and is not 
migratory. 
The Red Owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-one inches 
in extent ; general color of the plumage above, a bright nut brown or 
tawny red ; the shafts black ; exterior edges of the outer row of scapu- 
lars white ; bastard wing, the five first primaries and three or four of 
the first greater coverts, also spotted with white; Avhole wing quills 
spotted with dusky on their exterior webs ; tail rounded, transversely 
barred with dusky and pale brown ; chin, breast, and sides, bright red- 
dish brown, streaked laterally with black, intermixed with white ; belly 
and vent white, spotted with bright brown ; legs covered to the claws 
with pale brown hairy down ; extremities of the toes and claws pale 
bluish, ending in black ; bill a pale bluish horn color ; eyes vivid yel- 
low; inner angles of the eyes, eyebrows, and space surrounding the 
bill, whitish ; rest of the face nut brown ; head horned or eared, each 
consisting of nine or ten feathers, of a tawny red, shafted Avith 'black. 
ORDER II. VICE. PIES. 
Genus 4. LANIUS. SHRIKE. 
Species I. LANIUS EXCUBITORf* 
GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE, or BUTCHER-BIRD. 
[Plate V. Fig. 1.] 
La Pie-gri&cTie grise, Buff, i., 296. PI. enl. i-ib.— White Whislaj-John, Phil. Trans. 
Lxii., p. Z%&.—Arct. Zool. II., No. 127. 
The form and countenance of this bird bespeak him full of courage 
and energy ; and his true character does not belie his appearance, for 
he possesses these qualities in a very eminent degree. He is represented 
in the plate rather less than his true size ; but in just proportion ; and 
with a fidelity that will enable the European naturalist to determine, 
whether this be really the same with the great Cinereous Shrike [Lanius 
excubitor.i\Anx\.), of the eastern continent or not; though the progressive 
variableness of the plumage, passing, according to age, and sometimes to 
* Lanius septenirionalis, Gmel. 
