Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/574

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538
GREAT CINEREOUS SHRIKE.


The grey of the upper parts tinged with brown, the white of the lower with yellowish-brown, in other respects the same.

Young bird. Plate CXC 1 1. Fig. 4.

The bill greyish-blue, at the end brownish-black, the upper parts grey, deeply tinged with brown, with which the quills and their coverts are margined ; the upper tail-coverts transversely barred ; the whitish line over the eye less distinct, the ear-coverts dark brown, the lower parts pale grey, tinged with brown, and undulated all over ; the four middle tail-feathers black.

The older the birds are, the more pure and pale does the grey of the upper parts become, while the undulations of the lower parts gradually disappear, although I have not seen an individual in which they were alto- gether obliterated.

On comparing this bird with the Lanius Excubitor of Europe, I can- not perceive any differences that could induce me for a moment to con- ceive them distinct. The relative length of the quills, the length of the bill and tarsus, the general form, size, and colouring, differ in no essen- tial respect. I am, therefore, decidedly of opinion that our Shrike is the same bird as that which occurs in Europe. The old female, as has been stated above, differs little in tint from the old male, the younger birds only (of both sexes) being deeply browned. A fine adult male which was shot near Edinburgh, and is preserved in the beautiful Museum of the University of that city, agrees in all respects with specimens from America in my possession.

Ckat^gus APiiroLiA, Mich. Fl. Amer. vol. i. p. 28?. Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 336 IcosANDRiA Pentagynia, Linn. Rosace^i;, Juss.

This species of Hawthorn bears a great resemblance to that so common in Europe. It grows on the banks of rivers and in damp woods in several of the Southern States, and attains a height of twelve or fifteen feet. The leaves are somewhat triangular in their general outline, incisolobate, the lobes acute and deeply toothed ; the flowers white, and the berries ovate or oblong, of a deep red colour.