326 HISTORY OP CALIFORNIA. 



away a pair of King Birds, because they happened 

 to approach the premises of her nest. But he now 

 becomes, on this important occasion, so tenacious of 

 his rights as readily to commence the attack against 

 all his feathered enemies, and he passes several 

 months of the summer in a scene of almost perpetual 

 contest, and not overrating his hostile powers, he 

 generally finds means to come off with impunity. 

 Eagles, hawks, crows, jays, and in short every bird 

 which excites his suspicion, by their intentional or ac- 

 cidental approach, are attacked with skill and courage; 

 he dives upon the heads and backs of the larger in- 

 truders, who become so annoyed and tormented as 

 willingly to make a precipitate retreat. He pursues 

 his foes sometimes for a mile ; and at length, assured 

 of conquest, he returns to his prominent watch-ground, 

 again quivering his wings in gratulation, and rapidly 

 uttering his shrill and triumphant notes. He is, 

 therefore, the friend of the farmer, as the scourge of 

 the pilferers and plunderers of his crop and barn 

 yard. But that he might not be perfectly harmless, 

 he has sometimes a propensity for feeding on the 

 valuable tenants of the bee hive; for these he watches, 

 and exultingly twitters at the prospect of success, as 

 they wing their way engaged in busy employment; 

 his quick-sighted eyes now follow them, until one, 

 more suitable than the rest, becomes his favorite mark. 

 This selected victim is by some farmers believed to be 

 a drone rather than the stinging neutral worker. 

 The selective discernment of the eyes of this bird 

 has often amused me ; berries of different kinds, held 

 to my domestic King Bird, however similar, were re- 

 jected or snatched, as they suited his instinct, with 

 the nicest discrimination." 



