826 XOUTII A.MEUICAN JUUDS. 



rfiitlu'i's, strinj^s, and other sol't niatovials. Tliey an; usually secured to the 

 linil) ou wliicli tiiey are i>lacfd hy a portion ol' the strinj^. Tiie diiunotcr of 

 the ciivity of the nest is ah(jut tnreo inches, de])tli one and a lialf. Their 

 e^,i,'s an! laid in May and .luue, and are four, live, or six in number. They 

 are dcscrilied as wjiite, marked with dark Itniwn sjuits on the laryer end. 

 In some the si)ot.s, decreasinj^ in size, extend to the sn)aller end. 



Dr. Hoy iid'orms nie that he has never detected this liinl witliin the limits 

 of Wiscoi in, tjiougii he has no doul)t that they may occasionally straggle 

 into its limits, as have many of the l)inls jteculiar to the Mis.souri region. 



Mr liidgway gives it as one of tlie most uliundant and familiar of 

 the Tjiriinaiihv in the Sacramento Valley and the I'ertile portions of the 

 (ireat l>asin. Ho notes their excessively (|uarrelsome disposition, which far 

 exceeds that of the eastern Kinghinl, for lighting among themselves .seems 

 to be tiieir cidef amusement. As many as half a dozen of these birds were 

 .sometimes noticed jiitching at one another ])romi.scuousl)', in their playful 

 combats; and when a nest was distii.bed, the cries of the ])arents invarialdy 

 biought to the vicinity all the birds of this species in the neighborhood, 

 which, as soon as gathered together, began their aerial battles by attacking 

 each other without regard apjjarcntly to individuals, accompanying the light 

 by a shrill twitter, very different from the loud rattling notes of the T. cnroH- 

 nciisiH. Indeed, all the notes of the western Kingbird are very conspicuously 

 different from those of the eastern sjjecies, being weaker, and more twitter- 

 ing in their character. The nesting habits, the construction of the nest, and 

 appearance of the eggs, are, however, almost perfectly identical. 



Mr. IJidgway gi\es a interesting account (Am. Xat., Ang., liS(j'.») of a 

 young bird of this S])ecies which became (piite domesticated with his party 

 in the gecdogical survey of the 40th parallel. It had been taken about the 

 ndddle of July, full}' fledged, from the nest, by some Indians, and was fed 

 with grasslioppers and flies until able to catch them for itself ^Vhen not 

 in (juest of food it remained (niietly perched on Mr. Uidgway's shoulder or 

 his hat, or would perch on a rope extending from the toji of the tent to a 

 stake. At night it frequently roosted under an umlirella which hung outside 

 of tiie tent. If permitted, it w(»uld have lu'eferred to keoj) on its master's 

 shoulder, snuggling against his neck. In the morning it was sure to come 

 fluttering al)out his head, singling him out from a dozen or more persons who 

 lay annmd ujion the ground. It had aji insatiaijle appetite, and was ascer- 

 tained by actual count to consume one hundred and twenty fat grasslioppei-s 

 in a day. It soon learned its own name, ('hipjiy, and always answered to 

 the call. It followed jMr. Itidgway when on horseback, occasionally leaving 

 to sport with other birds, but always returning to his shoulder or hat. It 

 evidently jjreferred the society of the camp to that of his own race. It 

 Avas once, by acciident, nearly shot, and ever after held the gun in gi-eat dread. 

 It went with Mr. liidgway from camp to camp, continuing perfectly tame 

 and domesticated, until, as Mas supposed, it fell a prey to a Hawk. 



