EASTERN KINGBIRD 19 



says: "Birds taken in Central America, unfortunately without dates, 

 show that the species reaches the tro^Dics without any moult of the 

 flight feathers or of the wing coverts and often in full ju venal plumage. 

 It is an interesting problem whether the wings and tail are renewed 

 at the end of the post ju venal moult or at a prenuptial moult, the 

 former conclusion being most probable. A bird from South America 

 taken March 31 (which may possibly be an adult) shows a recently 

 completed moult the sheaths still adhering to the new primaries." 



That young birds have a complete post ju venal molt during fall, 

 winter, and early spring is shown by the fact that they arrive in 

 spring in fresh plumage, including the two outer emarginate primaries 

 (in the male), the new white-tipped tail, and the orange crown patch. 

 Young birds, which were alike in juvenal plumage, now show the 

 sex diflPerences of the adults. 



The molts of the adults apparently follow the same sequence as 

 in the young birds. Adult males have the two outer primaries at- 

 tenuated, or emarginated, and the adult females only one, as a rule. 

 There is not enough winter material available to work out the molts 

 with certainty.] 



Food. — F. E. L. Beal (1897) summarizes the results of his analysis 

 of the kingbird's food thus: "Three points seem to be clearly estab- 

 lished in regard to the food of the kingbird — (1) that about 90 per 

 cent consists of insects, mostly injurious species; (2) that the alleged 

 habit of preying upon honeybees is much less prevalent than has 

 been supposed, and probably does not result in any great damage; 

 and (3) that the vegetable food consists almost entirely of wild fruits 

 which have no economic value. These facts, taken in connection with 

 its well-known enmity for hawks and crows, entitle the kingbird to 

 a place among the most desirable birds of the orchard or garden." 



In regard to the eating of bees, Beal (1897) states: "The Biological 

 Survey has made an examination of 281 stomachs [of kingbirds] 

 collected in various parts of the country, but found only 14 containing 

 remains of honeybees. In these 14 stomachs there were in all 50 

 honeybees, of which 40 were drones, 4 were certainly workers, and 

 the remaining 6 were too badly broken to be identified as to sex." 



In a later paper Beal (1912) lists over 200 kinds of insects found 

 in kingbirds' stomachs, and the fruit or seeds of 40 species of plants. 



To itemize the kingbird's diet more in detail, we may mention the 

 following : 



Hairy caterpillars are reported by Mary Mann Miller (1S99), 

 who says: "The Flycatchers darted upon the caterpillars as they 

 swung suspended by their w^ebs or fed on pendant leaves." 



H. H. Kopman (1915) states that "in the piney sections of south- 

 eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, the Kingbird feeds 



