66 Twelve Months With 



books written by others. The habit of returning to 

 the same perch is common to a number of the fly- 

 catchers, but the helter-skelter haste of the Traill's 

 in doing so is unique. 



Therefore should you ever observe a little fly- 

 catcher busily engaged in darting after insects 

 among low trees or shrubs, and invariably return- 

 ing with sudden precipitation to the same perch, 

 you may be quite certain it is Traill's. 



The kingbird, the most common of all of our 

 flycatchers, and much larger than those we have 

 been considering usually returns to the spot from 

 which he started in pursuit of an insect, but not so 

 precipitately, and he cannot, of course, be confused 

 with the Traill's flycatcher. The scientific name 

 of the kingbird is tyrant flycatcher, but while he 

 vigorously assails anyone who approaches his nest, 

 as any bird of courage and spirit will do, I think 

 this name is a base slander, because the crow is the 

 only bird against whom he seems to have a grudge, 

 and for this special antipathy he doubtless has a 

 very sufficient reason. 



I recall one time finding a nest of this bird in a 

 tree overhanging a small stream in Northern 

 Indiana. While rowing in the stream, I passed 

 directly under the nest, which I could easily reach 

 by standing up in the boat. I stopped the boat by 

 clinging to the overhanging branches, and rising 

 looked directly down upon the mother bird sitting 

 on the nest, from which she refused to move until 

 I actually touched her back. She then merely 



