POPULAR TYRANTS 95 



although their many friends protest that it is un- 

 deserved. The Kingbird is responsible for both the 

 name and the reputation it carries, and he has won 

 it by his fierce, spectacular, and vindictive attacks 

 on that dull, unimaginative nest-robber, the Crow. 

 A Kingbird pursuing and torturing the big black 

 marauder, keeping close to his side and almost under 

 his wing, darting at him with savage persistence, and 

 driving him here and there among the trees, is one 

 of the most exciting scenes in the whole summer 

 panorama. " As the crow flies," becomes a deceptive 

 measurement, for he turns, twists, whirls, and flaps 

 hither and thither in wild alarm, struggling to get 

 away from the pursuing tyrant. Other birds dart at the 

 black Ishmaelite and drive him off, but the King- 

 bird gives him no quarter. 



When the tyrant returns to his perch on a con- 

 spicuous bough in the bright sunshine, sitting erect 

 and dignified, as become his family and position, 

 he might naturally be regarded as one of the most 

 kindly and tolerant of birds. His dark coat and white 

 vest make a conspicuous contrast ; his tail is tipped 

 with white, and his black, erect crest conceals some 

 bright red that is never seen except when the outer 

 feathers are parted with the fingers. He sits upright, 

 occasionally turning his head from side to side, his 



bright black eye Away he darts, interrupting a 



spectator's description, leaving the perch shaking 



