" Thus having ended all her piteous plaint, 470 With dolefull shrikes shee vanished away, That I, through inward sorrowe wexen faint, And all astonished with deepe dismay For her departure, had no word to say; But sate long time in sencelesse sad affright, 475 Looking still, if I might of her have sight.

Therewith she lowdly did lament and shrike, Pouring forth streames of teares abundantly; 230 And all her sisters, with compassion like, The breaches of her singulfs* did supply.

With that she wept and wofullie waymented, 355 That naught on earth her griefe might pacifie; And all the rest her dolefull din augmented With shrikes, and groanes, and grievous agonie.

With that she lowdly gan to waile and shrike, 475

The hero of Maud says: "For nature is one with rapine, a harm no preacher can heal; The Mayfly is torn by the swallow, the sparrow spear'd by the shrike.

To my ear they were often suggestive of the Northern shrike.

" On this first occasion, however, the green heron was speedily forgotten; for just then I heard another note, unlike anything I had ever heard before,as if a great Northern shrike had been struck with preternatural hoarseness, and, like so many other victims of the Northern winter, had betaken himself to a sunnier clime.

For at least half an hour the old mill was forgotten, while I chased the grackle about, as he flew hither and thither, sometimes with a loggerhead shrike in furious pursuit.

When I tired of chasing the grackle, or the shrike had driven him away (I do not remember now how the matter ended), I started again toward the old sugar mill.

In the valley, as I crossed the railroad track, a loggerhead shrike sat, almost of course, on the telegraph wire in dignified silence; and just beyond, among the cabins, I had my choice of mocking-birds and orchard orioles.

"Isn't the Great White Owl one of these?" "Yes, the Snowy Owl is one of them; so is the Snowflake, who comes to us on the wings of the storm; the tiny Winter Wren, the Great Northern Shrike, and many others, who arrive when snow-tide is upon us in the temperate part of the country, after our song birds have flown to the warmer south.

THE GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE (Or BUTCHER BIRD)

Nat and Rap must each have their turn before it comes to you again; besides, this Shrike is a sort of cousin to the Vireos by right of his hooked beak, and you know I am trying to place our birds somewhat in their regular family order.

[Illustration: Northern Shrike.]

"I do not wonder that you think so, my lassie; and so they would be if they ate birds only; but the Shrike earns his right to be thought a good Citizen by devouring mice and many kinds of insects, like beetles, which injure orchards and gardens.

"In fact, the Shrike is especially useful in helping us to drive out the greedy, quarrelsome English Sparrow.

"For this reason we must forgive the Shrike if he takes a few other birds when he is hungry and in a hurry.

Where the Shrike spends his winters, the food-supply is variable; it may snow for days and days, when he can find nothing to eat; so he has learned to store up provisions when the hunting is good, and of course such a thrifty bird may sometimes save up more than he really needs.

"You may know this Shrike on sight without hearing him singand perhaps you do not expect a cannibal bird to be a singer.

But in late March and early April, when he is about to take his homeward journey to the North, he often warbles beautifully, and even brings in some mocking notes, until you would think that a Catbird, Thrasher, or Mockingbird must have wandered from the South too soon; and if you ever happen to see a Shrike and a Mocker close together, you may mistake one for the other, they look so much alike at a little distance.

The Great Northern Shrike Length about ten inches.

" This charming little Hawk, about the size of a Shrike, had all the beauty of shape and color of a song bird, combined with Hawk-like dash.

"Y-e-s, I have, but not many more than the Shrike takes, and mostly seed-eatershardly ever an insect-eating song bird.

Great Northern Shrike La'nius borea'lis.

Godman threatened Hanah, and said let her looke to it for God will bring it vpon her owne head, and about two dayes after, Hanahs fitts began, and one night especially had a dreadfull fitt, and was pinched, and heard a hedious noise, and was in a strang manner sweating and burning, and some time cold and full of paine yt she shriked out.