260 
BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
not I am quite positive ever breed within our limits. It is found as a breeder in 
in North America beyond the northern United States. The Shrike, or Butcher¬ 
bird as it is usually called, which breeds here, and is common, especially in the 
northwestern part of the commonwealth, is the Loggerhead, that in many instances 
I have found is mistaken for borealis. The Northern Shrike, although occurring 
more or less regularly in all parts of the state in winter, is more numerous in the 
northern tier of counties, and in the mountainous regions than elsewhere. In 
Cameron, Potter, Elk and Susquehanna counties, this, the largest Butcher-bird—a 
rather plentiful winter visitor about orchards, fence-rows and tields—is termed 
by many “Little Gray Hawk.” The name of Butcher-bird is given to the species 
because of the curious habit they have of impaling their prey on thorns or sharp- 
pointed twigs. They subsist mainly on large insects (beetles and grasshoppers), 
and they likewise devour small birds—particularly sparrows—mice and other 
small mammals. Butcher-birds are rather stout, heavy and liawk-like in appear¬ 
ance. While it is true that they kill a good many small wild birds, and even 
sometimes boldly attack cage-birds, they merit our protection as their dietary* is 
mainly made up of noxious insects ; and the Northern Shrike, which devours more 
small birds than the others, kills many mice as well as insects, and he also preys 
considerably on English Sparrows. The bulky nest is generally built in thorny trees 
or bushes; eggs four to seven, dull white, spotted with light brown, purplish or 
olive. The eggs of ludovicianus measure .97 long by .72 wide, those of the variety 
excubitorides are about the same size, and the eggs of borealis are a little over 1 inch 
long by about f wide. 
“Bill very powerful, strong, and much compressed, the tip abruptly hooked, 
deeply notched, and with a prominent tooth behind the notch ; both mandibles dis¬ 
tinctly notched, the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent 
up. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, strongly scutellate. Primaries, ten ; 1st pri¬ 
mary halt the 2d, or shorter. Wings short, rounded ; tail long and much graduated. 
Sides of tarsi with the plates divided on the outside.” Bill and feet bluish black; 
eyes dark brown. Sexes are alike ; the bill is less than an inch long. In some con¬ 
ditions of piumage it is impossible to distinguish the Loggerhead from the White- 
rum ped. 
Genus LANIUS Linnaeus. 
Lanius borealis Vieiil. 
Northern Shrike; Great Northern Shrike; Butcher-bird. 
Description {Plate 96). 
Length about 1(H inches ; extent about 14 ; tail aboutl^ ; wing 41 ; tarsus 1 ; above 
pale bluish-gray, whitening on upper tail-coverts andscapulars, and some specimens 
have upper parts faintly tinged with pale rusty; below whitish (sometimes tinged 
with pale brown), breast and sides “ waved” with dusky or grayish lines ; lores and 
a broad streak back of eye black ; wings and tail blackish ; the primaries are white 
from base to about half their length ; nearly all tail feathers have white tips and 
outer webs of lateral ones are white. 
Habitat. —Northern North America, south in the winter to the middle portions ot 
the United States (Washington, D. C., Kentucky, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, etc.). 
The Northern Shrike is more common in the upper than the lower 
half of Pennsylvania, where it is as a winter resident from November to 
April, frequenting* briery thickets, thorn hedges and grassy tields near 
* In 1885 I collected a dozen or fifteen Loggerhead Shrikes in Florida, and two of them were stained 
about the face, with what appeared to be juices of mulberries or other soft fruit; possibly this species 
feeds sometimes on berries, etc. 
