124 THE KING-BIKD. 



comes the Woodpecker; and his great red head 

 plays bo-peep again, as if it were the greatest 

 fun possible. 



All the fury of the King-Bird is put on while 

 the young ones are in the nest, and in order to 

 protect them from danger. When the young 

 birds are fledged, and there is no more occasion 

 to fight, he becomes mild and gentle, and declines 

 any further combats. 



He is exceedingly fond of honey, and does a 

 great deal of mischief among the bee-hives. He 

 goes into some garden where there is a row of 

 hives. Then he plants himself on the fence, or 

 on the branch of a tree. The poor bees are as 

 busy as usual, collecting their golden stores ; and 

 they come humming by, never suspecting any 

 danger. But out darts the King- Bird, and seizes 

 one of them in his bill. He does so every in- 

 stant, and puts numbers of bees to death. Then 

 he even seizes on their golden stores of honey. 



The Fly-catchers appear in the United States 

 of America early in the spring, intending to pass 

 the summer there. They have had a long jour- 



