i8oo 



The Cornell Readixg-Courses 



Of the true flycatchers, the kingbird, phoebe, wood pewee, and least fly- 

 catcher are the most abundant and the best known. The crested flycatcher 

 is less common, but it will sometimes nest in a box put up for a bluebird 

 and makes a most acceptable substitute. The phoebe makes a nest of mud 

 and moss beneath a bridge, about bams, or over windows, and is much to 

 be desired. It is well to nail ledges in various places about the house or 

 the barn, to supply the birds with available nesting sites. These ledges 

 should be placed less than a foot below some projecting cave or ledge 



which will protect the 

 nest from the rains. The 

 wood pewee nests on a 

 horizontal limb in the 

 orchard, making a neat 

 little nest covered with 

 lichens. The kingbird 

 builds a more bulky struc- 

 ture toward the end of a 

 branch. The kingbird 

 gets its name from its 

 habit of dri\dng away 

 hawks — for which alone 

 it is desirable, not to 

 mention its value in de- 

 stroying injurious insects. 

 It has been accused in 

 some places of destrojdng 

 honeybees, but an ex- 

 amination of 634 stomachs 

 by the Department of 

 Agriculture showed that 

 only 22 contained honey- 

 Thc kingbird is therefore 



Fig. 29. — A 



PHOTOGRAPHED BY G. A. BAILEY 



successful martin house 



bees and five sixths of these bees were drones 

 deserving of the greatest protection. 



The chimney swift originally nested in hollow trees of the forest, but, 

 with the disappearance of these and the erection of chimneys, it has taken 

 kindly to the unused chimneys and, since it has few enemies, has prob- 

 ably greatly increased in numbers. It is entirely insectivorous and highly 

 beneficial, destroying countless numbers of gnats and mosquitoes. 



The gleaners 



This group includes the largest number of our common birds — those 

 that run about on the ground in woods and fields, and those that creep 



