Kingbird 163 



KINGBIRD 



Called also: Bee Martin 



In spite of his scientific name, which has 

 branded him the tyrant of tyrants, the kingbird 

 is by no means a bully. See him high in air in 

 hot pursuit of that big, black, villainous crow, 

 who dared try to rob his nest, darting about the 

 rascal's head and pecking at his eyes until he 

 is glad to leave the neighbourhood! There 

 seems to be an eternal feud between them. 

 Even the marauding hawk, that strikes terror 

 to every other feathered breast, will be driven 

 off by the plucky little kingbird. But surely 

 a courageous home defender is no tyrant. A 

 kingbird doesn't like the scolding catbird for 

 a neighbour, or the teasing blue jay, or the 

 meddlesome English sparrow, but he simply 

 gives them a wide berth. He is no Don Quixote 

 ready to fight from mere bravado. Tyr annus 

 tyr annus is a libel. 



For years he has been called the bee martin 

 and some scientific men in Washington deter- 

 mined to learn if that name, also, is deserved. 

 So they collected over two hundred kingbirds 

 from different parts of the country, examined 

 their stomachs and found bees — mostly drones 

 — in only fourteen. The bird is too keen sighted 

 and clever to snap up knowingly a bee with a 



