26 
N£STS AND EGGS OF 
gives chase to the intruder, whom he pursues for a considerable distance, 
all the while darting at him from different positions, and inflicting the 
severest punishment, in order to teach him the folly of trespassing. Owls, 
Eagles, Crows, Grakles, Jays, and even the common barnyard Hen, are 
made to feel the force of his vengeance ; but his most implacable enemy 
is the Purple Martin. 
The young are objects of more than ordinary parental solicitude. The 
most endearing attentions are lavished upon them, and no efforts are spared 
to render them comfortable and happy. Caterpillars, flies, and other 
equally tender insects, are brought in great quantities, during the first few 
days of their existence, to satisfy the demands of their greedy appetites ; 
but as they become larger, beetles and grasshoppers are added to their 
dietary. When fourteen days old, they quit the nest, but still remain 
under home influences for a fortnight later, when they are allowed to shift 
for themselves. 
In many particulars the eggs of this sj>ecies resemble those of the 
Arkansas Flycatcher, but differ mainly in their somewhat larger size, and 
more pointed form. They are oval in shape, white in ground-color — except 
when fresh, when they show a roseate tinge — and beautifully spotted with 
brown and reddish-brown blotches and markings, which are confluent about 
the larger extremity in some, and irregularly scattered over the surface in 
others. They measure from 1.02 to .87 of an inch in length, and from 
.75 to .72 in width. Specimens from different j^arts of the country have 
been examined, and all, without exception, bear a very close resemblance 
to each other, scarcely differing more than do eggs of the same clutch. 
