OUR VALLEY. 13 



redwings assembled to pick up grubs from the 

 soft earth. A squad of them followed close at 

 the plowman's heels, others flew up before his 

 horse, while those that lagged behind in their 

 hunt were constantly flying ahead to catch up, and 

 those that had eaten all they could sat around on 

 the neighboring grape-vines. The ranchman's 

 son told me that when he was plowing and the 

 blackbirds were following him, two or three ; bee- 

 birds,' as they call the Arkansas and Cassin's 

 flycatchers, would take up positions on stakes 



In Hot Pursuit. 

 (Brewer's Blackbird and Bee-birds.) 



overlooking the flock ; and when one of the black- 

 birds got a worm, would fly down and chase after 

 him till they got it away, regularly making their 

 living from the blackbirds, as the eagles do from 

 the fish hawks. 



One day in riding by the vineyard, to my sur- 

 prise and delight I saw one of the handsome yel- 



