Food of the Great Northern Shrike. 
Food of the Shrike. 
I have taken great pleasure in reading the 
[iscussion concerning the food of the Shrike. 
have also noticed a good deal about this 
pecies catching the English Sparrow in and 
iround the suburbs of our large cities from 
rarious local newspapers. We also have reliable 
iccounts of various writers where these birds 
lave taken up their winter quarters in large 
larks, and have made a very noticeable depreci- 
ation in numbers of this nuisance. 
As for myself I have never seen the Shrike 
japture, nor have I ever examined a stomach 
;liat contained a bird of this species. 
Following I give a list of the stomachs that I 
have examined, all of which were taken from 
birds shot in East Hartford, Conn., where it is 
BY JOHN C. CAHOON. 
In f.hp Sent.pmher O An O. I find two articles, 
ORNIT» 
common during the fall, winter and spring: 
No. 1. Young $. Nov. 7th, 1880. Stomach 
contained a Chickadee ( Parus atrlcapillus). 
2. Adult $. March 6tli, 1885. Stomach 
contained remains of small bird (Parus atrica- 
pillus ?) and a white worm. 
3. Young. Dec. 7th, 1884. Stomach con- 
tained a Golden Crowned Kinglet (Begulus sa- 
trapa). 
4. Adult S. Dec. 12tli, 1885. Stomach 
empty, but was shot in the act of catching a 
Kinglet. 
5. Nov. 20th, 1886. Stomach was well 
filled with grasshoppers. 
6. Adult $. March 15th, 1887. Stomach 
contained a small bird. 
7. Adult $. March 12th, 1887. Stomach 
contained a small rodent. 
8. 9 . March 26th, 1887. Stomach not ex- 
amined, but was shot while pursuing a Tree 
Sparrow. 
9. Young 9- Nov. 19th, 1887. Stomach 
contained a small rodent. 
10. 9 [?]. Dec. 7th, 1887. Stomach con- 
tained bones and feathers of a small bird. 
11. 9 . Oct. 31st, 1888. Stomach contained 
grasshoppers. 
12. 9 . Jan. 21st, 1889. Stomach contained 
remains of small bird. 
13. 9 . Nov. 15th, 1888. Stomach con- 
tained a small bird. 
14. 9 . Dec. 21st, 1887. Stomach con- 
tained small rodent. 
15. 9 . Nov. 24th, 1887. Stomach contained 
beetles and grasshoppers. 
It will be seen from the above that of the 
fifteen stomachs examined seven contained 
small birds; three, rodents ; two, grasshoppers; 
one, beetle and grasshopper; two were also 
shot in the suspicious situation of catching 
small birds. 
From this summary the larger part was 
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 those 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 large amount of data is nec- 
essary to bring about a satisfactory result. 
Willard E. Treat. 
O.&O. XIV. May. 1886 p. 75-76 
Edward Tennant. 
Attleboro Falls, Mass., March 17, 1889. 
P.S. I wish to say in confirming Mr. John 
I '■ Gaboon's argument in December O. & <)., 
1 S8S, speaking from personal observation and 
experience, that the food of the Great North- 
ern f Shrike here j„ winter consists principally 
of insects, as the stomachs of seven, dissected 
, by me during January, February, and March, 
| h 38, contained large quantities of white grubs 
and other insects, with the exception of one 
shot March 2 , 1888, whose stomach contained 
the body and a few feathers of what I thought 
was a Tree Sparrow. Edward Tennant 
If weeds. Four eggs, fresh, greenish- white, 
l spotted with lavender-gray, ecru drab, and 
fawn color: l.06x.78« 1.08x.78; .98 x . 75 ; 1.04 
*.76. 
\Set XXIV. May 12, 1888. Tucson, Arizona. 
Collected by Herbert Brown. Nest in Tasaca, 
maMe of dead twigs, and lined witli shredded 
baling rope. Outside, top six and a half in- 
dies, depth four inches. Inside, top three and 
a half inches; bottom rounded, depth two and 
a quarter inches. Three eggs, greenish-white, 
spotted With lavender-gray, an^l russet. The 
markings' are small longitudinal spots, but 
very sharply defined: 1.1 lx. 79; 1.05x.78; 
1.06 x. 77. \ 
Set XXA . March 16th, 1886. Pima Indian 
Agency, PinM County, Arizona. Collected by 
Rosswell S. Wheeler. Nest of twigs and grasses, 
lined with hair, situated In a cholla cactus, j 
Two eggs, gr&enish-wliijfe, but the ground 1 
color is almost wholly obscured with the mark- I 
ings, which are 1 of lavender-gray and fawn I 
color: 1. 11 x .75; ^.06 xl 75 
.06 
8 et XXVI. Ml>\ 1 : 
zona. Collected 1 
fragile in construct^ 
lined with fibrous ba 
light. Greenisli-wl 
with longitudinal mu 
fawn color. On some < 
1 , 188 S. Tucson, Ari- 
lerbert Brown. Nest ’ 
1 . Made of weeds and 
Four eggs, incubation j 
very heavily marked 1 
of lavender-gray and 
the eggs the markings 
are very peculiar, file linos almost appearing as 
if they were drawn with pen: .97 x. 74;. 99 
x .71 ; .99 x .7 1 ; l.p ! x.72. 
Set XXVIJ. March 9th, 1880 Sacaton, 
Pinal County, Arizona. Collected for R. s. 
Wheeler. Nest in a palo verfte tree about six 
feet from tluf ground. Composed of twigs, 
lined with grass and hair. Three eggs, fresh, 
greenish-white, spotted (so heavily as to ob- 
scure the ground color) with fawn color: 1.10 
x .75; 1. 08x/71; l.07x.7M. 
Set XXVIII. May 15th 
Arizona. .Collected by Herbert BrAwn. Nest 
in oliolla, /three feet from the grouiyl. Made 
of coarse twigs and lined witli dried grass. 
Three eggs, incubation slight. Greenisla-white, 
heavily spotted, principally at the larger ends, 
witli lavender-gray, and fawn color: .Hftx. 75 ; 
1.0J x./77 : .97 x .78. 
— JiY.i 11 Aitp'jieJIb/j ih°fne woods.' Tl’ie 
appearance and every action of tire bird 
strongly reminded me of a Cooper’s Hawk get- 
ting down into the grass and weeds to 
Hush a concealed quail. 
Not long since a young farmer invited me 
out to his field near town where lie was husk- j 
ing shook corn, to see a “Mouse Hawk," as lie I 
1887. Tucson, 
l't Brown. Nest 
f? 
