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, u 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 
