292 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



The American Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitroides, is said 

 by Nuttall to be seen in winter in the vicinity of Boston. 



The King-bird. Muscicapa tyrannus, is with us from the 

 middle of May to September. All this time he labors diligent- 

 ly in our gardens, destroying beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, 

 and cankerworms, without claiming any reward. In fact, he 

 seems to take the whole farm under his protection, and if a 

 hawk ventures near, he attacks him with so much fury, flying 

 over him and plunging on his head and back, that the hawk 

 and even the eagle is glad to leave the field. The only in- 

 stance in which he is supposed to do mischief, is in catching 

 the bees as they are engaged among the flowers. This how- 

 ever is not common enough to be a subject of complaint or re- 

 venge. The king-bird fears no enemy except the purple 

 martin, which has the advantage in its superiority of flight ; 

 thus on many occasions, they combine their forces to repel any 

 intruder upon their bounds. 



The king-bird's nest is constructed of coarse stalks of grass, 

 with flakes of wool, toAv, or down, woven in between, and lined 

 with fibrous roots and horse hair. The eggs are from four to 

 six in number, blush-color, spotted with brown. They are 

 very affectionate toward their young. I once observed a pair 

 building on a decaying tree, apparently unaware that all the 

 branches of the tree were dead, except the one which con- 

 tained their nest. When the young were hatched, the weather 

 became intensely hot. and the nest was entirely open to the 

 sun. In order to shield their offspring, the old birds stood, by 

 turns, on the side, with their wings spread so as to overshadow 

 them. The position was evidently constrained and painful ; 

 they panted wiih the effort and the heat ; but they did not 

 grow weary of it till the weather relented, and the protection 

 was no longer needed by the young. If a cat appears in the 

 vicinity of their nest, the king-birds attack her so violently 

 that she is glad to retreat, though somewhat ashamed to yield 

 to such a little foe. 





