Lanius minor, LINNÆUS; Der graue Würger, BECHSTEIN.
It is about the size of the sky-lark, being eight inches in length, of
which the tail measures three and a half, the folded wings cover
one-third. The beak is black, and seven inches in length; the iris
brown; the legs of a lead-colour; the forehead black; a broad streak of
the same colour passing from the beak across the eyes and over the
cheeks; the tail is wedge-shaped; the exterior feathers are white, with
a black spot.
The female only differs from the male in being a little smaller, the
streak on the cheeks is shorter and narrower, and there is generally
only one white feather in the tail.
HABITATION.--Wild, it is a bird of passage, departing the first of
September, and returning the beginning of the following May[15]. It
generally frequents woods, orchards, and the hedges of fields. Always
perched on the tops of trees, it rarely descends into the lower
bushes. It feeds on insects.
In the house, it must have a large wire cage like the larks, but with
three perches. It is not safe to let it mix with the other birds, as
it would soon kill them.
FOOD.--In its wild state it feeds on beetles, cockchafers, crickets,
breeze-flies, and other insects; when these fail, in consequence of a
long continuance of rain, it sometimes seizes young birds.
In the house, if an old bird and lately taken, as soon as it is put
in the cage, some living insects, or a small bird just killed, must
be thrown into it. After some time, it will be satisfied with raw or
dressed meat; but it is not always an easy task to get it to eat this
food, for it will sometimes take eight successive days, during which
meal worms and other insects are added; but as soon as it is
accustomed to meat, it becomes so tame that it will feed from the
hand, and if the cage door be opened it will even perch on the wrist
to eat. Notwithstanding all my care, I have only been able to
preserve those two years, which have been taken wild, they have all
died of decline[16]; those, on the contrary, which have been reared
from the nest, do not require so much attention, being contented with
any kind of common food.
BREEDING.--This bird generally builds in a tree on the edge of a wood,
or in a garden, the nest being rather large and irregular. The young
are fed on beetles and grasshoppers. In order to rear them, they must
be taken from the nest when the tail begins to grow, and fed at first
on ants' eggs, and afterwards on white bread soaked in milk.
MODE OF TAKING.--When the particular brambles and branches have been
observed, on which this bird watches for its prey, it is not
difficult to catch it; for notwithstanding its great quickness, it is
not the less imprudent, for it allows itself to be caught in the
bird-lime in the most stupid manner.
ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--This species has no particular song: the female
has none at all; but the male imitates, with wonderful facility, the
songs of other birds, not only the detached parts, but the whole
notes, so correctly that it would not be difficult to mistake it.
Thus it imitates exactly, and in order, all the variations of the
song of the nightingale, though more feebly, and like an echo, its
notes not being so full and clear: it imitates equally well the song
of the lark, and similar birds. This wonderful power of imitation
cannot fail to please amateurs, and make them wish to possess this
interesting bird. I have observed that it likes best to repeat the
call of the quail. One of this species which I had among my
collection, always stopped its song, however lively, when it heard
that of the quail, for the purpose of imitating it; the latter,
before it was accustomed to this, became very jealous, and as soon as
it heard it, ran about in every direction, furiously endeavouring to
fight its fancied rival.