Food of the Great Northern Shrike. 
BY JOHN c. CAHOON. 
la the September O. & O. I find two articles, 
one by Mr. Benj. F. Hess, and the other by Mr. 
C. C. Maxwell, regarding the food of the Great 
Northern Shrike. 
While both of these gentlemen are certain 
that the food of the Great Northern Shrike, in 
their locality in the winter consists principally 
of English Sparrows, their knowledge seems to 
be derived wholly from the fact of seeing these 
shrikes pursue and kill the sparrows. It does 
not prove that because a shrike pursues, kills, 
and mutilates a sparrow or other small bird, 
that it must necessarily eat it. The fact of liud- 
ing many birds impaled on thorns, or caught 
in the fork of a tree branch, shows that many 
that are killed are not used for food purposes. 
Mr. Maxwell says, “ The winter in Oswego 
County is severe enough to drive all the bugs 
and worms out of sight and no doubt the 
shrikes were driven to eating English Sparrows 
by hunger, but they did it, nevertheless.” All 
entomologists know that bugs and other in- 
sects can be found in the bark and stumps of 
old dead trees, under logs, etc., when every 
thing is frozen up. 1 have shot shrikes in the 
most severe winters, and found their stomachs 
filled with insects and other matter (no birds). 
How and where they procured the insects I 
cannot say, but if they can get them in one 
locality that’s frozen up why not in another? 
Even was a shrike seen eating a bird that is 
no proof that its next two or more meals will 
consist of bird meat. In my opinion the only 
sure way of determining the principal food of 
the shrike, or any bird, is by a close examina- 
tion of the contents of their stomachs. 
N. B.— Shot a Great Northern Shrike at East 
Brewster, Mass., Oct, 17th. Stomach contained 
parts of a Snow bird and one large 
worm. 
white 
o &0. XIII. Dec. 1888 p.188 
•XSLOO^ 
small birds, while those containing insects oc- 
cupy only a fifth part of the entire number. 
Again there is no reason to believe that the 
Shrikes in these instances were driven by hunger 
to feed upon these small birds, as they were 
nearly all taken during mild weather, and a 
“cold snap” is liable to drive them from this 
locality. 
It would seem from the various articles that 
have appeared in the O. & O. from time to 
time, that the food of this species differs ac- 
cording to the locality that it inhabits; this be- 
ing the case a largo amount of data is nec 
essary to bring about a satisfactory result. 
Willard E. Treat. 
Edward Tennant. 
Attleboro Falls, Mass., March 17, 1889. 
P-S. I wish to say in confirming Mr. John 
U Cahoon s argument in December O. & o 
1888, speaking from personal observation and 
expenence, that the food of the Great North- 
ern Shrike here m winter consists principally 
insects, as the stomachs of seven, dissected 
by me dorms January, February, and March, 
! ', 8 ’ ° 0nta,ned ai 'S e quantities of white grubs 
land other insects, with the exception of one 
the 1 i f’ T 8 ’ Wh ° Se stomacl * contained 
tire body and a few feathers of what 1 thought 
was a Tree Sparrow. Edward Tennant 
The Food Habits of the Shrikes. 
O.&O. XIV. May. 1886 p. 
ro 
76 
Tire Lanins borealis is tiie true bird of the 
north wind. With the thermometer two fig- 
ures below zero I have found him on tire Illi- 
nois prairies perched on the topmost twig of 
some low tree facing the keen north wind, the 
very picture of daring, hardihood and energy. 
He fears nothing that wears wings, and will 
give battle to any feathered intruder that dares 
to come near Iris haunts. Even man lie 
scarcely avoids, and seems rather to seek his 
presence than otherwise. As a winter resident 
in Central Illinois bis food is small birds and 
mice, and lie exhibits the utmost daring and 
intrepidity in the pursuit of them. Of late 
winters they have commended themselves to 
the good graces of many persons by entering 
the towns and preying upon that intolerable 
nuisance, tlie English sparrow. Nature seems 
to have provided every living thing witli an 
enemy or parasite to prevent its overproduction, 
audit has fondly been hoped that tlie Great 
Northern Shrike would solve the problem of 
the English Sparrow, but alas! their number 
would have to be legion. 
One warm day in Feb. 1888, from a window in 
my office I was watching a Shrike dashing right 
and left after some English Sparrows that were 
in the bushes of the back yard. Catching 1 sight 
<>f a cage containing canaries in an open win- 
dow near by it made a dash for it, and did its 
utmost to get at tlie birds, clinging to tlie side 
of the cage, and leaving very reluctantly when 
the mistress of the house came to tlie rescue 
of her pets. The window was closed and the 
cage hung against it on the inside, when the 
Shrike again returned and flew against tlie 
window with much force. 
A few days ago I saw one in hot pursuit of a 
Song Sparrow. Around and around through 
tlie thick brush and trees they went, the spar- ; 
row turning, twisting and doubling in its ef- < 
forts to shake off its relentless pursuer but 
without avail. Finally it dashed into a brush 
pile almost at my horse’s feet. But even here 
the Shrike with open month and flashing eye 
regardless of my presence still pursued it, and 
m a few moments they passed out on tlie 
other side and disappeared in the woods. The 
appearance and every action of the bird 
strongly reminded me of a Cooper’s Hawk get- 
ting down into tlie grass and weeds to 
flush a concealed quail. 
Not long since a young farmer invited me 
out to his field near town where lie was husk- 
ing shock corn, to see a “Mouse Hawk,” as lie 
called it, catch mice. On coming to where lie 
was at work I looked about for the Shrike but 
did not see it until he pointed to a tree two 
hundred yards away where it sat on the top- 
most twig. Pretty soon a mouse ran from the 
shock, when it came almost with tlie rapidity 
of an arrow, and seizing tlie mouse in its bill 
flew away with it to tlie woods across tlie river, 
hut in a short time it was back again at its 
perch on tlie tree where it did not remain long 
until another mouse ran out from the shock 
In order to test the bird’s boldness I pur- 
sued this mouse, but undaunted it flew almost 
between my feet and secured it, and apparently 
not liking its hold it alighted a few rods away 
and hammered tlie mouse on tlie frozen 
ground, and then tossing it j„ tlie air caught 
it by tlie throat as it came down. He then 
again flow off to the woods. This proceeding 
tlie farmer assured me would he repeated 
many times in the course of tlie day, and that 
every mouse would he carried to the strip of 
woods just over tlie river. Subsequently a 
chopper told mo that lie had found a honey 
locust tree in this woods that had mice stuck 
all over it on the thorns. 
The White-rumped Shrike is preeminently 
a summer resident and it leaves for tlie south 
as soon as the leaves begin to falJ. It dif- 
fers from the borealis i„ being almost exclu- 
sively insectivorous in its habits. Beetles and 
grasshoppers it is especially fond of, and hun- 
dreds of these insects can he seen sticking on 
the hedge tlioius and barbed wire fences of 
the prairies. They have a strong affection 
tor their young and remain with them after 
leaving the nest, hunting as a family. It is a 
very interesting sight indeed to see five or 
six chubby little fellows perched along a fence 
"i- hedge taking lessons from their parents in 
| grasshopper catching. 
I have written this article on tlie Shrikes to 
follow IT. G. Smith's excellent article 011 the 
same subject in the Nov. O. & O. This sub- 
ject might he profitably continued if some ob- 
server in the far south would describe tlie 
food habits, etc. of the Logger-head Shrike. 
Bernadette, III. . 11 ' 
0 <feO. XIV. Feb. 1889 p.2 € 
