Identifier: birdsofontarioin00nash_1 (find matches)
Title: The birds of Ontario in relation to agriculture
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Nash, Charles W. (Charles William), 1848-1926 Ontario. Dept. of Agriculture
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Toronto : Ontario Dept. of Agriculture Printed by L.K. Cameron, Printer to the King
Contributing Library: Fisher - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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case the Kingbirds should be seen frequenting the vicinity of hivesit would be well to watch closely before shooting the birds, as they aretoo valuable to be wantonly destroyed, and in all cases an examinationof the stomach contents should be made, and the information gainedshould be reported. Since writing the above I have received a number of reports fromgentlemen in various parts of the Province, who are engaged in bee-keeping, and who have therefore had occasion to observe somewhatclosely the habits of such birds as might be suspected of injuring theirbees. In no case has the Kingbird been found to be injurious to theinhabitants of the hives, and in all cases the writers speak highly ofthe services rendered by the Kingbirds in destroying injurious insectsand driving away Crows and Hawks. Mr. Thaddeus Smith, of Pelee Island, says, I am a cultivator ofthe grape and other fruits and also a bee-keeper. ... I was raised inone of the Southern States, and never knew the Kingbird there by
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L 57 ) 58 any other name than 1 Bee Martin, and of course it was considered agreat enemy of the Bees, I have been here over thirty years, and atone time made the science of apiculture a special study, raising choiceItalian queens, etc. Kingbirds are here every season, and are to beseen around my bee hives. Years ago I killed some and examinedtheir stomachs, and found them full of bees, but nearly every bee inthem was a drone; I found only one worker bee. You know thedrones have no sting and as their name implies they are of no use inthe hive. They are the male bee, and their only use is to fertilize thequeen bee. The only damage the King bird can do is that they mightsometimes catch the young queen while on her wedding flight as hersize and slow flight make her quite conspicuous. But the possibilityof this happening is so slight that I never now shoot the King birds. The United States Biological Survey has made an examination of281 stomachs of King birds collected in various parts of

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