owl does sometimes use his voice to pretty good purpose, but purely on matters of business, or when a little crossed in temper; but its American representative seems at times as if employed in getting up a complete chorus of laughter. Audobon, who heard its hilarious bursts, likens the sound to the merry laugh often heard from a party of men. Whether this is meant for a sly hit at human laughter, or a compliment to the capacities of this owl for fun, we do not presume to say. If owls can enjoy a joke, then, doubtless, this particular species is a sort of wit among birds, as his whole air, and the tones of his voice, suggest the notion of a sprightliness not often visible amongst the staid Strigidæ. Audobon was so taken with the bird's air and manners, as to name it the "Sancho Panza of our woods."

THE LITTLE OWL OF AMERICA (Strix acadica)

Is worthy of remark on account of its peculiar voice, which resembles the grating of a saw, and from this circumstance the bird has received the name of the saw-chit. So perfect is this resemblance to the sounds produced in a saw-mill, that travellers have frequently commenced a search for the appearance of a mill, the noises of which seemed close at hand. It has also a peculiar talent for ventriloquism, by which it often effectually deceives persons unacquainted with its habits. Mr. Maculloch, a friend of Audobon, describes an illusion of this nature experienced by himself. Whilst walking in a forest, the sound of a distant bell struck upon his ear. Surprised at this occurrence, he hastened towards the spot, the strange sounds being repeated as he advanced from another direction. He at length discovered the little owl peeping from a hole in a tree, and found that from it these singular tones had proceeded. This owl is generally found in deep forests, but evinces no dislike to human habitations; one of these birds was actually seen to alight on the edge of a cradle in which an infant was sleeping, on whom he continued to gaze with that philosophical air so characteristic of the owl.

THE BURROWING-OWL (Strix cunicularia).

This species is remarkable for making its abode in the holes dug by the prairie dogs of America. These quadrupeds form, in some parts, large colonies, and dig numerous holes in the ground, wherein they burrow. The owl of which we are now treating

does not take the trouble to excavate a house for himself, but walks into one of the hollows formed by the bischaca, an animal of the chinchilla family, which, disliking such a fellow-lodger, evacuates the premises, and leaves the owl in possession rent free. All, however, do not find it convenient to seek a new residence, and in this case the owl becomes a co-tenant with the original occupier; probably the quadruped draws some rent from the intruder in the shape of fragments of food brought in by the burrowing-owl.

This submission to intrusion on the part of the chinchilla does not arise from fear, for these little creatures are remarkable for the ferocity with which they defend themselves when attacked by hunters or dogs. The bird is quite in the right, no doubt, to obtain for itself a house without the trouble of building the same, but what does it do in districts where the burrowing chinchilla is not known?

This owl is then thrown upon its own resources, and sets to work most vigorously to dig a habitation for itself, which it soon accomplishes to its perfect satisfaction.

It is rather a laughable spectacle which often meets the traveller's view in the countries inhabited by the strix cunicularia ; for, as the horseman passes along the road, hollowed in every direction by the owls, he now and then receives most ugly falls in consequence of his horse putting his foot into one of the owlhouses. As he rises, rubbing his bruised bones and wishing the owls in the centre of the earth, he sees dozens of the birds standing on the hillocks beholding his misfortunes with an air of such malicious gravity, that he cannot refrain from suspecting they are joining in a quizzical bird-laugh at his expense.

The epithet cunicularia signifies burrowing, and is therefore an appropriate description of this singular little owl.

Many varieties of the Strigide family might be described in addition to those already mentioned, but no useful result could be gained by a mere enumeration of different species, as all the interesting peculiarities of these birds have been given in the above accounts. Here, therefore, we conclude these brief notices of the birds which so often heighten the interest of lonely ruins, and connect the deep gloom of hoary woods with a poetic melancholy. Those whose tastes or studies lead them to the ruined abbeys and castles of the land, or to some of those ivy-mantled priories which so thickly dot the banks of the Thames on its winding course by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire borders, may have their reminiscences of these birds revived by the foregoing descriptions; whilst such as are cut off from these opportunities may have their knowledge of nature extended, and their admiration of her varied works increased.

The Butcher-Birds, or Shrikes.

THIS is the last family of the predacious birds, which we place at the close of this account of the Raptores, in imitation of Linnæus, who arranges the shrikes immediately after the owls. These birds may indeed be regarded as the link between the carnivorous and the insectivorous orders in the feathered kingdom; for they resemble the former in their fierce attacks upon other birds, and the latter in their readiness to feed upon small insects. Standing, therefore, between two large divisions, this family attracts the attention of the ornithologist, who sees the instincts of many birds meeting in this one. Perhaps the general reader may require to be told, that an animal which partakes of the properties of other species, is looked upon with a high degree of interest, as it gratifies us by exhibiting an unbroken series, and startles our understanding by no sudden change from species to species. Were there no bird between the carnivorous and the insectivorous, a chasm would exist, which, though we dare not call it a defect, we should gladly see filled up. This is done in the present case by the shrikes, which possess the qualities of both the hawk and the swallow, being destroyers of birds and feeders on insects.

The scientific name of the family is Lanida, which we may fairly translate by the words, "butcher-bird;" for Lanida is formed from lanius, the Latin for a butcher. The fierceness evinced by the whole species justifies the use of so unpoetic a name; for though some of the shrikes are not larger than a sparrow, they have a degree of pugnacity equal to that of the eagle. Some of the foreign species will indeed attack the king of birds

when he chances to approach too near their nests; and it is probable that eight or nine of the American shrikes might give the largest falcon sufficient annoyance to drive it from their neighbourhood.

Some account of the following species will suffice to illustrate the habits of the whole family :-1st,

THE LARGE GRAY BUTCHER-BIRD (Lanius excubitor). This is the largest of our English species, and is not so rare as many suppose; though in some parts of the country the most persevering naturalist might fail to discover one. It is with us during autumn and winter, when its food consists of mice, frogs, small birds, and large insects. The peculiar characteristic of all this family is, the mode of killing and feeding upon their prey. They generally strangle small birds, from which custom some term them hanging birds," the prey is then impaled upon a sharp and stout thorn, when the shrike tears the body with its beak.

Selby, in his " British Ornithology," describes the operation in a passage which, though it has been repeatedly cited, may interest those readers who have never witnessed this peculiar feat of the butcher-bird. He is speaking of the large gray shrike, and says, "I had the gratification of witnessing this operation of the shrike upon a hedge-sparrow which it had just killed; it hovered with the prey in its bill for a short time over the hedge, apparently occupied in selecting a thorn fit for its purpose. Upon disturbing it, and advancing to the spot, I found the sparrow firmly fixed by the wing at the selected twig." The following passage from Wilson will still further illustrate the shrike's proceedings. "Mr. Bell, while on his travels through Russia, had one of these birds given him, which he kept in a room, having fixed up a sharp stick in the wall for him; and on turning some small birds loose into the room, the butcher-bird instantly caught them by the throat, in such a manner as soon to suffocate them, and then stuck them on the stick, pulling them on with bill and claws; and so served as many as were turned loose one after another." This impulse to impale the prey is so strong, that the caged shrike tries to fasten its food to the wires of the cage. They evince a preference for the brains of birds, and usually cleave the skull to secure these desired morsels.

The country people in some parts call this shrike the murdering magpie, a tolerably apt description, it must be confessed. Other provincial names are, the mountain magpie, mattagess, and wierangel. This last appellation is evidently derived from the old English word, warangel, which signifies a fierce bird; and in this sense Chaucer employs the epithet. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, says, that the Germans call it the wurchangel, or suffo

CH. IV.

THE RED-BACKED BUTCHER-BIRD.

247

cating angel, from its custom of strangling birds. The connexion between the words warangel and wurchangel is obvious. Some assert that the shrike imitates the voice of other birds, in order to decoy them within its reach; whilst others, and especially a modern writer, ridicule the notion, confidently denying the whole statement. Audobon, however, distinctly intimates that such is the case with the American gray shrike; he says, "This valiant little warrior possesses the faculty of imitating the notes of other birds, especially such as are indicative of pain. Thus it will often mimic the cries of a sparrow and other small birds, so as to make you believe you hear them screaming in the claws of a hawk; and I strongly suspect this is done for the purpose of inducing others to come from their coverts to the rescue of their suffering brethren." The fact of imitation is here most positively stated; the object of the bird is only presumed. Linnæus applied the word excubitor (a sentinel) to this bird from its habit of watching and waiting for the appearance of prey. The name Lanius excubitor may therefore be translated by the words, "sentinel butcher-bird."

We have already stated that this species is rare in England, but the smaller shrike is more abundant. This is

The Red-backed Butcher-bird, which is frequently found in the south-western parts of England, where, indeed, its fearless habits often bring it into danger from the sportsman's gun. He who is fond of wandering in lanes and by hedges in the country, may sometimes see the half-eaten body of a grasshopper, or a small bird fixed on a sharp thorn, where he may suppose some mischievous and truant schoolboy has impaled it. This is in all probability the work of the fierce little shrike, which generally hangs its prey on some strong thorn twig before proceeding to devour it. This tendency to suspend the prey on a branch, where it may be more conveniently torn and divided, has doubtless procured for this species the name of butcher-bird.

The reader may perhaps inquire whether the shrike possesses any peculiarity of structure which disposes it to impale its prey? Undoubtedly the tendency just described arises from the organisation of the bird, for it may be taken as a general rule, that structure makes habits. We find this principle pervading all forms of animal life; thus, a peculiarity of foot (the webbed toes) leads some birds to the water, as the ducks and gulls. Another variation in the same member compels others to perch on trees; and all such modifications in the manner of living must have a very extensive influence on all the instincts and habits of a bird. Thus we see at once, that when a particular structure of the body fits a bird to live in the water, its food must be different from that sought by a bird confined to the land.

Now, the reader must remember that the shrikes are birds of prey, and consequently the food requires some force to tear it