TO 
TWENTY-SIX COMMON BIRDS. 
been described as a strange and extremely startling spectacle. 
The male does not apparently assist the female in her labor. Both 
sexes show great courage, and the males display irritability and 
pugnacity toward each other, though when captured they become 
in a short time very tame. They feed in captivity on sugar water, 
though their visits to flowers are made to procure not only the 
honey, but also the small insects which the honey attracts. 
KINGBIRD. 13. 
[tyrannus tyrannus.] 
The Kingbird arrives in May and leaves New England late in 
August, few being seen in September. It is not quite as domestic 
as the Phoebe, preferring orchards and fields to the vicinity of the 
barn. It perches on the top of a fruit tree, on posts or tall weeds, 
and from this point of vantage, pursues and captures the insects 
that fly near. The click of its bill may be heard some distance 
away. The nest is usually placed in a fruit tree, and little pains 
are taken to conceal it. It is composed of twigs, loosely laid to¬ 
gether, and often festooned with white strings or the dried fruit of 
the Mouse-ear Everlasting. The inside of the nest is neatly lined 
with feathers and horsehair, or roots, and contains from four to 
five white eggs spotted with brown. While the nest is occupied, 
the Kingbirds guard the neighborhood with unusual vigilance, and 
pugnacity, driving off with shrill clamor and even with blows, all 
intruders, but particularly Crows. A sharp twitter is the Kingbird’s 
only note, and even constitutes his attempts at song, when in the 
mating season he takes prolonged upward flights, repeating this 
shrill squeaking. The sexes are practically alike, though the male 
has a concealed crown patch of scarlet. The Kingbird has often been 
accused of destroying Honey Bees; even allowing that individuals 
occasionally do some damage in this way, the good services of the 
race far outweigh these injuries, and the remedy is to drive the 
bird away from the hives, not to kill it. 
