Birds of Massachusetts. 113 
The Americ Y Grey Sume, Lanius ercubitroi- 
des, is said by Nuttall to be seen in winter in the 
vicinity of Boston. 
The Kiwe-s1RD, Muscicapa tyrannus, is with us 
from the middle of May to September. All this time 
he labors diligently in our gardens, destroying beetles, 
crickets, grasshoppers, and cankerworms, without 
claiming any reward. In fact, he seems to take the 
whole farm under his protection, and if a hawk 
ventures near, he attacks him with so much fury, 
flying over him and plunging on his head and back, 
that the hawk, and even the eagle, is glad to leave 
the field. The only instance in which he is sup- 
posed to do mischief, is in catching the bees as they 
are engaged among the flowers. This, however, is 
not common enough to be a subject of complaint or 
revenge. The king-bird fears no enemy except the 
purple martin, which has the advantage in its supe- 
i - riority of flight ; thus on many occasions, they com- 
bine their forces to repel any intruder upon their 
bounds. 
The king-bird’s nest is constructed of coarse stalks 
of grass, with flakes of wool, tow, or down, woven in 
between, and lined with fibrous roots and horse hair. 
The eggs are from four to six in number, blush-color, 
spotted with brown. They are very affectionate 
| „toward their young. I once observed a pair build- 
| ing on a decaying tree, apparently unaware that all 
| the branches of the tree were dead, except the one 
which contained their nest. When the young were 
VOL. III.—NO. 1.—11. 15 
