Identifier: wildlifeoforchar00inge (find matches)
Title: Wild life of orchard and field;
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946
Subjects: Animal behavior
Publisher: (New York London) Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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his noseNapoleonic; his forehead high and white; hismustache as heavy and black as that of any cav-alier in Spain. This Mephistopheles among birdsis a ruffian, truly, yet with polish and a couragewithout bravado which commend him. Being anoutlaw in the avine kingdom, he can only main-tain himself by adroitness and force, but has suchsingular impetuosity, prudence, and fortitude thathe is not only able to keep himself and his re-tainers in health and w^ealth and happiness, butto gratify his bloodthirsty love of revenge by kill-ing numberless innocents without mercy. Thushe has struck terror to the heart of every featheredinhabitant of the January woods. Like Caesar,he knows and joyously endures hunger and coldand thirst. Is it biting, freezing weather, andblinding snow? Little cares he; he can then themore easily surprise his benumbed prey. Is ita warm, sap-starting, inviting day? He is atthe festival of the birds—a fatal intruder intomany a happy circle. His favorite perch is the 76
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WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD high rider of some lonely fence, where he quietlywaits till a luckless field-mouse creeps out and heis able to pounce upon it; or an incautious sparrowor kinglet dashes past, unconscious of the watch-ful foe who seizes him like a flash of lightning.Having felled his quarry with a single blow, hereturns to his fence-post and eats the brains—rarelymore—or perhaps does not taste a single billful,but impales the body upon a thorn, or hangs it inan angle of the fence, as a butcher suspends hisquarters of beef. It used to be thought this mur-derer thus impaled nine captives, and no more,so he was christened nine-killer; the bookmenlabelled him Lanius horealis; we know him as thebutcher-bird; he is the arctic brother of the sum-mer shrikes, and the boldest and bravest of his sav-age race. WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD Y IN MARCH WEATHER

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