244 NOTES ON THE 



to the woodpeckers, warblers, &c. In capturing an insect, the 

 kingbird dashes from his perch directly toward his game, till 

 near it, when he hovers a moment before he takes it as if to 

 decide whether it is the one he is looking for, but he generally 

 decides very promptly that it is, and returns directly to his 

 former perch, unless, as is often the case, his winged morsel 

 has led him in a brief chase some distance from the former, 

 when he will occupy another perch. His courage in attacking 

 other birds, from a robin or a jay, to a crow, hawk or eagle, is. 

 without a peer among the birds of the country. The enemy 

 seen, he "stays not on his going," but bends every muscle to 

 the flight. When near his foe, he rises above him, and pounces 

 down upon his devoted head, as if expecting to annihilate him. 

 How much suffering he may be able to inflict, is a question, but 

 certain it is his enemy acts as if he shared his brave aggressor's 

 expectations, and turns and dives and dodges in all directions, 

 until perhaps a mile away, the pugnacious little fellow leaves 

 him with this practical hint that he need not come that way 

 again, at least while the breeding season lasts that year. 



He is the best of friends to the farmer and gardener, destroy- 

 ing countless numbers of insects especially prejudicial to those 

 industries. His habit of taking the honey bees that come in 

 his way, which has made him enemies among the bee-culturists, 

 will need no special apology in Minnesota until honey has be- 

 come a larger interest, and then the thinking will have con- 

 ceded his value too well to make it necessary. 



The kingbirds, already in their restricted families, gather 

 into loose communities in the latter part of the summer, and 

 mostly leave immediately after the frost appears, which 

 diminishes their food supply to such an extent as to justify 

 their departure to warmer climes in Mexico and Central 

 America. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Two, sometimes three outer primaries abruptly attenuated 

 at the end; second quill longest; third little shorter; first 

 rather longer than fourth, or nearly equal. Tail slightly 

 rounded; above dark bluish-ash; the top and sides of the head 

 to beneath the eyes bluish black; a concealed crest on the 

 crown, Vermillion in the centre, white behind and before, par- 

 tially mixed with orange; lower parts pure white, tinged with 

 pale bluish-ash on the sides of the throat and across the 

 breast; sides of the breast and under the wings similar to but 

 rather lighter than the back; axillaries pale grayish brown 

 tipped with lighter; the wings dark brown, darkest towards 



