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"That is the Kingbird," said the Doctor; "one of the most useful of the insect-catchers. Instead of living on honey-bees, as many people think, he eats very few of these, but kills instead thousands of the bad robber-fly, which is the honey-bee's worst enemy. This bird is really king of the air and of all fly-catching birds. See how graceful his flight is, and how easily be moves!"
After considerable demur they acquiesced, but we could not use them, or rather they were used up too rapidly. The evening we received them we decided to attach a few to the ceiling, but before we could fix them in position their fly-catching capacities were exhausted. They were covered with a heaving, buzzing black mass of insects within a minute. So we abandoned fly-catching tactics.
"Fly-catching," said the other with a sneer; "how can you catch flies? Why, you can't run a bit. I suppose you wait till they tumble into your mouth, don't you? Who are you? What's your name?" "My name?" said the other; "well, you are not very civil, but I don't mind telling you.
The jays, and many other birds of the fly-catching kind have this habit, and nothing was thought of it at the moment.
The northern warblers drift past us southward the magnolia, blackburnian, Canadian fly-catching, and others, bringing memories of spruce and balsam to those of us who have lived with them in the forests of the north. "It's getting too cold for the little fellows," says the wiseacre, who sees you watching the smaller birds as they pass southward. Is it, though?
On one occasion she allowed my hand to come within two or three inches of her bill. In every case she flew off without any outcry or ruse, and once at least she fell immediately to fly-catching with admirable philosophy. So far as I know, this is the only nest of the species ever found in New England outside of Maine. But it is proper to add that I did not capture the bird.
"By St. Picot!" said he, "I would rather go without dinner for a month than you should not have asked me, Bigot, to help you out of this scrape. What if you did lie to that fly-catching beggar at the Castle of St. Louis, who has not conscience to take a dishonest stiver from a cheating Albany Dutchman! Where was the harm in it? Better lie to him than tell the truth to La Pompadour about that girl!
"Get out," said the bird, wagging his tail with fury, for he was very proud of his genteel appearance; "get out, you old dusky dab, or I shall kick you. I feel quite disgusted with your appearance. What are you doing here?" "Doing?" said the other, rubbing the tears out of his eyes; "doing? why, getting my living the same way as you do fly-catching."
Everywhere this species seems seized with an aquatic fervor, and in localities hundreds of miles apart I have seen them gradually desert their fly-catching for surface feeding, or often plunging, kingfisher-like, bodily beneath, to emerge with a small wriggling fish another certain reflection of overpopulation and competition.
Dad was feeling dry, and told Joe to fetch him a drink. Joe said: "See first if this cove can fly with only one wing." Then he went, but returned and said: "There's no water in the bucket Mother used the last drop to boil th' punkins," and renewed the fly-catching.