86 KINGBIRD 



this bird for the millions of ruinous vermin he 

 rids us of ! " 



In the matter of fruit the Kingbird is most ex- 

 emplary, eating only three or four kinds of culti- 

 vated fruit. If he were to harm any one kind, it 

 would be a simple matter to attract his attention 

 to some wild fruit, since he feeds on wild red and 

 black cherries, choke-cherries, elderberries, mul- 

 berries, wild grapes, spice bush, sassafras, cornel, 

 red and ground cedar, buckthorn, magnolia, and 

 pokeberry. His vegetable foods are almost en- 

 tirely wild fruits of no economic value. As a Fly- 

 catcher, the Kingbird is a good representative of 

 the family, having the big head, large shoulders, 

 and Quaker dress. The bill is also the typical 

 Flycatcher bill — flat and broad, with a clasp at 

 the end, and stiff, bristly hairs at the base, both 

 of which help to hold the insects that have been 

 seized. (See Fig. 38, p. 92.) 



Besides being such an important citizen in his 

 public capacity, the Kingbird is most interesting 

 in his domestic life, as Mrs. Miller demonstrates 

 in her valuable study of a nest in ' Little Bro- 

 thers of the Air.' She shows that he is no 

 tyrant, but merely a watchful guardian of the 

 nest, and she calls attention to the little-known 

 song with which he shows his domestic happiness. 

 The Kingbird will amply repay close watching, 

 and his large, low orchard nest offers one of the 

 best opportunities for careful study of bird char- 



