thorn-tree.

As he entered the Old Orchard in the far corner he saw Johnny Chuck
sitting on his doorstep and hurried over to tell him the strange news.
Johnny listened until Peter was through, then told him quite frankly
that never had he heard of such a thing, and that he thought Peter must
have been dreaming and didn't know it.

"You're wrong, Johnny Chuck. Peter hasn't been dreaming at all," said
Skimmer the Swallow, who, you remember, lived in a hole in a tree just
above the entrance to Johnny Chuck's house. He had been sitting where he
could hear all that Peter had said.

"Well, if you know so much about it, please explain," said Johnny Chuck
rather crossly.

"It's simple enough," replied Skimmer. "Peter just happened to find the
storehouse of Butcher the Loggerhead Shrike. It isn't a very pleasant
sight, I must admit, but one must give Butcher credit for being smart
enough to lay up a store of food when it is plentiful."

"And who is Butcher the Shrike?" demanded Peter. "He's a new one to me.

"He's new to this location," replied Skimmer, "and you probably haven't
noticed him. I've seen him in the South often. There he is now, on the
tiptop of that tree over yonder."

Peter and Johnny looked eagerly. They saw a bird who at first glance
appeared not unlike Mocker the Mockingbird. He was dressed wholly in
black, gray and white. When he turned his head they noticed a black
stripe across the side of his face and that the tip of his bill was
hooked. These are enough to make them forget that otherwise he was like
Mocker. While they were watching him he flew down into the grass and
picked up a grasshopper. Then he flew with a steady, even flight, only
a little above the ground, for some distance, suddenly shooting up and
returning to the perch where they had first seen him. There he ate the
grasshopper and resumed his watch for something else to catch.

"He certainly has wonderful eyes," said Skimmer admiringly. "He mast
have seen that grasshopper way over there in the grass before he started
after it, for he flew straight there. He doesn't waste time and energy
hunting aimlessly. He sits on a high perch and watches until he sees
something he wants. Many times I've seen him sitting on top of a
telegraph pole. I understand that Bully the English Sparrow has become
terribly nervous since the arrival of Butcher. He is particularly fond
of English Sparrows. I presume it was one of Bully's children you saw
in the th