. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . rse, inclined to human society. For, altho the bird may start up with vociferatingcries every time amember of the be-sieged household setsfoot out of doors,one is reminded bythese attentions rath-er of a frolicsomepuppy than of a zeal-ous guardian of thepeace. Those whohave been most hon-ored by their pres-ence year after yearclaim that the birdsbecome fond of cer-tain members of thefamily, and allow afamiliarity in nestinspection w h i c hwould be shriekinglvresented in the c
. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . rse, inclined to human society. For, altho the bird may start up with vociferatingcries every time amember of the be-sieged household setsfoot out of doors,one is reminded bythese attentions rath-er of a frolicsomepuppy than of a zeal-ous guardian of thepeace. Those whohave been most hon-ored by their pres-ence year after yearclaim that the birdsbecome fond of cer-tain members of thefamily, and allow afamiliarity in nestinspection w h i c hwould be shriekinglvresented in the caseof strangers. One can readilyguess a utilitarianconsideration in fa-vor of ranch , the greater va-riety and abundanceof insects these the King-birds enjoy a practi-cal monopoly by rea-son of their confi-dence in man. They are fond of flies, moths, butterflies, crickets, wingedants, and all that sort of thing. Moreover, they eat bees. But,— [Hold on,Mr. Rancher! Dont grab that shot-gun and begin murdering Kingbirds]they cat only drones. A bee-keeper in California was curious on this point. 4 tit Taken in Douglas County. Photo by the Author •BEAUTIES THEY ARE. THE WESTERN KINGBIRD. 375 and dissected over a hundred specimens of Western Kingbirds and Phcebes,using a microscope in the examination of stomach contents. The birds hadbeen shot about the apiaries, where they had been seen darting upon andcatching bees. Altho many of the birds were gorged, no working bees werefound, only drones. This is an important distinction to bear in mind, for thereduction of drones is unqualifiedly beneficial. And when one stops to thinkof it, it is absurd to suppose that a bird could swallow bees, stings and all,with impunity. But the real secret of Kingbirds attachment for mankind is not dis-covered until we see his nest. It is our strings which have won his else the nest may or may not contain, it is sure to have string,—string in strands, string in co
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Keywords: ., bookauthordaws, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds
