. The land-birds and game-birds of New England; with descriptions of the birds, their nests and eggs, their habits and notes, with illustrations; . d for such small is full of character, energy, and vehemence, though some of 166 LAND-BlRDa the lower whistles are sweet and quite different in tone. Itpartakes of the owners nature, much as the human voice does,and indicates the almost fiery temperament of these littleVireos, which is so markedly in contrast with the cheerfulness,gentleness, and calmness of other members of their music is constantly varied, and in it one may
. The land-birds and game-birds of New England; with descriptions of the birds, their nests and eggs, their habits and notes, with illustrations; . d for such small is full of character, energy, and vehemence, though some of 166 LAND-BlRDa the lower whistles are sweet and quite different in tone. Itpartakes of the owners nature, much as the human voice does,and indicates the almost fiery temperament of these littleVireos, which is so markedly in contrast with the cheerfulness,gentleness, and calmness of other members of their music is constantly varied, and in it one may occasion-ally hear the apparently mimicked notes of other birds. § 14. LANIID^. Shrikes, (See § 13.) I. LANIUS. A. BOREALis. (^Great Northern) Shrike. •Butcher-hirdyA winter visitant to Massachusetts, but never very common.* a. 9-10 inches long. Above, light bluish ash, very lighton the rump. Below, white, very finely waved with black(often almost imperceptibly). Edging of crown, eye-ringand middle of the forehead, white. Rest of forehead, contin-uously with broad stripes through the eye, black. Wings andtail, black, with white Fig. 7. h. The nest is placed in the woods, in the fork of a bush,not far from the ground. It is composed of leaves, grasses,and roots, is often lined with feathers, and is finished early inthe season. One set of eggs contains from four to six, aver-aging X .80 of an inch. A specimen before me is blotchedand spotted, most thickly about the crown, with faint lilac, andlight sandy and yellowish brown ; others are darker. * A winter resident, common for a bird of its solitary habits and predatorydisposition, but seldom seen in any considerable numbers. — W. B. SHRIKES. 167 c. The Shrikes have the cruelty of the Hawks, but not thestateliness of some, nor the gracefulness of others. Neitherhave they the charms of many passerine birds, for they arewild, and, moreover, incapable of uttering musical sounds.*Yet there is attached to them tha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsne, bookyear1895
