Is the least of the hawk species, and, as his name implies, is not very different in size from the blackbird; the word Merlin signifying in French a small merle, or blackbird. However, he is one of the best birds our falconers used for hawking. The male is also smaller than the female, as in the other kinds, and is noted for his boldness and spirit, often attacking and killing at one stroke a full-grown partridge or a quail. The back of this bird is party-coloured, of dark blue and brown; the flag feathers of the wings black, with rusty spots; the train is about five inches long, of a dark brown or blackish colour, with transverse white bars: the breast and belly down is of a dirty white, interspersed with brown spots: the legs are long, slender, and yellow; the talons black. The head is encircled with a row of yellowish feathers, not unlike a coronet. In the male the feathers on the rump, next the tail, are bluer; a mark by which, as well as by his size, the falconers easily discern the sex of the bird.

ALSO called the Ninekiller, and of the shrike tribe, is known in the north of England by the name of Waryangle. It is said that he catches small birds to the number of nine, and affixes them to a thorn, one after another; and that when he has completed the number nine, he begins to tear them in pieces in order to eat them. But this story carries with itself proofs of its falsity. Would a hungry bird refrain from satisfying his appetite till he has ranged his victims in a row, and not touch any of them till a certain number is attained? The fact is, that this small bird is so courageous, that he will attack, combat, and kill much bigger birds than himself; and that to manage his tearing them with more ease, he hangs them on a thorn, as a butcher does his beasts on a hook, and dilaniates them at pleasure; from which circumstance the French call him the Lanier, from the Latin Lanius, a butcher." In America, the Great Shrike has been observed to adopt an odd stratagem, for the apparent purpose of decoying its prey. A gentleman there, accidentally observing that several grasshoppers were stuck upon the sharp

thorny branches of the trees, inquired the cause of the phenomenon, and was informed that they were thus spitted by this bird. On further inquiry he was led to suppose that this was an instinctive stratagem adopted by the Shrike, in order to decoy the smaller birds, which feed on insects, into a situation from which he could dart on and seize them. In spring and summer he imitates the voices of other birds by way of alluring them within his reach that he may devour them; excepting this, his natural note is the same throughout all seasons. When kept in a cage, even where he seems most contented, he is always mute. His head, back, and rump are ash coloured; the chin and belly white; the breast and lower part of the throat varied with dark lines, crossing each other; the tips of the feathers of the wings are for the most part white; he has a black spot by the eye; the utmost feathers of the male are all over white; the two middlemost have only their tips white, the rest of the feathers being black, as well as the legs and feet. He builds his nest among thorny shrubs and dwarf trees, and furnishes it with moss, wool, and downy herbs, where the female lays five or six eggs. A peculiarity belonging to the birds of this kind is, that they do not, like others, expel the young ones from the nest, as soon as they can provide for themselves, but the whole brood live together in one family. The Butcher-bird will chase all the small birds upon the wing, and will sometimes venture to attack partridges, and even young hares. Thrushes, blackbirds, and such like, are their common prey; they fix on them with their talons, split the skull with their bill, and feed on them at leisure. It is easy to distinguish these birds at a distance, not only from their going in companies, but also from their manner of flying, which is always up and down, seldom in a direct line, or obliquely.

CALLED, in Yorkshire, Flusher, is about the size of a lark, with a large head. About the nostrils and corners of the mouth he has black hairs or bristles; and about the eyes a large black longitudinal spot; the back and upper side of the wings are of a rusty colour; the head and rump cinereous; the throat and breast white, spotted with red. He builds his nest of grass; and the female lays six eggs, nearly all white, except at the blunt end, which is encircled with brown or dark red marks. The female is somewhat larger than the male; the head is of a rust colour, mixed with gray; the breast, belly, and sides of a dirty white; the tail deep brown; the exterior web of the outer feathers white. Its manners are similar to the last named. It frequently preys on young birds, which it takes in the nest; it likewise feeds on grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects. Like the last, it imitates the notes of other birds, in order the more surely to decoy them. When sitting on the nest, the female soon discovers herself at the approach of any person, by her loud and violent outcries.

Is upwards of two feet in length, and above four in breadth. His weight is about three pounds. The bill is strong, black, and hooked. The plumage of the whole body of a shining black, glossed with deep blue; yet the black of the belly inclines to a dusky colour. He is of a strong and hardy disposition, and inhabits all climates of the globe. He builds his nest in trees; and the female lays five or six eggs of a palish green colour, spotted with brown. The life of this bird extends to a century; and above, if we can believe the accounts of several naturalists on the subject. The Raven unites the voracious appetite of the crow to the dishonesty of the daw, and the docility of almost every other bird. He feeds chiefly on small animals; and is said to destroy rabbits, young ducks, and chickens, and sometimes even lambs, when they happen to be dropped in a weak state. In the northern regions, he preys in concert with the white bear, the arctic fox,