164 Birds Every Child Should Know 



sting attached, you may be sure; but occa- 

 sionally he makes a mistake when, don't you 

 believe, he is more sorry for it than the bee- 

 keeper? He destroys so many robber flies — a 

 pest of the hives — that the intelligent apiarist, 

 who keeps bees in his orchard to fertilise the 

 blossoms, always likes to see a pair of kingbirds 

 nesting in one of his fruit trees. The gardener 

 welcomes the bird that eats rose chafers; the 

 farmer approves of him because he catches 

 the gadfly that torments his horses and cattle, 

 as well as the grasshoppers, katydids and 

 crickets that would destroy his field crops if 

 left unchecked. 



From a favourite lookout' on a tall mullein 

 stalk, a kingbird neighbour of mine would 

 detect an insect over one hundred and seventy 

 feet away, where no human eye could see it, 

 dash off, snap it safely within his bill, flutter 

 imcertainly an instant, then return to his perch 

 ready to "loop the loop" again any moment. 

 The curved clasp at the tip of his bill and the 

 stiff hairs at the base helped hold every insect 

 his prisoner. While waiting for food to fly into 

 sight the watcher did a good deal of calling. 

 His harsh, chattering note, ching, ching, which 

 penetrated to a surprising distance, did not 

 express alarm, but rather the exultant joy of 

 victory. 



He and his mate were certainly frantic with 



