167 
ACCIP1TRE8. 
GENUS 4TH. 
LANIUS. SHRIKE. 
Linnaeus distinguishes this Genus by the, 
following characters : — 
Bill, straightish, with a tooth on each man- 
dible, near the end, naked at the base.--- 
Tongue, jagged at the end. 
The Butcher-bird, or Shrike Genus, seejm 
to have puzzled many of the best naturalists 
as to the place it should hold in the system of 
Ornithology. Even the great Linnaeus had 
changed his opinion more than once before he 
concluded finally to leave it in the Accipi- 
trine Order. 
Pennant, Latham, and others have ranged 
the birds of this genus in the order of Pies, 
and stated their reasons at length for so 
doing. 
The whole race are easily distinguished, 
even at a distance, by the peculiar circum- 
stance of associating together in families after 
Ihe young are capable of flight. In this re- 
