. Vögel des Seeufers und der Prärie . wenige faszinierendere Sehenswürdigkeiten in der Natur als die des Vogels mit seinem Körper absolut bewegungslos, aber mit seinen Flügeln, die sich mit der Schnelligkeit der Blaseneines elektrischen Ventilators bewegen. Scharf gegen den Himmel skizziert, fixiert es die Aufmerksamkeit und weckt ein Interesse, das wenig Raum für Sympathie mit dem beabsichtigten Opfer lässt, das man weiß, dass es unten hudert. Eine Maus im Freien hat wenig Chance, aus den Klauen des schwebenden Würgers zu entfliehen. Vögel jedoch, die Weisheit genug haben, um im Busch zu bleiben und ihrem Schutz zu vertrauen, anstatt in den offenen Flug zu starten,
1442 x 1732 px | 24,4 x 29,3 cm | 9,6 x 11,5 inches | 150dpi
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. Birds of lakeside and prairie . few more fascinating sights innature than that of the bird with its body absolutely motion-less, but with its wings moving with the rapidity of the bladesof an electric fan. Sharply outlined against the sky, it fixesthe attention and rouses an interest that leaves little room forsympathy with the intended victim that one knows is cower-ing below. A mouse in the open has little chance for escapefrom the clutches of the hovering shrike. Birds, however, which have wisdom enough to stay in the bush and trust toits shelter rather than to launch out into open flight, are morethan apt to escape with their lives. In February last I saw twoshrike-pursued English sparrows take to the cover of a vine-covered lilac shrub. They sought a place well near the roots.While flying they had shown every symptom of fear and weremaking a better pace than I had ever seen one of their tribemake before. The shrike brought itself up sharply in midairdirectly over the lilac, and there it hovered on light wing and. G. N. Shrike, Butcher 145 looked longingly downward through the interlacing stems atthe sparrows. It paid no heed to its human observer whowas standing within a few feet and who, to his amazement, saw an utter absence of any appearance of fear on the part ofthe sparrows. They apparently knew that the shrike couldnot strike them down because of the intervening branches.They must have known also that owing to the comparativeclumsiness of their pursuer when making its way on footthrough and along twigs and limbs, they could easily eludehim if he made an attempt at capture after that manner.Finally the shrike forsook the tip of the lilac and beganworking its way downward along the outer edge of the shrub.When it had approached to a point as near as the sparrowsthought was comfortable, they shifted their position in thebush. The shrike saw that the quest was useless unless hecould start them to flight. He tried it, but they were toocunning for him, and he a
