SONGLESS BIRDS OF ORCHARD AND WOODLAND. 235 
house flies, mosquitoes, and vast numbers of moths and but- 
terflies in both larval and adult stages. Bendire asserts that 
Dr. Ralph told him that in Florida the Phebe alights on the 
backs of cattle and follows them around, catching the flies: 
on the animals, and fluttering above them in search of in- 
sects. The only harmful habit of this bird that I have heard 
of is also mentioned by Bendire, who says that it is said to 
eat trout fry. 
As the young of the Phoebe are fed enormous numbers of 
insects, as two broods are raised each year, and as in settled 
districts the bird has largely forsaken its natural nesting 
places for the habitations of man, it is now one of the most 
beneficial species. From year to year, as has been proven 
repeatedly, the bird returns to its favorite haunts; and the 
young birds, though driven away in the fall by the parents, 
like to find, when possible, a nesting site near their old home. 
This gives us a hint which may be utilized to increase the 
numbers of these birds about our farms. 
Kingbird. Bee Martin. 
Tyrannus tyrannus. 
Length. — About eight inches. 
Aduit.— Above, very dark gray, crown and tail nearly black; tail feathers 
broadly tipped with white; a concealed orange or vermillion patch on 
crown; wing feathers and outer tail feathers white-edged; below,. white, 
darkening on sides of breast. 
Nest.— A bulky structure of straw, rootlets, strings, feathers, etc.; usually from 
ten to-twenty feet up in an orchard tree in field or pasture; sometimes in 
a bush on the marshy shore of a pond or river; rarely on a post, bridge, or 
building. 
Eggs.— Creamy white, heavily marked mainly toward the larger end with brown 
and lilac. 
Season. — May to September. 
The Kingbird is almost as well known as the Robin or 
Bluebird. It is common throughout most of the State, 
except in heavily wooded regions. Bold and fearless, yet 
confident of man’s protection, it seems to prefer the neigh- 
borhood of human habitations. It seeks its winged victims 
by taking its stand on some orchard tree, a fence wire, a 
post, or even a telegraph wire, where it sits turning its head 
from side to side, always on’ the watch. The perfection of 
this bird’s sight is illustrated by a statement made by Miss 
