A BIRD THAT IS A BUTCHER 
“What bird is that, Uncle Jack?” asked Fred, as he 
pointed to a bird sitting on a dead branch of a tree. 
“It looks like a mocking bird,” said Marylee. 
“No, it is not a mocking bird,” replied Uncle Jack. 
“That is a Shrike. That is a hard name to remember. 
There is another name for him which I like much bet¬ 
ter. He is also called a Butcher bird.” 
“Why is he called that?” asked Buddy. “A butcher is 
a man in a meat market. He keeps meat hanging in his 
ice box until we buy it.” 
Uncle Jack smiled as he answered, “Well, Buddy, birds 
do not sell meat, but this bird does hang his meat up like 
the butcher does. He catches grasshoppers, beetles, and 
mice. If he is hungry, he eats them right away. But if 
he is not, he does not throw them away. He carries them 
to a thorn bush and hangs them on the thorns. When 
he gets hungry, he can go back and eat them.” 
“Then butcher bird is a very good name for him,” 
said Bess. 
“He is so far away that I cannot see him very well,” 
said Buddy. “But I think I see a hook on the end of his 
upper bill.” 
“Yes, he does have a sharp hook on the end of his 
upper bill,” said Uncle Jack. “And he has something 
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