82 
LANIUS EXCUBITOH. 
former, he preys occasionally on other birds ; and, lik® 
the latter, on insects, particularly grasshoppers, which 
I believe to be his principal food ; having at almost aU 
times, even in winter, found them in his stomach. I® 
the month of December, and while the country 
deeply covered with snow, I shot one of these birds neat 
the head waters of the Mohawk river, in the State et 
New York, the stomach of which was entirely fiUc<^ 
with large black spiders. He was of a much pure*” 
white, above, than any I have since met u ith ; though 
evidently of the same species with the present ; and ^ 
think it probable that the males become lighter coloured 
as they advance in age, till the minute transverse line-^ 
of brown on the lower parts almost disappear. 
In his manners he has more resemblance to the pi®^ 
than to birds of prey, particularly in the habit o' 
carrying off his surplus food, as if to hoard it fo^ 
future exigencies; with this difference, that croV'S' 
jays, magpies, &c. conceal theirs at random, in hole* 
and crevices, where, perhaps, it is forgotten, or neve'’ 
ag.ain found ; while the butclier-bird sticks his on thorn* 
and bushes, where it shrivels in the sun, and soo® 
becomes erpially useless to the hoarder. Both retai® 
the same habits in a state of confinement, whatever tb* 
food may be that is presented to thcTn. 
This habit of the shrike of seizing and impali®r 
grasshoppers and other insects on thorns, has give® 
rise to an opinion, that he places these carcasses thef’ 
by n ay of baits, to allnre small birds to them, while h® 
himself lies in ambush to surprise and destroy ther>- 
In this, however, they appear to allow him a'greatej 
portion of reason and contrivance than he seems entitled 
to, or than other circumstances will altogether warrant ’ 
for we find, that he not only serves grasshoppers in th'' 
manner, but even small birds themselves, as those haV® 
assured me who have kept them in cages in this country’ 
and amused themselves with their manoeuvres. If *®’ 
we might as well suppose the farmer to be inviti®? 
crows to his corn when he hangs up their carcass®* 
