SHRIKE, or BuTerm-B1Rn, Lanius, a genus of birds of the family loniad• (q.v.), approaching more nearly in character to thcfalconzike than any other of that family; having a short, thick, and compressed bill, the upper mandible curve, hooked at the tip, and furnished with a prominent tooth, the base of the bill beset with hairs, which point forward. The species are numerous, most of them natives of warm climates, although some occur in the more northern parts of the world. They prey on insects and small birds, and have a remarkable habit of impaling their prey on thorns; so that the nest of a shrike may be discovered by the numerous insects impaled in the neighborhood of it. Shrikes kill and impale many insects which they never eat, leaving them to dry in the sun; and in confinement they make use for this purpose of a nail, if provided with it, or stick portions of their food between the wires of the cage. They can imitate • in some degree the notes of many birds, particularly those which are the utterance of dis tress, and they seem to make use of this power in order to attract birds within their rfiach. The most common British species, rarely seen, however, except in the s. of Eng
land, is the RED-BACKED SHRIKE (L. collures), a bird only about 71 in. in length, about a third of the length being formed by the tail, which is square at the end. Insects are the chief food of this bird, but it also preys on small birds, young frogs, and even young pheasants.—The GREAT GRAY SHRIKE, or SENTINEL SHRIKE (L. e.rcubitor), is about the size of a thrush. It is a rare bird in Britain, but common in some parts of Europe, and is found also in Asia and North America. It was formerly used by falconers in catching hawks, of which it is greatly afraid, screaming loudly on their approach; the falconer waited in concealment, after fastening some pigeons and a shrike to the ground, until the scream of the shrike gave him notice to pull the string of his net.