100 INSESSOEES. 



In North and South America the Fly-catchers are 

 replaced by a family whose habits and manners are 

 entirely similar, but whose structure places them in 

 a widely different position in the system. Their sing- 

 ing organs being of the more imperfect type, they 

 are assigned to the suborder Clamatores, while the 

 true Fly-catchers, like the Swallows, belong to the 

 Oscine suborder. These Tyrants, or Tyrant Fly- 

 catchers, as they are called, are abundant in almost 

 every section of the country ; there are few persons 

 who have not had the opportunity of being familiar 

 with the notes and appearance of many of them. 



Among the first birds which cheer our hearts at 

 the approach of Spring, is the Pewee Fly-catcher, 

 his soft, sweet, and not unmusical voice often sound- 

 ing through the leafless grove long before the last 

 traces of Winter have yielded to the softening sun- 

 beams. The song of the Pewee is a sure and reliable 

 prognostic of the coming of that lovely season when 

 the earth again clothes herself in her beautiful gar- 

 ments, and the air resounds with Nature's sweetest 

 music. The social and familiar habits of this plain 

 and modest little bird, as well as his confiding trust 

 in man, must ever secure for him a conspicuous place 

 in our afi'ections, and entitle him and his little prop- 

 erty to our earnest and zealous protection. This 

 familiarity, however, sometimes subjects him to being 

 made the mark of cruel and unthinking boys, who, 

 with that wilful propensity for throwing stones which 

 seems to be part of a boy's nature, are so reckless of 

 consequences as to tease and torment the poor little 



