318 NORTH AMKRICAN BIRDS. 



rior to all other birds in these contests. My own observations lead me to 

 the conclusion that writers have somewhat exaggerated the quarrelsome dis- 

 position of this bird. I have never, or very rarely, known it to molest or 

 attack any otlier birds than those which its own instinct prompts it to drive 

 away in self-defence, such as Hawks, Owls, Eagles, Crows, Jays, Cuckoos, and 

 Grakles. These it will always attack and drive off to quite a distance from 

 their nests. Nothing can be more striking than the intrepidity with which 

 one of these birds will pounce upon and harass birds vastly larger and more 

 powerful than itself. The Kingbird is always prompts to perceive the ap- 

 proach of one of these enemies, and always ru.slies out to meet it. Mount- 

 ing in the air higli above, it pounces down upon its back, upon which it will 

 even rest, furiously pecking at the exposed flanks of its victim, and only 

 leaving it to descend again and again with the same unrelenting animosity. 

 In these encounters it always comes off conqueror. 



Wilson states that his jealous affection for his mate and for his nest and 

 young makes him suspicious of every bird that happens to pass near his resi- 

 dence. But this is not the case in all instances. A pair of these birds 

 nested, in the summer of 1871, and peacefully reared their young, in an 

 apple-tree near my residence, within four feet of the nest of the Baltimore 

 Oriole, and not more than eight or ten feet from the nest of a Eobiu, all 

 in the same tree. The three pairs were on evident terms of amity and 

 mutual good-will. Tlie male Kingbird kept a sharp lookout for danger 

 from the topmost bough, and seemed to have all under his special guardi- 

 anship, but showed no disposition to molest or annoy them. 



The Purple Martin is said to be the implacable enemy of the Kingbird, and 

 one of the few birds witli which the latter maintains an imequal contest. 

 Its superiority in flight gives the former great advantages, while its equal 

 courage and strength render it more than a match. Audubon relates an 

 instance in which the Kingbird was slain in one of these struggles. 



Wilson also narrates an encounter, of which he was an eyewitness, be- 

 tween one of this species and a Eed-headed Woodpecker, in which the latter, 

 while clinging on the rail of a fence, seemed to amuse itself with the vio- 

 lence of the Kingbird, playing bo-peep with it round the rail, while the 

 latter became greatly irritated, and made repeated but vain attempts to strike 

 at him. 



The Kingbird feeds almost exclusively upon winged insects, and consumes 

 a vast numlier. It is on this account one of our most useful birds, but, 

 unfortunately for its popularity, it is no respecter of kinds, and destroys 

 large numbers of bees. In districts where hives of honey-liees abound, the 

 Kingbird is not in good repute. Wilson suggests that they only destroy the 

 drones, and rarely, if ever, meddle with the working bees. But this dis- 

 crimination, even if real, is not appreciated by the raisers of bees, who 

 regard tliis bird as their enemy. 



The Kingbirds arrive in Pennsylvania the latter part of April, and iu Kew 



