Certhia f.anericana 
Concord, 
1896 . 
Nov. IS. 
Mass. Lanlus borealis . chasing a Brown Creeper. 
While on my way down river in the morning I saw two 
Shrikes, both old and rather white birds; One was flitting 
from tree to tree along the banks near the Y.elm tree (a fav- 
orite place for Shrikes at all seasons when they are with us ); 
the other appeared suddenly at the North Bridge. When I first 
saw him he was in hot pursuit of a Brown Creeper and both 
birds were about over the middle of the river and scarce a 
yard apart. The creeper made straight for the big elm which 
stands at the eastern end of the bridge. When he reached it 
the Shrikes was within six inches of his tail but he neverthe- 
less escaped, for an instant after the two birds doubled a- 
round behind the trunk the Shrike rose to the topmost spray 
of the elm where he sdt for a minute or more gazing intently 
downward evidently watching for the Creeper. The latter, no 
doubt, had flattened himself against the bark after the usual 
practise of his kind when badly frightened and he had the 
nerve and good sense to remain perfectly still for at least 
ten minutes . My eyes were no better than the Shrike’s for it 
was in vain that I scanned the trunk over and over with the 
greatest care. Peeling sure, however, that the Creeper was 
really there I waited patiently until at the end of the period 
just named he began running up the trunk starting at the very 
point where I had seen him disappear. It was one of the 
