TVUANMD.E — THE FLVCATCHKli.S. 310 



England early in May, and leave tor the South in Sei)tend»er. They nest 

 in May, sidectin;; an uii])er hranch, usually of an isolated tree, and olten in 

 an exposed situation. Their nesls are hirge, hroad, and eoniparatividy shal- 

 low, ami coarsely, though strongly, made of rude materials, surh as twij^s, 

 withered jdants, hits (»!' rags, strings, etc. These are lined with line rootlets, 

 horse-hair, and tine grasses. 



The Kinghird has no song, but, instead, utters an incessant monotonous 

 succession of twitterings, which vary in shari)ness and loudness with the 

 emotions that juompt them. 



The ilight of the Kinghird when on the hunt for insects is peculiar and 

 characteristic. It flies slowly over the tiekl, with rapid viin-ations of the 

 wings, in the manner of Hawks, and sojirs or seems to lloat in the air in 

 a manner equally similar. At other times it Hies with great rapidity, and 

 dives ahout in the air in the manner of a Swallow. It also exhiliits great 

 }>ower and rapidity of Hight when rushing forth to encounter a Hawk or 

 an Eagle. 



As they are known occasionally to plunge into the water, and, emerging 

 thence, to resume their seat on a high hranch, to dry and dress their plumage, 

 it has heeu conjectured that they feed on small tish, hut this is unsupported 

 by any positive evidence. 



Though the Kingbird usually builds in trees, it does not alwavs select such 

 situations. In the summer of 18.11, j»assing over a bridge near the village 

 of Aylesford, in Nova Scotia, I observed a Kingbird tly from a nest built on 

 the projecting end of one of the planks of which the bridge w'as made. So 

 remarkaldy exposed a position, open to view, andou a level with and within 

 a few feet of a highway, must be ([uite unusual. 



The eggs of this V)ird are five, sometimes six, in number, an<l vary con- 

 siderably in size. Their ground-color is white with a more or less decided 

 roseate tinge, beautifidly spotted with blotches and markings of purple, 

 brown, and red-brown. In some, these are disposed in a confluent crown 

 around the larger end ; in others they are irreirularly distributed over the 

 entire ejiLj. In h'n<j;th they vary from 1.U5 to .8(3 of an inch, and in breadth 

 from .72 to .70 of an inch. 



Tyrannus dominicensis, Kich. 



OBAT KIKOBIRD. 



T[frnn»us (iinninurthsis, Bhissun, Ois. II, 17H0, 394, pi. xxxviii. fifj. 2. — Rich. \AM, 1S37. 

 — Baii!1», Bii'tls X. Am. ISilS, 172. Lonius tj/rnnnits, var. /S, (hnniiii/'ritsis, Gmf.lin, 

 Syst. Nat. I, i: s, 302. Mu-oirapit (fominicnisi.s, Ari). Orn. Bio«r. II, 183-1, 392, pi. 

 xlvi. — Ib. Birds Am. I, 184<>, 2(il, pi. Iv. M('littarrhu)i domiukru.sis, Cvbanis, Jour- 

 nal fiir Ornith. Ill, Nov. 18."».">, 478. Titntiinus <jrisiu,s, Vikii.i.mt, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 

 1N07, 7«>, ]•!. xlvi. SwAiNsox, Moil. Shrikes, Quart. Jour. XX. 182«), 27f5. — Br. 

 ('ons]>. 18.">0, 1JI2 (BoiiMpartc makes two .species). — ScL. List, 1862, 23t). Ti/rannus 

 iiuifufiiiits, ViKiLL. De La Sagia, pi. .xiv. 



