508 _ AVES—FLYCATCHER. 
him, mounts to a considerable height above him, and darts down on his 
back, sometimes fixing there to the great annoyance of his sovereign, who, 
if no convenient retreat be near, endeavors, by various evolutions, to rid 
himself of his merciless adversary, but the king-bird is not so easily dis- 
mounted. He teazes the eagle incessantly, sweeps upon him, and remounts, 
that he may descend on his back with greater violence ; all the while keep- 
ing up a shrill and rapid twittering. The purple marten, however, is some- 
times more than a match for him; and the red-headed wood-pecker is seen 
tc amuse himself with the violence of the king-bird, and play bo-peep 
with liini round a rail, while the latter, highly irritated, makes every attempt 
to strixe him, but m vain. 
He annoys the farmer very much by his partiality to bees. He plants 
himself on a post of the fence near the hives, and makes great havoc among 
these industrious insects. But the cultivator may be assured that this bird is 
greatly his friend, in destroying multitudes of insects and their larvee, which 
prey on the harvests of his fields. He often takes his stand in fields of 
pasture, on the tops cf mullen and other rank weeds, near the cattle, and 
makes sweeps after passing insects, particularly the large black gadflies, so 
terrifying to horses and cattle. His eye moves restlessly about him, traces 
_the flight of an insect, then that of a second, and even a third, till he sees 
one to his liking, when with a shrill sweep he pursues it, seizes it and re- 
turns to the same spot, to look out for more. He hovers over the river for a 
considerable time, darting after insects, snatching them from the surface of 
the water, and diving about in the air like a swallow; for he possesses, at 
will, great powers of wing. His flight is much like that of a hawk. Beside 
insects, he feeds on various sorts of berries, particularly blackberries, of 
which he is extremely fond. 
The general color of this bird is a dark slaty ash; the throat and lower 
parts are pure white; the plumage on the head, though not forming a crest, 
is frequently erected, and discovers a rich bed of orange color, called by the 
country people his crown; when the feathers lie close, this is concealed. 
THE GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER? 
Is not so well known as the preceding, being chiefly confined to the woods 
There, his harsh squeak, (for he has no song,) is heard above most others 
He also visits the orchard, is equally fond of bees, but wants the courage 
and magnanimity of the king-bird. He builds his nest in a hollow tree 
deserted by the blue-bird or woodpecker. The materials of which this is 
—_— 

1 Muscicapa crinita, Lin. 
