352 THE FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER 



The narrator further proceeds to observe, that the King Bird is in great disfavour with 

 the fanners, who are in the habit of shooting it whenever they can find an opportunity, 

 on account of its fondness for bees. It cannot be denied that the suspicions of the bee- 

 owner are not without foundation, for the King Bird will perch upon a rail or fence near 

 the hives, and from that elevated post pounce upon the bees as they leave or return to 

 their homes. Many persons, however, think that it does not devour the working bees, 

 but merely singles out the drones, thus sparing the workers the trouble of killing those idle 

 members of the community at the end of the season. This supposition derives some force 

 from the well-known fact, that the King Bird is very fastidious in its taste, and that it 

 will watch the flight of many insects in succession before it can select one to its taste. 

 Even if it should destroy a few hundred bees annually, it repays the loss a thousand-fold 

 by the enormous destruction which it works among the caterpillars and other noxious 

 insects during the earlier parts of the year ; and, according to Wilson, every King Bird 

 shot is a clear loss to the farmer. 



The food of the King Bird, although mostly of an insect character, and perhaps wholly 

 so in the spring and summer, is sometimes mixed with vegetable substances, and in the 

 autumn the bird delights in berries and ripe fruits, the blackberry being one especial 

 favourite. It often hovers over streams and rivers, chasing insects like the swallow, and 

 occasionally dashing into the water for a bath, and then sitting to plume its feathers on 

 some convenient branch overhanging the water. 



The flight of the King Bird varies according to circumstances. When it is migrating 

 it flaps its wings rapidly six or seven times in succession, and then sails onwards for a 

 considerable distance, repeating this process continually as it proceeds on its long voyage. 

 During the flight it is perfectly silent, and associates in bands of twenty or thirty in 

 number. But in the season of love the bird dashes some thirty yards aloft, and there 

 hangs with quivering wings and ruffled plumes, uttering the while a continual low shriek. 



The nest of the bird, which is so valiantly defended by the parent, is generally begun 

 in the beginning of May, and is placed among the branches of a tree. The substances of 

 which it is composed are slender twigs, wood, vegetable fibres, fine grasses, and horsehair. 

 There is another species of tyrant, the CHESTED TYRANT (Tyrannus cristdtus), which 

 employs many similar materials for its nest, hay, feathers, hogs' bristles, dogs' hair, and 

 the cast exuviae of snakes. This last substance seems to be absolutely essential to the 

 birds' comfort, for Wilson says that of all the numerous nests which he discovered, he 

 never found one without some of this curious material. The eggs of the King Bird are 

 generally five in number, and there are mostly two broods in the year. 



With the exception of the few bright feathers of the crest, the plumage of the King 

 Bird is of a rather sombre character. The head is black, but when the bird raises the crest 

 feathers, their bases are seen to be of a bright orange or flame colour. This appearance is 

 never seen unless the bird is excited. The tail is also black, but is tipped with white. 

 The general colour of the upper parts of the body is ashen grey, and the quill-feathers and 

 coverts of the wing are marked with dull white. The under parts of the body are white 

 with the exception of a large grey patch on the breast. The total length of the bird is 

 about eight inches. In the southern States of America the King Bird is called the Field 

 Martin. 



Our second example of the Tyrant Birds is the curious FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 



This remarkable species is an inhabitant of tropical America, and is rather frequently 

 found in Guiana, where it is popularly, but erroneously, called the Widow Bird, that 

 appellation belonging by right to one of the finches. Sometimes the bird is quite solitary 

 but at other times it assembles in little flocks on the branches, and from thence darts on 

 the passing insects. It is also fond of frequenting the low flooded lands, and of perching 

 upon the tufts of rank herbage that appear above the water, opening and shutting its long 

 tail like a pair of shears. Its food is mostly of an insect character, but it will feed upon 

 various fruits and berries. 



It is quick and agile of wing, and by means of its long and firmly set tail is enabled to 

 make many sharp turns in the air, an accomplishment which is needful for the purpose of 



