, THE ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. 247 



Mr. Walter E. Bryant makes the following- remarks relating- to this subject 

 in "Zee" (Vol. IV, 1893, p. 57): 



"Mr. A. Barnett, of San Dieg'O County, California, has 300 swarms of bees, 

 which attracted the Flycatchers to such an extent that he made some investiga- 

 tions to ascertain to what degree they might be damaging to the bee industry. 

 Over one hundred Arkansas Flycatchers and Phoebes (Black and Say's) wei-e 

 dissected. In all of the Arkansas Flycatchers only drones were found, but no 

 working- bees, although in many cases the birds were gorged. In most of the 

 Phoebes di'one bees were also found; tlie only exception was that of a Phoebe 

 (Say's?) in which a bee sting- was found in the base of the tongue. The birds 

 were all shot about apiaries, and were seen darting upon and catcliing bees. 

 The examinations were made with a, hand lens. Mr. Barnett regards the occur- 

 rence of the sting found in the Phcebe as accidental, and concluded that Fly- 

 catchers are beneticial in reducing the numljers of drones." 



The Arkansas Kingbird, like all of our Flycatchei's, is extremely beneficial 

 and deserves the fullest ]irotection, and where not molested becomes quite tame 

 and will readily nest about houses. They are not at all particular in the choice 

 of nesting- sites and build in various situations, but generally in trees in creek 

 bottoms, near water, though I have occasionally found one of their nests fully a 

 mile away in an isolated tree in the foothills. Cottonwoods and willows seem to 

 be more often selected than other trees, but perhaps only because they are the 

 conunonest kinds throughout most of their breeding range. Oaks, sycamores, 

 Australian blue gum, junipers, elms, and orchard trees are also made use of to 

 a certain extent, while pines are rarely occupied. 



Mr. William CI. Smith informs me that in Colorado they nest occasionally 

 on ledges. Dr. C. T. Cooke writes me that a pair of these birds nested in the 

 summer of 181)1 iu a church steeple in Salem, Oregon, and i\Ir. Elmer T. Judd, 

 of Cando, North Dakota, informs me thnt he found a nest on a lieam of a rail- 

 road windmill pump, about 6 feet from the ground, where trains passed close by 

 the nest constantly; another was found by him on a grainbinder which was 

 standing within a couple of rods of a public schoolhouse. 



I have examined many of their nests in various parts of the West. The 

 majority of these were placed iu foi-ks of trees, and generally close to the trunk; 

 others were saddled on horizontal limbs. One nest was placed in the top of a 

 hollow Cottonwood stmnp, the rim of the nest being flush with the top; another 

 ])air made iise of an old nest of the Western Kt)bin; and still another l)uilt on the 

 sill of one of the attic windows of my (piarters at Fort Lapwai, Idaho. They 

 probably would not have succeeded iu keeping this nest iu place had I not 

 nailed a piece of board along the outside to prevent the wind from l)lowing the 

 materials away as fast as the birds could bring them. They wei-e persistent, 

 liowever, and not easily discouraged, working- hard for a couple of days in 

 trying to secure a firm foundation before I came to their assistance. Both birds 

 were equally diligent in the construction of tlicir home until it was nearly fin- 

 ished, when the femah; did most of the ;u-ranging of the inner lining, and many 



