194 
SHRIKES. 
Mr. Selby, a celebrated English naturalist, was 
fortunate enough to see the whole process of pin- 
ning a Hedge-Sparrow by one of these Butcher-birds. 
Haying seized his victim, he immediately killed it, 
and then hovered with it in his bill for a short time 
over the hedge, apparently occupied in selecting a 
thorn suited to his purpose. Upon disturbing it, 
and advancing to the spot, he found the Sparrow 
already firmly fixed by the tendons of the wing, at 
the selected twig. In another instance, a Shrike 
was observed busily occupied near a thorn-hedge: 
on examination, three frogs, and as many mice, were 
found regularly spitted on thorns. With the design 
of catching this Butcher-bird, six very small steel 
traps were set, baited with mice. On the following 
day, two of the traps were found to be sprung, 
and the baits gone. As it was not an easy matter 
to accomplish this without being caught, the traps 
were then watched. At length, the Shrike ap- 
proached, and darting down, was rising perpen- 
dicularly with his prize ; but in this instance, 
notwithstanding the celerity of his movements, the 
teeth of the trap caught his claws, and secured him 
by two of the toes. The bird was put in a room, in 
which a thorn- bush was placed, and some dead mice 
provided, one of which he was soon observed to 
seize, and spit on a thorn with the greatest quick- 
ness and dexterity *. 
That one of the reasons for thus transfixing their 
prey is for the purpose of more conveniently feeding 
on it, there can be no doubt ; for if confined in a 
* Lin . Trans, vol. xv. 
