The Singing of Birds. B.P.BiekneU, 
Lanius borealis. Great Northern Shrike. 
While it is with us on its irregular and fleeting visits, this 
winter species does not often essay a greater vocal effort than a 
harsh note or scream. On occasions, however, it does actually 
sing ; though probably never with its fullest power in this lati- 
tude. I have heard a variety of notes from it in October, on its 
first arrival, and in November ; but its highest vocal achievement 
is in late winter and early spring. Its sor.g may be one of the 
first that the spring can claim ; for that indefinable change that 
comes into the atmosphere and the sunlight on some days of late 
winter and leads us to look springvvard, seems to be as quickly felt 
by this hardened and cruel bird as by the most tender species 
which it is wont to make its victims. An unusually vocal bird 
was observed on February io, 1S77 — a morning when winter 
seemed quietly relaxing from long-continued severity. Perched in 
the sunlight, on the topmost spray of a tall oak, on an eminence 
commanding an expanse of changing landscape, it was alternate- 
ly singing and preening its beautiful plumage. The song was a 
medley of varied and rather disconnected articulations, an occa- 
sional low warble always being quickly extinguished by harsh 
notes, even as the bird’s gentle demeanor would soon be inter- 
rupted by some deed of cruelty. 
It has been claimed that the Butcher Bird attracts birds and 
small animals by imitating their cries, thus making them its easy 
prey. It is true that notes similar to the screaming of small 
birds and the squealing of mice are interspersed through its song; 
but they are uttered without method, and sometimes actually in 
conjunction with the most harsh and startling sounds of which 
the bird is capable. A-Uk, I, Oot. , 1884* p« J Z. V ' 3 2 . 
The Northern Shrike as a Singer. 
BY C. K. AVERILL, JR., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 
1 think most ol our books on Ornithology over- 
look the song of the Northern Shrike. I have not 
heard it mentioned except by John Burroughs in 
his delightful book “ Locusts and Wild Honey.” 
But it is not unusual to hear them sing and they 
are certainly gifted in power of execution, as the 
human vocalists say, although the quality of tone 
is inferior to that of most of our songsters. ' 
The song of one of them is still fresh in my 
mind. I heard him on March 4th, this year, at 
sunrise singing from 1 lie top of a cedar tree in 
a field. I walked up to the tree, and when lie 
dew, I saw that lie carried something with him 
about the size of a small bird or mouse. Ho had 
not got a rod from the tree when lie dropped it, 
but immediately pounced down and picked it up. 
1 hurried back to the house, got the gun and was 
back again in about half an hour. He was still 
singing from the top of a tali chestnut tree in a 
grove close by where I had first, seen him. I had 
no difficulty in walking within easy shooting dis- 
tance, but before shooting stopped to listen to the 
song. Although 1 stood for some time listening, 
he made no break or pause, hut went right on as 
if there were no lire about him. I cannot liken 
the song to that of any of our song birds. It was 
somewhat after the style of a Brown Thrush’s, 
but the tone was much less musical, and it must 
be confessed, was often squeaky. But frequently 
there was thrown in a note almost exactly like 
the ringing, musical tone that the Blue Jay often 
utters. 1 cut him open on getting home and took 
out a lot of the fur and some ribs of afield mouse. 
A gentleman living in the outskirts ot our city 
tells me that he has often heard them sing, and 
that they imitate the songs of other birds for the 
purpose of attracting them. I do not put any 
faith in this notion. 1 am convinced that the one 
I have just told about sang out of pure physical 
enjoyment, or exuberance ot spirits, or what- 
ever it is that makes a bird sing. Certainly lie 
had no difficulty in getting his food, and when I 
first heard him was carrying his breakfast around 
with him, and afterwards was singing with it in 
his inside. 
Three or four days later, I saw in a small Elm 
tree by the road side a (lohlfinch stuck in among 
some small twigs that grew out from the trunk 
about ten feet from the ground. I climbed up 
and pulled it down, for it was wedged in too 
tightly to shake down. It was dead of course. 
On taking off the skin 1 1 1 ere was no sign of injury 
except Unit the neck was broken two or three 
joints from the head. Without doubt this was 
the work of a Shrike. 
Since then 1 have only seen one Shrike and 
that in the middle of the day. He did not favor 
me with a song, but sat on a Sumach bush mo- 
tionless, but for the movement of his long tail 
which went up and down like a Pewee’s. Once 
he got down from his perch and picked up some 
Song of the Female Butcher Bird. — On the morning of April 8, 1S90, 
when walking through the Fresh Pond Swamps at Cambridge, 1 heard a 
Butcher Bird {Lanius borealis) in full song. The bird was an unusually 
fine singer, and quite a mimic, its medley of notes suggesting a combma- 
ion of the Brown Thrasher and as the Blue Jay, with an occasional ‘mew- 
ing’ sound much like the common Catbird. It was shot, and on sexing 
proved a female, the ovary being considerably enlarged. — ArthurCuad- 
bourne,M. D., Cambridge, Mass. "VIX. JAly, - 80, P» 
