THE KINGBIRD 49 



border at the tip. On his crown is an orange- 

 red patch, but you will probably never see it 

 unless you have the bird in your hand and brush 

 apart the feathers in search of it. 



The kingbird's Latin name has much the same 

 meaning as his common English one. Tyrannus 

 tyrannus he is called by scientific people. He 

 belongs to a family known as flycatchers, birds 

 that catch insects on the wing. That is the rea- 

 son why the kingbird likes a perch at the tip of 

 something, so that he can dart out after a pass- 

 ing insect, catch it, and return to his perch to 

 wait for another. / should call him the " apple- 

 tree flycatcher," if the matter were referred to 

 me. 



He is not large, little bigger than an Eng- 

 lish sparrow, but he has plenty of courage and 

 a strong disposition to " rule the roost," as the 

 saying goes. Every country boy has laughed to 

 see the kingbird chasing a crow. And a very 

 lively and pleasing sight it is : the crow making 

 for the nearest wood as fast as his wings will 

 carry him, and one or two kingbirds in hot pur- 

 suit. Their great aim is to get above him and 

 swoop down upon his back. Sometimes you will 

 see one actually alight on a crow's back and, as 

 boys say, " give it to him " in great style. 



Another taking action of the kingbird is his 



