The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-12-11

He Hangs Snakes, Birds and Chipmunks
on Thorn Bushes-A VeritabIe Terror of
the woods-A Born Thief as Wen as
Murderer-The Half Breed Idea.
No bird native to this country is so
little known and surely none has such
striking habits of life as the shrike, or
butcher bird. He is a member of fam
lily comprising some 900 species, Of
which only one we'll defined subfamily
is resident in North America. Bold,
daring, handsome, he is at once the
braggart and the beau of the woods. At
a little distance a southerner would
readily mistake him for the mocking
bird.
His blush gray plumage, tail tipped
with white and broad black patch across
each eye give him trim, jaunty air
quite pleasing to the eye, but, alas, a
dreaded object to smaller and weaker
birds. His habitat is northern North
America, and though he breeds in the
high ground of New England and New
York he grows more common after the
Canadian line is crossed.
The shrike is born tyrant. Not con-
tent with killing and devouring all in
scots large enough to attract his fancy,
he attacks snakes, moles, mice and small
birds whenever opportunity offers. His
disposition is as unlovable at home as
abroad, for seldom are two or more seen
together but they are engaged in an ug-
ly family quarrel. They are truly car
nivorous, and except for certain weak
nesses of bone and muscle would rank
as true birds of prey.
There is one strange, uncanny char
acteristic, however, which separates this
woodland bully from all known birds.
Naturalists have watched it, studied it,
pondered over it and written long pages
of inexplicable explanations Of it, and
common people have doubted in their
superstition or ignorance whether it was
the doing of bird or demon in bird
form. Today it remains as deep mys-
terry as it was 100 years ago.
This is the puzzle: The butcher bird
in his riotous love of killing Stays many
more victims than he has any possible
use for. He seems to do it for the mere
fun of the thing. Instead of leaving the
dead, however, he carries them one by
one to some thorny hedge or tree and
there impales them in all sorts Of fan
tastic positions in the branches. 1t gives
one a start to come out of piece OF
woods when cunning and see a thorn
tree laden with a CHASTITY crop of To-
Gusts, toads, sparrows, grass snakes, liz
ards and ohipmunks.
If the shrike ever returned to feed
upon his grim hoard, there would be an
explanation of his conduct, and he would
be credited with the epicurean taste OF
a thoroughbred vulture who likes things
"a bit gamy" But such is not the
case. The weird fruit hangs for days
upon the limbs, and if hawks or crows
do not find and steal it it will rot until
only few tiny white skeletons remain
to tell of the massacre.
Comparatively few jewellers in the
backwoods know this eccentricity of the
butcher bird, and hence arise many Gu
rious and apparently well authenticate
ed stories of trees that catch birds in
their branches and of storms that rain
ed down toads and lizards, so that the
trees were full of them.
The butcher bird is born thief as
well as a murderer and often meets his
death while hopelessly endeavoring to
kill and carry off tame pet bird from
a cage or to rob hunters cabin of
fresh meat. Any tidbit he finds he will
steal, even if only to suspend it from a
locust bough hard by. The Canadian
fur traders and trappers despise him
heartily and never lose a chance to kill
him. The half breeds call him Whisky
Joe" and claim he is half drunk all
the time, and hence does these foolish
things
He will spy out the most carefully
hidden trap and always manage to pur-
loin the bait without being caught. The
wild country north Of the great lakes is
a favorite haunt of these butchers, and
the Indians who hunt and sell furs to
the Hudson Bay company complain bit
terly of the depredations of Whisky
joe
The shrike builds bulky, somewhat
elaborate nest of heavy sticks below,
and upon this foundation warm cover
ing of bark, leaves and grass is laid. II
is usually in some low tree, and the
eggs, which are somewhat smaller than
a pigeons, are decidedly pretty. They
are of grayish green notified, specked
and scratched with reddish brown. The
young nestlings begin their education
by wrangling and fighting as soon as
Matched, in which amiable diversion
their fond parents set them striking and
perpetual examples. New York World.