282 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



migrating to the southern counties in the early winter. The 

 Pipits, of which "The Meadow Pipit" and the Tree Pipit 

 are the best known varieties, are found all over the British 

 Isles as well as in many parts of Europe. 



The Ant- The fourth division of the perching birds desig- 

 Eaters. nated by Mr. Wallace, the Ant-Eaters, includes 

 a large number of American varieties, which space forbids 

 us even to enumerate. One or two must stiffice. 



The King The King Bird or Tyrant Fly-catcher of North 

 Bird. America is small, but of a fearless disposition, 

 attacking hawks, crows, and other larger birds, and generally 

 having the best of the battle. The upper part of its body 

 is black and the lower of a delicate white. Its song is a 

 shrill twittering " resembling the jingling of a bunch of keys." 

 It belongs to the family of the Tyrant Shrikes or Tyrannida. 

 It is during the time of incubation that it shows so much 

 ferocity. Wilson says, "I have seen the red-headed wood- 

 pecker while clinging on a rail of the fence, amuse himself 

 with the violence of the king bird, and play 'bo-peep' with 

 him round the rail, while the latter, highly irritated, made 

 every attempt, as he swept from side to side, to strike him, 

 but in vain. All his turbulence subsides as soon as his young 

 are able to shift for themselves, and he is then as mild and 

 peaceable as any other bird." 



The The Chatterers, or Cotingidce include among 



Chatterers, them, the Cock of the Rock, one of the most 

 beautiful of South-American birds. Resembling a pigeon in 

 size, its head is sufficiently like that of the farm-yard cock 

 to account for its name, which is also made to indicate the 

 nature of its haunts. Its coat is a warm saffron yellow and 

 its crest resembles a fan. Sir Robert Schomburgh says : 

 "While traversing the Kikiritze mountains in Guiana, we 

 saw a number of that most beautiful bird, the cock-of-the- 

 rock, or Rock Manakin (rupicola elegans), and I had an op- 

 portunity of witnessing an exhibition of some of its very 



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