The Heartless Hangman

ASTONISHINGLY, MY REQUEST in the Gallery section of the November/ December 2020 edition, that readers share their observations of the fiscal shrike’s predatory habits, drew over 20 responses – more than has any other topic appearing in Magnum during my 33 years as an editor of this magazine and, I am sure, since its inception in 1976. That this response was drawn by a topic unrelated to guns or game hunting is particularly pleasing, as it indicates that most Magnum readers are true nature lovers and not solely interested in shooting or the thrill of the chase.

I express my appreciation to all those who responded; they are too numerous to name, and regrettably, space does not permit publication of all the letters. To synthesize, all respondents had