11 
the only agents which can successfully cope with certain insect enemies 
of the forests, aud, to some extent, of fruit tree salso. For this reason, 
if for no other, they should be protected in every possible way. 
THE KINGBIRD. 
(Tyrannus tyrannus.) 
The kingbird (fig. 6) is essentially a lover of the orchard, and wher- 
ever the native groves have been replaced by fruit trees this pugna- 
cious bird takes up its abode. It breeds in all of the States east of 
the Rocky Mountains, and less commonly in the Great Basin and on 
the Pacific Coast. It migrates south early in the fall, and generally 
leaves the United States to spend the winter in more southern latitudes. 
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s fi Wi “7; 
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Wid ae 
Fia. 6.—Kingbird. 
The kingbird inanifests its presence in many ways. It is somewhat 
boisterous and obtrusive, and its antipathy for hawks and crows is well 
known. It never hesitates to give battle to any of these marauders, 
no matter how superior in size, and for this reason a family of king- 
birds is a desirable adjunct to a poultry yard. On one occasion 1n 
the knowledge of the writer a hawk which attacked a brood of young 
turkeys was pounced upon and so severely buffeted by a pair of zing- 
birds, whose nest was near by, that the would-be robber was glad to 
escape without his prey. Song birds that nest near the kingbird are 
similarly protected. 
In its food habits this species is largely insectivorous. Itis a true fly- 
catcher by nature, and takes a large part of its food on the wing. It 
