Page 1004 : KINGBIRD — KING LEAR
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unanimously as president of the senate. He died a few weeks after taking the oath of office as vice-president.
King′bird, one of the [[../Fly-Catchers|flycatchers]] of North America, is about eight and one half inches long, with the upper parts grayish black, the tip of the tail and under parts white. It also has a partly concealed orange-red patch on the crown. It catches insects while on the wing and is often called bee-martin and accused of killing many honey-bees. The examination of the contents of the stomach of a large number of these birds shows, however, that the mischief done in that direction has been greatly overestimated. They devour an immense number of injurious insects and relatively few honey-bees. They feed on beetles and canker-worms, as well as winged insects, and eat some berries. They are distributed generally in this country as far west as the Rockies, are common summer residents, migrate in May and September. They are usually seen in garden or orchard. Their nest is compactly built, made of grasses, weed-stalks and moss, lined with plant-down and other soft material. The three to five eggs are white marked with chocolate. The male shows great bravery in defending the eggs and nestlings from the attacks of the crow and other birds.
King′fisher, a well-known fishing-bird of world-wide distribution. It is more common in the Old World than in the New. Of the 180 known kinds, only eight are inhabitants of the New World and only one is found in the Eastern United States. This bird — the common belted kingfisher — is widely distributed, but is a familiar bird only where fishing is to be had. There it is a common summer resident, comes early, as soon as the ice has broken up, and stays late, sometimes all winter. It is a beautiful bird, but less brilliant than other members of the group. The upper parts are bluish-gray and the under parts whitish, with a bluish-gray belt on the breast, the bird being considerably larger than the [[../Robin|robin]]. The head is cresced, the bill long and dagger-like. It is a rapid flyer, but is sometimes seen perched on a post or dead tree near ponds and quiet rivers. It catches fish with dexterity in its strong bill. The kingfishers make nests in holes in the banks, and return year after year to the same place. There are numerous species of these birds, especially in the East Indies. The true kingfishers are closely related to the halcyons or wood kingfishers, famous in classical literature. There was an old fable to the effect that their nests floated on the water, and they were supposed to breed during the halcyon days — a period of 14 days — seven days preceding and seven days following the shortest day of the year. During these days, according to the old superstition, calm weather prevailed on the seas. See Blanchan: Bird Neighbors.
King Lear, a tragedy, was written by [[../Shakespeare, William|Shakespeare]] probably between 1603 and 1606. It is based on an ancient legend which had come down, probably, from the ancient Britons, and was told by Geoffrey of Monmouth about 1150 and oy Layamon about 1200. Edmund Spenser, also, had touched on the story, and it had even been dramatized. But it is greatly transformed by Shakespeare’s hand. The story is that of an old king, who, as he gets feeble, turns to his children for affection. But, because he has all his life been used to rule and to get things more by fear than for love, he demands this affection from his daughters and lets them know that whoever expresses her love most strongly will secure the best reward. He accepts as true the violent expressions of love that his two elder daughters offer; while he is enraged beyond measure by the constrained silence of his youngest child, Cordelia. He therefore divides his kingdom between the former, and proposes to live with them in turn; while Cordelia he turns away penniless. But the king of France, who was present, sees Cordelia’s goodness and weds her. Then the elder daughters tire of the king who has no more to give, and, as his protests become troublesome, turn him out of doors into the storm. The French king then comes with Cordelia and an army to right King Lear. They find him broken in mind and body; but under the love of Cordelia he regains something of his reason. But the English defeat the French king, and capture Lear and Cordelia. The
Image: KINGBIRD
Image: SPOTTED KINGFISHER
Image: BELTED KINGFISHER
