BY THE WAYSIDE 
37 
SCHOOL BRANCH DEPARTMENT 
Every Wisconsin School 
Branch is required to subscribe for at least one copy of BY THE WAYSIDE 
Letters for this department should be written on only 
one side of the page, should give the name, age and ad¬ 
dress of the writer, and should be mailed by the first of 
the month: Illinois children sending to Miss Mary Drum¬ 
mond, 208 \\ est St,, Wheaton, Ill., and Wisconsin children 
to Miss Edith Edwards, Appleton, Wis. An honor badge 
will be awarded for each state every month, preference 
being given to letters about the bird study for the month 
(which is always on this page) and to original observa¬ 
tions. Any child who wins the hopor badge twice will 
receive By the Wayside one year as a prize. 
The wren button, which is the badge of the Audubon 
Society, costs two cents and may be bought from Miss 
Mary Drummond or Mr Moyle. 
Any Wisconsin School Branch may, without expense, 
have the use of the Gordon and Merrill Libraries of bird 
books, by applying to Miss Sophia Schaefer, Librarian, 
679 North street Appleton. 
A set of colored bird slides with a typewritten lecture 
may be rented from Chas. E. Brown, State Historical 
Building, Madison, Wis. 
Illinois Schools, may use. without expense, a library 
or a lecture with lantern slides, by applying to E. S. 
Adams, 439 Elm Street, Chicago. 
- ; - 
Bird of the Month. 
The Northern Shrike visits us in win¬ 
ter, arriving from the North early in 
November and remaining until late in 
March, when it departs for its summer 
home in the interior of British America. 
One February morning while walking 
with a friend in Jackson Park, we were 
surprised to hear the clear, sweet call of 
some unknown bird. My friend declared 
it must be a mocking-bird. This winter 
song might easily be mistaken for a 
mocking-bird or catbird, but with deep 
snow on the ground, I recognized the 
notes of the northern shrike. 
As we slowly approached, the music 
ceased and the bird suddenly left its 
perch and gave chase to an English spar¬ 
row. We were near the old hunter’s 
cabin at the south end of the Wooded 
Island. The squeaking, frightened spar¬ 
row Hew around and around the cabin, 
steadily pursued by the shrike, which 
seemed to hold about the same even dis¬ 
tance of only a few feet behind it. Al¬ 
though flying for life, and making a 
desperate attempt to escape, the poor 
sparrow was unable to gain a foot. It 
finally darted off across the lagoon, and 
both pursued and pursuer were lost to 
view in the shrubbery. 
Again, on a November day, I saw a 
shrike drop from its perch in a large box- 
elder tree into some dead brush near by. 
Hidden for a moment, it quickly re¬ 
appeared and returned to its perch in 
the box-elder tree carrying a large mouse 
which it had caught on the ground dur¬ 
ing a brief interval of two or three seconds. 
The mouse was carried head foremost 
between the feet of the bird and as it 
passed I could plainly see its long tail 
hanging out behind. The bird quickly 
flew to some low shrubbery, carrying the 
mouse as before. I followed cautiously, 
and clearly observed its movements with 
the aid of a powerful glass. The mouse 
was quickly impaled on a thorn, its body 
being allowed to hang down and over a 
small branch, when the bird proceeded 
to devour it. From its manner of feed¬ 
ing, it was clear that this habit of im¬ 
paling its victim is to enable the bird to 
secure the animal while feeding. 
A bluejay will hold a young bird or 
any morsel of food on a limb with its 
foot while eating it, but the shrike, hav¬ 
ing comparatively weak feet, finds it more 
convenient to impale its prey on a thorn 
or other sharp object, where it is held 
securely while the bird proceeds to tear 
it to pieces. That this is probably the 
reason for this curious trait will appear 
more clearly if one observes the shrike in 
the act of eating. It does not perch with 
its food, but perches on a lower level and 
tears away with its hawk-like beak. 
In cities the principal food of the 
northern shrike consists of mice and 
English sparrows—both harmful species 
—so we must regard its winter residence 
in our parks as beneficial; but in country 
districts it also destrovs manv useful 
birds. However, the great numbers of 
mice it feeds upon may more than over¬ 
balance the harm it does among the 
birds.— J. L. De Vine. 
Ray, Ill., June 8, 1908. 
Dear Mrs. Scudder: 
I will ask you to please send me the 
literature of the Audubon Society telling 
of the protection of birds. I will also 
send you a description of the bluebird— 
