THE FLYCATCHERS 139 



A flycatcher may be known at sight by the way he 

 collects his dinner. Perhaps he wiU be sitting quietly on 

 the limb of a tree or on a fence as if dreaming, when sud- 

 denly oflE he dashes into the air, cUcks his broad bill 

 sharply over a winged insect, flutters an instant, then 

 wheels about and returns to his favorite perch to wait for 

 the next course to fly by. He may describe fifty such 

 loops in mid-air and make as many fatal snap-shots before 

 his hunger is satisfied. A swallow or a swift would keep 

 constantly on the wing; a vireo would hunt leisurely among 

 the foUage; a warbler would restlessly flit about the tree 

 hunting for its dinner among the leaves; but the dignified, 

 dexterous flycatcher, like a hawk, waits patiently on his 

 lookout for a dinner to fly toward him. "All things come 

 to him who waits," he firmly believes. 



None of the family is musically gifted, but all make a 

 more or less pleasing noise. Flycatchers are soUtary, 

 sedentary birds, never being found in flocks; but when 

 mated, they are devoted home lovers. 



We are apt to think of tropical birds as very gaily 

 feathered, but certainly many that come from warmer 

 climes to spend the summer are less conspicuous than 

 Quakers. 



The Kingbird 



Length — 8 inches. About two inches shorter than the 

 robin. 



Male and Female — ^Ashy black above; white, shaded with 

 ash-color, beneath. A concealed crest of orange-red on 

 crown lacking in female. Tail black, terminating with 

 a white band conspicuous in flight. Wing feathers 

 edged with white. 



