THE KINGBIRD 49 
border at the tip. On his crown is an orange- 
red patch, but you will probably never see it 
unless you have the bird in your hand and brush 
apart the feathers in search of it. 
The kingbird’s Latin name has much the same 
meaning as his common English one. Tyrannus 
tyrannus he is called by scientific people. He 
belongs to a family known as flycatchers, birds 
that catch insects on the wing. That is the rea- 
son why the kingbird likes a perch at the tip of 
something, so that he can dart out after a pass- 
ing insect, catch it, and return to his perch to 
wait for another. J should call him the “ apple- 
tree flycatcher,” if the matter were referred to 
me. 
He is not large, — little bigger than an Eng- 
lish sparrow, — but he has plenty of courage and 
a strong disposition to “rule the roost,” as the 
saying goes. very country boy has laughed to 
see the kingbird chasing a crow. And a very 
lively and pleasing sight it is: the crow making 
for the nearest wood as fast as his wings will 
carry him, and one or two kingbirds in hot pur- 
suit. Their great aim is to get above him and 
swoop down upon his back. Sometimes you will 
see one actually alight on a crow’s back and, as 
boys say, “ give it to him” in great style. 
Another taking action of the kingbird is his 
