PLATE XII. KINGBIRD. BEE-MARTIN. 



Tyrannus tyrannus. 



Above dark ash ; beneath white shaded with light ash ; head black, 

 with an erectile crest in which is a spot of red ; tail black, square and 

 with a terminal white band ; wing-feathers much edged with white ; 

 bill and feet black. Length, 8.50 inches. 



Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. It is brave and pugna- 

 cious, bullying small birds and attacking large ones. 



Against the Crow particularly it seems to bear special enmity, and it charges this 

 "dusky marauder " on sight with equal fury and pertinacity. In such an encounter it would 

 be natural to suppose that the Crow's many times greater size would be sure to give it the 

 advantage. This, however, is not the case. The Crow does not attempt even to defend 

 itself, much less to retaliate, but flies stolidly on, seeking safety only in flight. 



The honey-bee affords a most highly-prized tidbit to the Kingbird, and the gratification 

 of the bird's taste has earned for it the name, Bee-martin. A swarm of bees consists of so 

 many individuals that the disappearance of an occasional worker is no great loss to the 

 insect community. But when it happens that the queen bee, out on her single wedding 



