TYRANT FLYCATCHER. 267 



their nest. This generally takes place about the first week m 

 May. The nest is very often built in the orchard, on the hori- 

 zontal branch of an apple tree; frequently also, as Catesby ob- 

 serves, on a sassafras tree, at no great height from the ground. 

 The outside consists of small slender twigs, tops of withered 

 flowers of the plant yarrow, and others, well wove together 

 with tow and wool ; and is made large, and remarkably firm and 

 compact. It is usually lined with fine dry fibrous grass, and 

 horse hair. The eggs are five, of a very pale cream colour, or 

 dull white, marked with a few large spots of deep purple, and 

 other smaller ones of light brown, chiefly, though not altogether, 

 towards the great end (see fig. 1. ). They generally build twice 

 in the season. 



The King-bird is altogether destitute of song, having only 

 the shrill twitter above mentioned. His usual mode of flight is 

 singular. The vibrations of his broad wings, as he moves slowly 

 over the fields, resemble those of a Hawk hovering and settling 

 in the air to reconnoitre the ground below; and the object of 

 the King-bird is no doubt something similar, viz. to look out 

 for passing insects, either in the air, or among the flowers and 

 blossoms below him. In fields of pasture he often takes his stand, 

 on the tops of the mullein, and other rank weeds, near the cat- 

 tle, and makes occasional sweeps after passing insects, particu- 

 larly the large black gad-fly, so terrifying to horses and cattle. 

 His eye moves restlessly around him, traces the flight of an 

 insect for a moment or two, then that of a second, and even a 

 third, until he perceives one to his liking, when with a shrill 

 sweep he pursues, seizes it, and returns to the same spot again, 

 to look out for more. This habit is so conspicuous when he is 

 watching the bee-hive, that several intelligent farmers of my 

 acquaintance are of opinion that he picks out only the drones, 

 and never injures the working bees. Be this as it may, he cer- 

 tainly gives a preference to one bee, and one species of insect, 

 over another. He hovers over the river, sometimes for a con- 

 siderable time, darting after insects that frequent such places, 

 snatching them from the surface of the water, and diving about 



