THE KINGBIRD, 115 



on trees ; you may continually see them high up upon trees calling vociferously. They are not at all 

 wild or shy birds ; they feed freely on ants and their larvse, all insects, grubs, and land shells. I never 

 noticed this or any of its congeners coming to the water to drink. This, and the closely-allied 

 P. megarhyncha, seem to frequent most commonly their tree jungle, where there is not much underwood, 

 and the mangrove swamps, but they also occur abundantly in gardens and plantations. They both 

 have a fine clear double note, which may constantly be heard in the morning and evening wherever 

 they occur. They are decidedly noisy, and often call all day, and, on moonlight nights, a great part 

 of the night also." 



THE SIXTH FAMILY OF THE MESOMYODI, OR SONGLESS PERCHING-BIRDS. 



THE TYRANT BIRDS (Tyrannida). 



This family is one of the most characteristic of the many which are peculiar to the New World. 

 In the flattened bill, and the great development of the rictal bristles, they bear great resem- 

 blance to the Flycatchers of the Old World, but the structural peculiarities of their tarsus, which 

 has the scales arranged in a different manner, in addition to the different formation of the voice. 

 oi'gan, sufficiently serves for the separation of the families Tyrannidai and MuscicapidcK. More 

 than three hundred species are now known to science, not thirty of which are found within the limits 

 of the United States, so that the vast bulk of the Tyrant birds are peculiar to Southern and Central 

 America. 



THE KINGBIRD (Tyrannus carolinemis} . 



This is one of the North American species of Tyrants ranging over a wide expanse of country, 

 and visiting Central America in winter. The following account of the species is given in the " History 

 of North American Birds," by Dr. Brewer : " No one of our common birds possesses more strongly- 

 marked charactei'istics of manners and habits than this species. Its pugnacious disposition during 

 the breeding season, the audacious boldness with which it will attack any birds larger than itself, 

 the persistent tenacity with which it will continue these attacks, and the reckless courage with which 

 it will maintain its unequal warfare, are well-known peculiarities of this interesting and familial- 

 species. Its name, Kingbird, is given it on the supposition that it is superior to all other birds in 

 these contests. My own observations lead me to the conclusion that writers have somewhat exag- 

 gerated the quarrelsome disposition of this bird. I have never, or very rarely, known it to molest or 

 attack any other birds than those which its own instinct prompts it to drive away in self-defence, 

 such as Hawks, Owls, Eagles, Crows, Jays, Cuckoos, and Grakles. These it will always attack and 

 drive off quite a distance from their nests. Nothing can be more striking than the intrepidity with 

 which one of these birds will pounce upon and harass birds vastly lai-ger and more powerful than 

 itself. The Kingbird is always prompt to perceive the approach of one of these enemies, and always 

 rushes out to meet it ; mounting in the air high above it, it pounces down upon its back, upon which it 

 will even rest, furiously pecking at the exposed flanks of its victim, and only leaving it to descend 

 again and again with the same unrelenting animosity. In these encounters it always comes off 

 conqueror. Wilson states that his jealous affection for his mate, and for his nest and young, makes 

 him suspicious of every bird that happens to pass near his residence. But this is not the case in all 

 instances. A pair of these birds nested in the summer of 1871, and peacefully reared their young in 

 an apple-tree near my residence, within four feet of the nest of the Baltimore Oriole, and not more than 

 eight or ten feet from the nest of a Robin, all in the same tree. The three pairs were on evident terms 

 of amity and mutual good-will. The male Kingbird kept a sharp look-out for danger from the 

 topmost bough, and seemed to have all under his special guardianship, but showed no disposition 

 to molest or annoy them. 



"The Purple Martin is said to be the implacable enemy of the Kingbird, and one of the few birds 

 with which the latter maintains an unequal contest. Its superiority in flight gives the former gi*eat 

 advantages, while its equal courage and strength render it more than a match. Auclubon relates an 

 instance in which the Kingbird was slain in one of these struggles. Wilson also relates an encounter, 

 of which he was an eye-witness, between one of this species and a Red-headed Woodpecker, in which 

 the latter, while clinging on the rail of a fence, seemed to amuse itself with the violence of the King- 



