. American ornithology, for home and school . d and spotted with reddish brown and blotched withlavender and gray. Size . HABITS. Was ever a bird more aptly , a king by name, by nature and,if we may consider the little orange patch on the head as a crown, indress. To be sure their feathers are of a sombre hue, but any plain-ness in attire is more than offset by their vivacious manners, for theyare very active and pugnacious and even more fitting than their commor^name is the scientific one of tyrannus. They are faithful allies to theirfriends—swift, sure and relentless pursuers of
. American ornithology, for home and school . d and spotted with reddish brown and blotched withlavender and gray. Size . HABITS. Was ever a bird more aptly , a king by name, by nature and,if we may consider the little orange patch on the head as a crown, indress. To be sure their feathers are of a sombre hue, but any plain-ness in attire is more than offset by their vivacious manners, for theyare very active and pugnacious and even more fitting than their commor^name is the scientific one of tyrannus. They are faithful allies to theirfriends—swift, sure and relentless pursuers of those who incur theirdispleasure. Without fear they will attack birds of many times their size-and drive them away; Hawks, Crows and Jays flee from them in appar-ent terror. Their method of attack is always the same,—darting the enemy from above as if they were going to tear him to it is very improbable that they ever do any injury to the largerbirds that they attack, it is strange that none of them ever attempt ta. NKST AND EGGS OF KINGBIRD. AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 57 offer the slightest resistence but appear to exert every muscle in an effortto escape. After chasing the object of his hate sometimes a mile away,this valiant little tyrant will proudly sale back to his lookout with ex-cited cries of victory. In this way they do good service for farmers by protecting his poultryfrom the depredations of birds of prey. While never at peace withbirds that are in the habit of preying upon other birds or theireggs, King birds always seem to be on good terms with all other kindsand birds of other species are often found nesting in the same tree withthem. Not only do they protect their own nests with great valor, butthey will do their utmost to drive intruders away from the home of anyof their neighbors in distress. One pair of King birds that I began to feel as though I was acquaint-ed with, returns to the same orchard year after year. They have takenupon thems
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
