The fourth shrike.

December 24. 

Those two places in middle of Walden not frozen over yet, though it was quite cold last night! 

See another shrike this afternoon, — the fourth this winter! It looks much smaller than a jay.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, December 24, 1858

Those two places in middle of Walden. See December 20, 1858 (“Walden is frozen over, except two small spots, less than half an acre in all, in middle.”)

Another shrike this afternoon, — the fourth this winter! See December 24, 1850 ("Saw a shrike pecking to pieces a small bird, apparently a snowbird. At length he took him up in his bill, almost half as big as himself, and flew slowly off with his prey dangling from his beak. I find that I had not associated such actions with my idea of birds It was not birdlike ."); See also November 29, 1858 ("I see a living shrike caught to-day in the barn of the Middlesex House.”); December 12, 1858 (“See a shrike on a dead pine”);December 23, 1858 ("See a shrike on the top of an oak.”). and November 4, 1854 (“Saw a shrike in an apple tree, with apparently a worm in its mouth. ”); December 29, 1855 (“Just before reaching the Cut I see a shrike flying low beneath the level of the railroad, which rises and alights on the topmost twig of an elm within four or five rods. All ash or bluish-slate above down to middle of wings; dirty-white breast, and a broad black mark through eyes on side of head; primaries(?) black, and some white appears when it flies. Most distinctive its small hooked bill (upper mandible).It makes no sound, but flits to the top of an oak further off. Probably a male.”); February 3, 1856 (“see near the Island a shrike glide by, cold and blustering as it was, with a remarkably even and steady sail or gliding motion like a hawk, eight or ten feet above the ground, and alight in a tree”); February 5, 1859 ("I see another butcher-bird on the top of a young tree by the pond."):  December 30, 1859 ("I see a shrike perched on the tip-top of the topmost upright twig of an English cherry tree before his house, standing square on the topmost bud, balancing himself by a slight motion of his tail from time to time.")