THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 127 



CHAPTER VII. 



INSESSORES: SYNDACTYLI AND ZYGODAOTYLI. 



BELTED KINGFISHER CALIFORNIA AND RED-HEADED WOOD- 

 PECKERS A NARRATIVE OF THE CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER, 

 BY "KELLET" IVORY-BILLED, GOLDEN-WING, TELLOW- 

 BELLIED, AND DOWNY WOODPECKERS CUCKOO PARROTS 

 ANECDOTE OP A PARROT, FROM GOSSfi's "NATURAL HIS- 

 TORY OF BIRDS." 



BY the banks of some quiet, running stream, or 

 smooth, and glassy mill-pond, where the Willow, Ha- 

 zel and other shrubs dip their branches into the 

 sleeping waters, may often be heard a shrill, chatter- 

 ing note, much resembling the sound of the watch- 

 man's rattle, which falls with pleasing effect upon 

 the ear, as it gently dies away in the distance. This 

 is the note of the Belted Kingfisher, which our pres- 

 ence has just started from his perch near by. He 

 flies some distance up or down the stream, where he 

 selects a fresh stand-point, from which he intently 

 eyes the motions of the finny tribes below, until one 

 suited to his taste comes within the range of his 

 deadly aim, when with a sudden winding sweep he 

 darts below the surface, and seizing it with his pow- 

 erful bill, bears it away to his perch, and immediately 

 swallows it whole. 



This singular and not inelegant bird is a lone rep- 



