The Audubon Societies 401 



FOR AND FROM ADULT AND YOUNG OBSERVERS 



OUR KINGBIRDS 



It is now three years since our Kingbirds came to us. There were two of 

 them, dark ashy gray above and white underneath. They came in the bright 

 days of June, and selected an old gnarled apple tree and there built their nest, 

 not on a hidden branch, but well out on a bough, concealed only by a few leaves. 

 It was not long before we found it; yet we were always careful in approaching 

 it, lest we disturb the little dwellers. The nest was loosely put together on the 

 outside, but a cautious peep within showed that it was neatly lined with 

 fine grasses. 



Soon five little eggs of pale salmon-color, with spots of purple, brown and 

 orange near the larger end, were laid in the nest. How well that little home was 

 guarded I Often we were called to the door, attracted by the loud cries of some 

 Hawk or Crow, which was being mercilessly pursued and beaten by the male 

 Kingbird. Sometimes children, in a \'ain endeavor to find a ripened apple, 

 would pass through the orchard and unconsciously come near the tree which 

 held the nest. Then what a circling and fluttering he made above their heads 

 and what loud warning cries he sent to his mate ! On occasions like these the 

 erectile feathers on the Kingbird's head parted to form a double crest, dis- 

 closing the orange and scarlet base. This fact, coupled with its prowess over 

 other birds, caused us to realize the significance of the name 'Kingbird.' 



Finally the little birds were hatched. How well they were fed and with 

 what patience were they taught to fly! First from branch to branch, and then 

 from tree to tree. In September the whole family flew away. 



Since that first summer, these birds have continued to make their home 

 in our orchard, nesting in the same place and pursuing the same routine. 

 We gladly await their coming, and, after their departure, we miss their parental 

 flutterings as we stop beneath the tree which holds their home. — Blanch E. 

 Douglas, Normal College, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. 



[Possibly no group of our passerine birds are more individual in nesting-habits than 

 the Flycatchers, and this fact it is well to remember when one becomes confused in the 

 field tr3'ing to distinguish these plainly colored birds. Of all Flycatchers' nests, the King- 

 bird's is probably the most exposed, due doubtless to the courage and fighting ability 

 of this species. It is very much worth while to write out on a large sheet of paper some 

 of the facts about the members of a family group. Thus, with the Flycatchers, a com- 

 parative table of the peculiar nesting-habit of each species in this family, together with a 

 few hints as to preference for woodland, water, lawn or roadside trees, etc., would be a 

 real help in becoming familiar not only with the conspicuous Kingbird and Crested 

 Flycatcher, but also with the smaller and less readily identified species. The simply 

 told story of Kingbirds given above, has the charm of spontaneous interest in bird- 

 neighbors. — A. H. W.] 



