. The birds about us. Birds. 74 The Birds About Us. akin to the shrikes, birds of a harsh name, or butcher-birds, which is full of bloody meaning; and certainly the birds have nothing to commend them. They are not pretty, they are not sociable, they have no song-power worthy of attention, and they do go about seeking whom, among weaker animals, they may devour. Dr. Coues says of the two species found in the United States,— " Matching tlie bravest of the brave among birds of prey in deeds of daring, and no less relentless than reckless, the shrike com- pels that sort of deference, not unmi
. The birds about us. Birds. 74 The Birds About Us. akin to the shrikes, birds of a harsh name, or butcher-birds, which is full of bloody meaning; and certainly the birds have nothing to commend them. They are not pretty, they are not sociable, they have no song-power worthy of attention, and they do go about seeking whom, among weaker animals, they may devour. Dr. Coues says of the two species found in the United States,— " Matching tlie bravest of the brave among birds of prey in deeds of daring, and no less relentless than reckless, the shrike com- pels that sort of deference, not unmixed with indignation, we are accustomed to accord to creatures of seeming insignificance, whose exploits demand much strength, great spirit, and insatiate love of carnage. We cannot be indifferent to the marauder who takes his own wherever he finds it,—a feudal baron, who holds his own with undisputed sway,—an ogre whose victims are so many more than he can eat that he actually keeps a private graveyard for the ; There are two of these shrikes: the " Loggerhead" comes in April to the Middle States, and northward, and remains all s u m m e r, a 1- ^> dSi .' *^^m. though not equally distrib- uted ; and in November the Great Northern Shrike comes down and stays until April, so we are never without one or the other of them. Did they not kill small birds we would have no com-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Abbott, Charles C. (Charles Conrad), 1843-1919. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
