66 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



they kept flying at her she stayed on the nest, but if one came close 

 and alighted she would fluff out her feathers and make a vicious 

 dive at him, or her, as it might be. Had her mate been as much 

 on the job the Kingbirds would have lost out, but he sang and did 

 nothing else, so she finally gave it up, and the Kingbirds raised 

 three young." 



Most observers agi'ee that the Arkansas kingbird is intolerant 

 toward intruders on its domain, just as the eastern kingbird is, and 

 there is plenty of evidence to show that it will attack any hawk from 

 a large redtail down to the little sparrow hawk, or any other large 

 bird that comes too near its nest; and often, perhaps, it attacks them 

 without any such good excuse. Mr. Swarth (1904) writes: "During 

 the breeding season the large numbers of Wliite-necked Ravens and 

 Swainson Hawks found in the vicinity afford the Kingbirds excep- 

 tional opportunities for exhibiting their peculiar talents, and during 

 the summer months these wretched birds' lives are made a burden 

 to them through the incessant persecution they receive. The hawks 

 usually leave as soon as possible on being attacked; but the ravens, 

 though beating a hasty retreat often try to fight back, twisting from 

 side to side in vain endeavor to reach their diminutive assailant; 

 cawing a vigorous protest, meanwhile, at being treated in such a 

 disrespectful fashion." 



James B. Dixon tells me that he "noted one that was nesting in 

 a sycamore where an eagle had a nest and was raising young. Every 

 morning the kingbird spent a good part of its time heckling the 

 young eagle." 



Voice. — Major Bendire (1895) gives a very good general idea of 

 this, as follows: "This Flycatcher is, if anything, more noisy than 

 our common eastern Kingbird, and utters also a greater variety of 

 notes ; some of these resemble the squeaking sounds of our Grackles ; 

 others are indifferent efforts at song — a low, warbling kind of twit- 

 ter — while occasionally it gives utterance to shrill, metallic-sounding 

 notes with more force to them than those of the Kingbird. During 

 the mating season they are especially noisy, and begin their love 

 songs, if they may be called such, at the earliest dawn, and keep 

 up their concerts with but slight intermission during the greater 

 part of the day ; but after they are mated and nidification commences 

 they are more quiet." 



He quotes R. H. Lawrence as follows: "On the night of July 30, 

 1893, I frequently heard a queer cry; sometimes only a single note, 

 and again this was repeated three or four times, followed by a cry- 

 ing or wailing sound, as if made by a very young kitten. I heard 

 these notes on successive nights. On August 2, about 4:30 a. m,, 

 I succeeded in shooting the perfomier out of a pepper tree standing 

 close to the house, and it proved to be an Arkansas Flycatcher." 



