254 BIRDS 



with its neighbors of smaller birds, while boldly driving 

 away birds of prey. 



Nests are often placed in mesquite bushes, where soft 

 substances, such as cotton, wool, and rags, are incorporated 

 in the structure. Four eggs, taken May 23, 1901, at Nava- 

 sota, Texas, were placed forty-five feet from the ground 

 in a nest loosely made of grass, weeds, and stems. 



KINGBIRD 



The Kingbird, or Bee Martin, abundant about the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley and Great Lakes region, ranges as far north 

 as New Brunswick and Manitoba, wintering in Central and 

 South America. The range extends as far west as the 

 Rocky Mountains, where it is replaced by the Arkansas 

 kingbird. The extreme southern portion of the United 

 States is the home of the gray kingbird, a species resembling 

 our common kingbird in both appearance and habits. The 

 kingbird appears as a soberly plumaged bird, with a large 

 tail tipped with white. On close inspection we discover a 

 beautiful orange crown, but this color is confined to the base 

 of the feathers on the top of the head, and, therefore, is not 

 distinguishable as a field mark. 



Kingbirds are restless and aggressive, attacking crows, 

 herons, and hawks, sometimes alighting on the backs of 

 these large birds and tormenting them while the intruders 

 beat a hasty retreat. They seldom molest the cunning cat- 

 bird, for, as one writer states, "Kingbirds become near- 

 sighted when attempting to pursue this retiring bird of the 

 thrasher family." One bird-observer tried to test the king- 



