346 
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. 
over the eye, whitish ; wings, black, with a small spot of white 
at the base of the primaries, and tipt with white ; a stripe of 
does not love fresh food, and therefore leaves its prey on the gibbet till it 
becomes putrescent; but beneath the scorching sun of Africa, the, process of 
decomposition sometimes does not take place, from the rapid exhalation of 
the animal fluids in a warm and arid atmosphere, and, consequently, whatever 
spiny shrub may have been chosen by the Butcher-bird as the place of execu- 
tion, is frequently found covered, not with sweet-smelling and many-coloured 
blossoms, but with the dried carcasses of singing birds, and the bodies of locusts, 
and other insects of the larger size. The species of Great Britain, also, 
exercises this propensity ; but, according to Mr Selby, it invariably kills its 
prey by strangulation before transfixing it. That gentleman mentions once 
having the gratification of witnessing this operation of the Shrike upon 
a Hedge Accentor, which it had just killed. “ In this instance, after killing 
the bird, it hovered, with its prey in its bill, for a short time over the hedge, 
apparently occupied in selecting a thorn fit for its purpose. Upon disturbing 
it, and advancing to the spot, I found the Accentor firmly fixed by the tendons 
of the wing at the selected twig.” When in confinement, this peculiarity is 
also displayed, in placing the food against, or between the wires of the cage. 
They frequent woody countries, with occasional shrubs and hedges, among 
which they also breed ; the notes, as might be expected, are hoarse and 
grating, and during the season of incubation become very garrulous, parti- 
cularly when alarmed ; they are very attentive to their young, and continue 
long to feed and attend them after they are able to shift for themselves. 
It may be here remarked, that the Falconidce, which our present knowledge 
leads us to think is represented by this group, always take their prey to 
some eminence before commencing to devour it — a bare hillock or rock in 
an open country, the top of some old mound or dyke, or, if in a wood, some 
decayed stump ; and I have known one spot of frequent recurrence by the 
same individuals ; thus shewing some analogy to each other. 
The following seem to be the species which are known to belong to North 
America, — 
1. L. borealis, Vieill. — L excubitor, Wils. vol. i. p. 74, L. borealis , Bonap. 
Synop. App. * 
2. L. ludovicianus, Bonap L. Carolinensis, Wils. vol. iii. p. 57 ; found 
only in the warmer and more southern states, the Carolinas and Georgia. 
3. Lanius excubitroides , Sw. Nov. spec American Gray Shrike, North. 
Zool. vol. ii. p. 115. 
Specimens were brought to this country by the last overland arctic expedition. 
* When writing the note at page 73 of this volume, I was not aware that Bonaparte had 
taken notice of the mistake mentioned there in his Appendix to the Synopsis of North 
American Birds. — Ed. 
