Identifier: birdsnature9101unse (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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s and tail black; primarieswhite at the base, secondaries tipped withwhite or grayish; outer, sometimes allthe tail feathers, tipped with white, theouter feathers mostly white; foreheadwhitish; lores grayish black; ear covertsblack; under parts white, generally finelybarred with black; bill hooked and hawk-like. Immature bird similar, but entireplumage more or less heavily barred orwashed with grayish brown. One has to have something of thesavage in him to enjoy thoroughly thestudy of the shrike. As a matter of fact,the close daily observance of the bird in-volves some little sacrifice for the personwhose nature is tempered with mercy.The shrike is essentially cruel. It is abutcher pure and simple and a butcherthat knows no merciful methods in ply-ing its trade. More than this, the shrikeis the most arrant hypocrite in the wholebird calendar. Its appearance as it sitsapparently sunning itself, but in realitykeeping sharp lookout for prey, is theperfect counterfeit of innocence. The 14
Text Appearing After Image:
(Lanius borealis). * w MUMFO°. ch.cago. About % Life size. LIBRARYONIVERSlf V Of i Great Northern Shrike is no mean vocal-ist. Its notes are alluringly gentle, and,to paraphrase a somewhat famous quota-tion, It sings and sings and is a villainstill. There is one compensation beyond thegeneral interest of the thing for the stu-dent who has to endure the sight of thesufferings of the shrikes victims in orderto get an adequate idea of its conduct oflife. The redeeming thing is found inthe fact that in the winter time the greatmajority of the shrikes victims are thepestilential English sparrows, whomevery bird lover would be willing to seesacrificed to make a shrikes supper,though he might regret the attendingpain pangs. My own observations of the shrikehave been limited to the city of Chicagoand to the fields immediately beyond itswalls. For those unfamiliar with thesubject it may be best to say that in thewinter season the shrike is abundant inthe parks of the great smoky city by thela

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