THE FLYCATCHERS 141 



birds nesting in one of his fruit trees. The gardener wel- 

 comes the bird that eats rose chafers; the farmer approves 

 of him because he catches the gadfly that torments his 

 horses and cattle, as well as the grasshoppers, katydids, and 

 crickets that would destroy his field crops if left unchecked. 

 The kingbird is readily identified by the white band across 

 the end of his tail. 



From a favorite lookout on a fence-rail he will detect an 

 insect more than one hundred and seventy feet away, where 

 no human eye could see it, dash off, snap it safely within 

 his bill, flutter uncertainly an instant, then return to his 

 perch ready to "loop the loop" again any moment. The 

 curved clasp at the tip of his bill and the stiff hairs at the 

 base help hold every insect prisoner. While waiting for 

 food to fly into sight the watcher does a good deal of noisy 

 calling. His harsh, clatteriug note, eking, ching, which 

 penetrates to a surprising distance, does not express alarm, 

 but rather the exultant joy of victory. Before and during 

 the nesting season the rasping clatter is kept up all day 

 long. 



The Crested Flycatcher 



Length — 8.5 to 9 inches. A little smaller than the robin. 



Male and JPemaZe— Feathers of the head pointed and erect. 

 Upper parts dark grayish olive, inclining to brown on 

 wings and tail. Wing coverts crossed with two irregular 

 bars of yellowish white. Throat gray, shading into 

 pale sulphur-yellow underneath, that also extends under 

 the wings. Inner vane of several tail quills rusty red. 

 Bristles at base of bill. 



Range — ^From Mexico, Central America, and West Indies 

 northward to southern Canada and westward to the 



