256 BIRDS 



not seek the habitation of man, but retires to the unculti- 

 vated sections of the country, and is partial to the patches 

 of oak or orchards overlooking the plains. Great insect- 

 destroyers, like all other flycatchers, their process of assimi- 

 lation is so rapid that one can scarcely realize the quantity 

 of winged pests they daily consume. 



The Department of Agriculture made a careful exam- 

 ination of the crops of sixty-two of these beneficial birds, 

 finding nearly thirty honey bees, only one of which was a 

 worker. 



The Arkansas kingbirds sometimes nest in odd situations 

 about fences or stumps, but usually they nest in a low tree. 

 Three to five light green eggs, spotted with purple, are 

 deposited in bulky nests composed of weed stems, wool, and 

 hair. 



ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER 



The Ash-throated Flycatcher is very similar to our 

 crested flycatcher of the eastern United States. The range 

 of the ash-throated is west of the Rocky Mountains, where 

 they are comparatively common in Utah, Colorado, Nevada, 

 and Oregon. A shy bird of retiring habits, it prefers the 

 solitude of deep shady forests, where the insect food of this 

 useful bird abounds. It is usually sole possessor of the 

 tree in which its nest is built. Like the kingbird, this 

 beautiful flycatcher is pugnacious, attacking all feathered 

 intruders when they appear near the old cavity containing 

 the nest. 



Old hollows, formerly used by squirrels or woodpeckers, 

 are favorite nesting sites. The eggs, like those of the crested 



