Across the Fields. 261 



simply putting the enemy to rout he pursues him well away from the vicinity 

 of his nest or perch, driving him often out of sight and then returning 

 satisfied. 



Kingbirds are about eight inches and a half long. They have large 

 heads with powerful pointed and hooked bills very broad at the base. Their 

 general color above is grayish slate, which shades into dark lead color on the 

 top of the head and on the feathers above the tail. 



There is a bright reddish orange crown patch which is covered and hid- 

 den by the dark feathers of the top of the head, save when the whole crest is 

 erected. The under parts are white washed faintly on the breast and more 

 heavily on the sides and flanks with lead color. The tail feathers are black 

 with whitish tips. 



Young birds of the year lack the crown patch, but are otherwise much 

 like the adults save for a general suffusion of pale buffy. 



The nest is a well made structure of various weed and grass stems and 

 moss and lined with finer grasses, plant down, and the like. It is saddled on 

 a fork near the end of a limb from ten to twenty-five feet from the ground. 



From three to five eggs are laid. These are white spotted and specked 

 with dark brown. They are rather less than an inch long and nearly three 

 quarters of an inch broad. 



The Kingbird is found throughout North America, north to New Bruns- 

 wick and Manitoba. It breeds through most of its North American range 

 and winters in Central America and South America. It is much more 

 common east than west of the Rocky Mountains. 



The Gray Kingbird has the upper parts clear ashy gray throughout ; the 

 feathers of the head conceal an orange colored patch in the middle of the 

 r K" h' H crown ; the wings and tail are dusky ; the under parts are 

 Tyrannus dominicensis white, tiuged on the breast and sides with grayish. 



*°'"'' '■ The bird is rather larger than the Kingbird, about 



nine inches in length. In general habits the two birds are similar, though 

 the Gray Kingbird seems more maritime in its tastes, being seldom found 

 commonly far from water and apparently preferring the vicinity of the sea. 



The nest resembles that of the Kingbird, and is placed in like situations. 

 The eggs are buffy white, and spotted much like those of the Kingbird with 

 dark umber brown. They are rather more than an inch long and less than 

 three quarters of an inch broad. 



