506 



FLY-CATCHER. 



ing insects by which he would be assailed. Innumer- 

 able in quantity, and rapid in generation, they would 

 invade our dominions, fill the air, and devastate the 

 earth, did not the birds restore the equilibrium of 

 living nature, by the destruction of her superfluous 

 products. The greatest inconvenience of warm cli- 

 mates is the continual torment caused there by the 

 insect tribes. Man and the quadrupeds cannot defend 

 themselves against them. They attack with their 

 stings ; they oppose the progress of cultivation, and 

 devour the useful productions of the earth. They 

 infest with their excrements or their eggs all the pro- 

 visions which are necessary to be preserved. Thus 

 we find that the beneficent birds are not even suf- 

 ficiently numerous in such climates, where, neverthe- 

 less, their species are by far the most multiplied. How 

 happens it, that in our temperate climates we are 

 more tormented with the flies in the commencement 

 of autumn, than in the middle of summer? Why in 

 the fine days of October do we see the air filled with 

 mvriads of gnats? Because all the insectivorous birds 

 such as bwallows, nightingales, warblers, &c., have 

 deserted us. This short lapse of time, during which 

 they have too prematurely abandoned our climate, is 

 sufficient to cause us to be more incommoded with the 

 multitude of insects, than at any other season. What 

 then must be the consequence, if, from the moment 

 of their arrival if, during the entire summer if, in 

 short, for the whole time of their sojournment among 

 us, we continue to make their destruction a source of 

 amusement ? 



Birds of this genus, or rather family, are found in 

 all the warmer parts of the world ; and some migrate 

 towards the poles in the summer, and it is even said 

 that they winter in some of the polar countries ; but 

 though this should be the case in some solitary in- 

 stances, it is contrary to the usual habits of the birds, 

 and forms no part of their general character. The 

 more powerful ones very much resemble the shrikes 

 both in their appearance and manners ; and, though 

 none of them are, expressly speaking, birds of prey, 

 living principally on feathered game, yet not a few 

 of them do occasionally prey upon little birds. The 

 larger species of winged insects form their chief sub- 

 sistence ; and, as they do not prey so much upon 

 beetles as the shrikes do, but upon flies and other 

 insects of more lofty flight than the beetles have, they 

 occupy a more elevated station in the forest. They 

 are generally found perched on high stumps of trees, 

 on the points of branches, and on other reconnoitring 

 posts from which they can scan a considerable extent 

 of the air ; and the moment they discover an insect 

 within the range of their vision, they dart upon it 

 wiih great velocity, and generally unerring aim ; seiz- 

 ing it with the bill after the manner of the swallow 

 tribe. Though they do not hawk or beat the air on the 

 \viug- like these, still there are many of them that 

 approach slightly to the character of the martins, and 

 are locally known by the same name. These usually 

 have the tail forked, can turn in the air much more 

 quickly than those which have the tail square or 

 rounded ; and the forked-tail ones are much more 

 inhabitants of open places, though we believe that 

 the greater part of the number build their nest in 

 trees. 



Most of them are migrant, or at all events discur- 

 sive birds ; and the nature of their food renders it 

 necessary that they should be so. Some places of the 

 tropical countries abound in insects, suited for the 



nourishment of these birds at all seasons of the year; 

 but such places are the close forests, and margins of 

 the streams and marshes ; and, wherever the ground 

 is open, the violence of the drought sweeps away the 

 food of such birds, and, consequently, the birds them- 

 selves are compelled to seek new pastures. But those 

 birds are so abundant in every kind of locality, more 

 especially in the American continent, and in some 

 parts of Africa, that any attempt at describing their 

 habits and localities, however meagre, would fill a 

 large volume. We must, therefore, close our general 

 observations, and proceed to some notice of the sub- 

 genera, and a list of the principal species, with occa- 

 sional short notices of a few of the more remarkable 

 and characteristic ones. 



TYRANNUS (Tyrants, or Tyrant fly-catchers}. The 

 species of this sub-genus are very numerous the de- 

 scribed ones amount to between sixty and seventy ; 

 and from the great extent of their native regions,w Inch 

 have not yet been explored, it is highly probable that 

 there may be many species at present unobserved. 

 As far as'is known they are all natives of the Ameri- 

 can continent ; and the greater number of them are 

 found in the inter-tropical countries, though there are 

 several which range considerably in latitude during 

 the summer months. 



The general characters are : the bill long, strong, 

 and straight for the greater part of its length, but sud- 

 denly hooked, or bent near the tip. The culmeri or 

 ridge is straight or rounded. They are very brave 

 and daring birds, and do not hesitate to attack the 

 largest birds of prey, while they are bold, and gene- 

 rally successful in driving from their nests those birds 

 which plunder the eggs and unfledged young. Those 

 of the largest size not unfrequently prey upon small 

 birds, as the shrikes do. 



The Tyrant Fly-catcher (Muscicapa tyrannus], is 

 probably one of the most characteristic species ; it is 

 found in the tropical parts of America, but ranges 

 into the United States, and has been well described 

 by Wilson, whose description we shall quote as being 

 the most faithful, and at the same time ofte which 

 applies in substance to several others of the species. 

 "This," says the American ornithologist, "is the 

 field martin of Maryland and some of the southern 

 states, and the king bird of Pennsylvania and several 

 of the northern districts. The epithet tyrant, which 

 is generally applied to him by naturalists, I am not 

 altogether so well satisfied with ; some, however, 

 may think the two terms pretty nearly synonymous. 



" The trivial name king, as well as tyrant, has been 

 bestowed on this bird for its extraordinary behaviour, 

 and the authority it assumes over all others during 

 the time of breeding. At that season, his extreme 

 affection for his mate, and for his nest and young-, 

 makes him suspicious of every bird that happens to 

 pass near his residence, so that he attacks without 

 discrimination every intruder. In the months of 

 May, June, and part of July, his life is one continued 

 scene of broils and battles, in which, however, he 

 generally comes off conqueror. Hawks and crows, 

 the bald eagle, and the great black eagle, all equally 

 dread a rencounter with this dauntless little cham- 

 pion, who, as soon as he perceives one of these last 

 approaching, launches into the air to meet him, 

 mounts to a considerable height above him, and darts 

 down on his back, sometimes fixing there to the great 

 annoyance of his sovereign, who, if no convenient 

 retreat or resting place be near, endeavours by various 



