138 



THE AMEklCAX BEE-KEEPER 



August 



stro}' the young, but the one sin seems 

 strong enough to beat down a thou- 

 sand virtues, and the little king has 

 been driven to wage warfare on His 

 enemies and ours in the wastes and 

 wilds like Payne's Prairie, while a pa- 

 per that is a friend and advocate of the 

 farmer has forgotten his name and ex- 

 istence. It is to our shame that this is 

 so. 



What was the name of the little fel- 

 low that sat on the hawk and "peckea 

 and pecked?" Kingbird, beemartin, Ty- 

 rannus carolinensis, a flycatcher. "WTiy 



talons by sudden turns and quick rushes 

 to get in. But woe to the hawk that 

 delays to strike at her — her mate has 

 rushed above and then down — he 

 clutches the feathers at the base of the 

 skull and strikes straight for the eyes 

 while Beating with his wings to confuse 

 and distract. Then the hawk takes to 

 headlong flight and will dive through 

 thick trees to free himself, or, blinded 

 by the wings. wFll sometimes kill him- 

 self by striking against an obejct in 

 the way- 

 Let the Florida farmer recognize 



OPERATIONS OP PAT, THE NEW STAR, ON INDIAN RIVER. 



did not the hawk turn and rend him?" 

 Just then because the hawk could n'of 

 shake ^ him off and the dwarf warrior 

 was striking for his eyes and he was 

 keeping his head down to save that 

 organ. When the hawk appears the 

 king calls to his mate and the two rush 

 to the attack with the directness of 

 Schley's ships and almost with the 

 swiftness of a shell from the Brooklyn. 

 They attack on opposite sides and each 

 tries to rise above the other — the fe- 

 male distracts the attention of the en- 

 emy wHile eluding blows from beak and 



the kingbird as his friend and give him 

 the toll of a few bees gladly — he has 

 earned them. We heard lately of a 

 farmer, not considered penurious by his 

 neighbors, complain of the protection 

 our law gives to mockingbirds, "be- 

 cause they ate his grapes and seeds!" 

 Shall we take all and give nothing'.' 

 Why not adopt Burns's feeling for the 

 mouse that took a little of his grain: 



'Til get a blessin" with the lave. 

 And never miss it." 



— Florida Times-Union and Citizen. 



