s dark brown, darkest towards the ends
of the quills; upper surface of the tail glossy black, the feathers
tipped with white.

This bird is a common summer resident of the Middle States, where it
usually arrives the last of April. The name _tyrannus_ given to it is
descriptive of the character of the male, since during the breeding
season he is anxious to attack everything wearing feathers. His
particular aversion is hawks and crows, which he assails by mounting
above his adversary and making repeated and violent assaults upon his
head. He will even drive the eagle from his vicinity.

The farmer could have no better protection for his corn fields than
the near-by nest of a pair of kingbirds. They eat some honeybees, but
for every bee thus taken they destroy ten noxious insects. They can be
easily frightened away from the vicinity of the hives without being
killed.

The kingbird's nest is made of slender twigs, weed stalks, and
grasses, and is placed among the branches of trees, fifteen to
twenty-five feet from the ground. There are usually four or five eggs,
white, spotted with brown. They have generally two broods a year.

[Illustration: KINGBIRD]

FLICKER (_Colaptes auratus_)

CALLED ALSO YELLOW-HAMMER, PIGEON WOODPECKER, HITTOCK, AND YUCKER

Length, twelve and one-half inches; extent, about twelve inches. The
back and wings above are of a dark umber, cross marked with streaks of
black; parts surrounding the eyes, a bright cinnamon color; upper part
of head, dark gray; strip of black on each side of the throat about
one inch long; a narrow crescent-shaped spot of a vivid red upon the
back of the head. The breast is ornamented with a broad crescent of
black; under parts of the body, white, tinged with yellow, and having
many round spots of black; the lower side of the wing and tail, a
beautiful golden yellow; the rump, white.

This bird may be easily distinguished by the white rump and the bright
yellow under the wings seen in flight.

Its food consists largely of wood lice, ants, of which it is very
fond, and of other insects which it finds upon the ground or upon
trees. The female differs from the male in appearance, the black
strips upon the sides of the throat being very indistinct or wanting
entirely.

The flicker's nest, like those of other woodpeckers, may be found in
maples, oaks, apple trees, and occasionally pines or birches. They are
more frequently built in clusters of trees than in exp