KEEL-BREASTED BIRDS. 



279 



The Flycatchers ( Tyrannida) are a large family of 

 strictly American, insectivorous birds, with broad, triangu- 

 lar, abruptly-hooked bills, and small feet adapted for perch- 

 ing and grasping. Their notes are simple. The king- 

 bird (Tyrannus Carolinensis] may be selected out of a mul- 

 titude of forms as a typical species. Their general color 

 is a blackish ash, the tail black with white tip, the breast 

 and lower portions white. They attain a length of nearly 

 nine inches, and prey upon insects, securing them upon 

 the wing. The nest is placed in a tree, and formed of 

 artificial objects, as tow, strings, wool, and lined with 

 fibers of wood, horse-hair, etc. The eggs, six in number, 

 are reddish white, marked with brown streaks. The male, 

 during the breeding-season, and at all times, is extremely 

 bold. It feeds its mate, and attacks crows, eagles, and 

 hawks with the greatest fury, ultimately driving them 

 from the vicinity. They migrate south earlier than other 

 birds. 



The lyre-bird (Menura sitperba), of New South Wales, 

 is an ally of the flycatchers, and a giant among them. 

 The male has a lyre- shaped development of the tail-feath- 

 ers nearly two feet in length, composed of sixteen feathers. 

 The female is a small, unattractive bird. The nest is com- 

 posed of moss, twigs, and grasses, and covered by a dome- 

 shaped roof. The two eggs are white, speckled with red, 



The Larks (Alaudida) are chiefly Old World birds, 

 four species only being found in America. The bill is 

 short, the nostrils concealed by the feathers, the hind 

 claw long and straight, the singing apparatus well devel- 

 oped, and all are remarkable singers. 



The skylark (Alattda arvensis] is an immigrant to this 

 country, and common in Europe and Asia. While singing 

 it rises in the air with seeming bounds till far out of sight, 

 uttering a rich, melodious carol. The nest is formed in 



ton. For songs of birds set to music, see "American Naturalist," vol. 

 xiii, p. 21.) 



