Kingbird. 69 



for her could not be prompted by such an unwortDy mo- 

 tive. If bo is a good hater of his imaginary enemies, he 

 is an equally ardent lover, and his jealous attendance 

 upon her in the time of nest-building springs mainly 

 from the depth of his passion. Few heads of families in 

 the orchard colony are more faithful in caring for the 

 wants of their callow broods, and his upward dashes in 

 pursuit of insects are more energetic and vigorous from 

 the paternal love animating his every movement. Over 

 the meadow he gleans with greater earnestness to procure 

 the tidbits his nestlings fancy, and in their first lessons in 

 tyrannical ways he exhibits the tender devotion of the 

 most loving bird parent. 



Why the kingbird should have been invested with 

 royal attributes by some one in the distant past is not 

 clear. As we have said, he does seem to rule over his 

 orchard domains, but it is only a dominion of might. 

 Nor is he an uncrowned monarch; for when be becomes 

 jealous, and sallies out to repel any trespassers, he dis- 

 plays his royal insignia — a low crownlet encircling a 

 hidden pompon of orange-red — and thus he seems to have 

 some natural ground for his pretensions. As he is usually 

 victor in the sharp encounters which ensue upon his 

 fierce sallies, his title may rest upon the pugilistic cham- 

 pionship which it seems that he has fairly earned. How- 

 ever, wise men have sanctioned his claim to the title, and 

 it might be unbecoming in us to derogate from his kingly 

 honors. Yet in his generic name of Tyrannus they have 

 recognized his tyrannical disposition; not once, but 

 twice, for he must be named Tyrannus tyrannus, which 

 undoubtedly makes him the tyrant tyrant. Yet we 

 remember that in the time of the ancient Grecians there 

 were tyrants who were thus styled because they obtained 

 and held their power illegally, though some of them ruled 

 wisely and well. Shall we not thus define the term 

 which characterizes this petty soverei2:n? And when we 

 have occasion to employ the term in connection with the 

 kingbird, let us consider it in its primitive meaning, and 

 thus our charity will in this, as in all other instances, 

 cover a multitude of sins. 



