318 NORTH AMERICAN BIRD?, 



rior to all other binls in tJKj.so contests. My own observations lead me to 

 tiio conclusion tliat writers have somewhat exagjieratcd the (iuai'relsome dis- 

 position of this bird. I have nevei', or very rarely, known it to molest or 

 attack any other birds than those which its own instinct in-omjits it to drive 

 away in self-defence, such as Havks, Owls, Eagles, Crows, Jays, Cuckoos, and 

 (iraklcs. These it will always attack and drive off to (juite a distance from 

 their nests. Nothing can be more striking than the intrepidity with which 

 one of these birds will jiounce upon and harass birds vastly laiger and more 

 powerful than itself. The Kingbird is always prompts to jjcrceive the ap- 

 proach of one of these enemies, and always rushes out to meet it. IMount- 

 ing in the air high above, it pounces down upon its back, upon which it will 

 even rest, furiously pecking at the exposed Hanks of its victim, and only 

 leaving it to descend again and again with the same unrelenting animosity. 

 In these encounters it always comes off coiKpieror. 



AViLson states that his jealous affection for his mate and for his nest and 

 young makes him susjjicious of every bird that happens to pass near his resi- 

 dence. But this is not the case in all instances. A pair of these birds 

 nested, in the summer of 1871, and ])eacefully reared their young, in an 

 ai)ide-tree near my residence, within four feet of the nest of the Ualtimore 

 Oriole, and not more thiin eight or ten feet from the nest of a Ifobin, all 

 in the same tree. The three pairs M-ere on evident terms of amity and 

 mutual good-will. The male Kingl)ird kept a sharp lookout Ibr danger 

 from the to[)most l)ough, and seemed to have all under his s])ecial guardi- 

 anship, but showed no disposition to molest or annoy them. 



The Purple ^Martin is said to be the imphicalJe enemy of the Kingbird, and 

 one of the few birds with which the latter maintains an unecpial contest. 

 Its superiority in flight gives the former great advantages, while its e(iual 

 courage and strength render it more than a match. Audubon relates an 

 instance in which the Kingliird was slain in one of these struggles. 



Wilson also narrates an encounter, of which he was an eyewitness, be- 

 tween one of this species and a l{ed-lieaded Woodjiecker, in which the latter, 

 while clinging on the rail of a fence, seemed to aniu.se itself with the vio- 

 lence of the Kingbird, playing bo-pee]) with it round the rail, while tlie 

 latter became greatly irritated, and made repeated but vain attempts to strike 

 at him. 



The Kingl)ird feeds almost exclu.sively upon winged insects, and consumes 

 a vast number. It is on tliis account one (J our most useful birds, but, 

 unfortunately for its ])oi)ularity, it is no respecter of kinds, and destroys 

 large miniljers of bees. In districts M'here hives of honey-bees abornd, the 

 Kingbird is not in good repute. Wilson suggests that they only destroy the 

 drones, and rarely, if ever, nmUh witJi the working bees. T.ut this dis- 

 crimination, even if real, is not appreciated by the rai.sers of bees, who 

 regard tliis lijid as their enemy. 



The Kingbirds arrive in Pennsylvania the latter part of April, and iu New 



