THE GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE. 
133 
Great American Shrike, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 258. 
Great American Shrike, Lanius Excubitor, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 534 ; 
vol. v. p. 434. 
Fourth quill longest, third little shorter, second shorter than sixth, first 
half the length of second ; tail long, graduated ; bill brownish-black at the 
end, paler towards the base ; upper parts light ash-grey, the ends of the 
scapulars and the upper tail-coverts greyish- white ; a streak of whitish over 
the eye ; loral space and a patch behind the eye brownish-black ; first row 
of smaller wing-coverts, larger coverts, and quills, brownish-black ; second- 
ary quills and coverts edged and tipped with whitish ; base of primaries 
white, forming a conspicuous patch when the wing is extended ; tail-fea- 
thers brownish-black, outer web of lateral feathers, and more than a third 
of its inner web from the tip, white ; the extremities of all the rest, except- 
ing the middle two, also white, gradually occupying less extent on the inner 
feathers ; lower parts greyish-white, the fore part of the breast tinged with 
brown, and faintly marked with transverse undulating lines of dark grey, 
as are the sides. Female similar, but with the head and neck slightly 
tinged with brown, and the lower parts more banded. 
Lanius Excubitor of Europe differs in being considerably smaller, and 
in having the white on the wings and tail more extended, the bases and a 
great portion of the inner webs of the secondaries, except the inner three, 
being of that colour, as well as the bases of the primaries, and forming a 
conspicuous spot when the wing is closed, and the outer tail-feathers being 
often white in their whole length. 
Male, lOfV, 14 t 2 2. 
Breeds from Pennsylvania northward. During winter, migrates west- 
ward to the Mississippi, and as far south as Natchez. Not uncommon. 
The dimensions of an adult male presented by Dr. T. M. Brewer of 
Boston, and preserved in spirits, are : — Length to end of tail 10 T 2 2 inches, 
to end of wings 7/2 > to end of claws 8 T *2 ; extent of wings 14 T 2 2 ; wing 
from flexure 4 T 8 2 ; tail 4 T 8 2. 
The roof of the mouth is nearly flat, with a median prominent ridge 
anteriorly, and two papillate ridges behind. The posterior aperture of the 
nares is 7 twelfths long ; the tongue is slender, 7 twelfths long, emarginate 
and papillate at the base, concave above, horny toward the end, the margins 
lacerated, the tip slit. The width of the mouth is 7s twelfths. The oeso- 
phagus, a b c, is 2 inches 10 twelfths long, of considerable width, having an 
average breadth of 4 twelfths ; the proventriculus, be, 5 twelfths in width, 
its glands forming a belt only 3 twelfths in breadth. The stomach, d e , is 
broadly elliptical, 11 twelfths long, 91 twelfths broad ; its muscular coat thin, 
being composed of strong parallel fasciculi, its thickest part not exceeding 1 
