THE VIREOS AND SHRIKES 
191 
covered banks. They are watchful and suspi- 
cious, but when flushed they do not immediately 
fly beyond gunshot, as nowadays every bird 
should do. The Louisiana Water-Thrush strong- 
ly resembles the wood-thrush, but is one-fourth 
smaller. 
THE VIREO FAMILY. 
Vireonidae. 
It is quite difficult to point out peculiarities 
by which the vireos can be distinguished from 
the warblers. They are placed next to the 
shrikes because of a supposed resemblance to 
those birds in the shape of the upper mandi- 
ble — hooked and notched. The vireos look 
so much like warblers that only an expert can 
distinguish them. 
The Red-Eyed Vireo 1 is distinguishable at 
close range by its red eye with a white line over 
it, and the White-Eyed Vireo 2 also is marked 
by the white color of its eyes. Both are fairly 
good songsters, and the former is about as “ do- 
mestic,” in its habit of frequenting the haunts of 
man, as the yellow warbler. The former ranges 
from New York northwestward across the conti- 
nent, the latter only as far as the Rocky Moun- 
tains. 
THE SHRffiE FAMILY. 
Lanidae. 
The Great Northern Shrike, or Butcher- 
Bird , 3 is a bird of very striking personality. In 
appearance he is a high-headed, well-dressed 
dandy. In disposition, he is to-day a fierce lit- 
tle bird of prey, feeding solely upon flesh food; 
but to-morrow he will change into a modest in- 
sect-eater. It seems very odd to find a bird of 
prey among the Perching-Birds. 
The Butcher-Bird is a bird of the North, breed- 
ing from Labrador to Alaska and visiting the 
United States only in winter, when it is almost 
impossible to obtain food at home. The species 
which we find in the United States in summer is 
the Loggerhead Shrike , 4 which closely resem- 
bles its northern relative, both in form and 
habits. 
In the fields, you can easily recognize a Shrike 
1 Vir'e-o ol-i-va! ce-us . Length, 6 inches. 
2 V. no’ve-bo'ra-cen'sis. Length, 5 inches. 
3 La'ni-us bo-re-al'is. Length, about 10 inches. 
4 L. lu'do-vi'ci-an'us. 
by his bluish-gray back, and large head. His 
strong, hooked beak has a notch, or tooth, near 
the end of the upper mandible. He is deliber- 
ate and dignified in his movements, and like the 
true sportsman that he is, he is happiest when 
hunting. He catches and feeds upon small 
frogs, mice, small snakes and even birds (so it is 
said), and has the odd trick of hanging up, 
impaled upon a thorn, dead game which he can- 
not eat as soon as caught. Once I saw a Butcher- 
Bird seize a large field-mouse out of a freshly up- 
turned furrow, and fly away with it,' struggling 
vigorously. The mammal was so large and 
heavy it was surprising to see the bird bear it 
away. Many times I have seen dried frogs hang- 
ing upon thorns, where they had been placed 
when fresh, by Shrikes. 
Every Shrike is a feathered Jekyll and Hyde. 
In summer and autumn, the harvest of insects 
is everything that could be expected. In Dr. 
Judd’s Bulletin No. 9, Biological Survey, De- 
partment of Agriculture, the list of groups of in- 
sects destroyed by the Loggerhead Shrike fills a 
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. 
page, and includes such pests as caterpillars, cut- 
worms, canker - worms, grasshoppers, crickets 
and weevils. 
But mark the winter and early spring record. 
Thirteen species of small birds are numbered 
among the Loggerhead’s victims, of which five 
are sparrows, and others are the ground-dove, 
chimney-swift, Bell’s vireo and snow-bunting. 
The Butcher-Bird is known to kill twenty-eight 
species of birds, some of them valuable insect- 
