Habits of the Kingjisher. 253 



neither dive nor swim, nor even float with any chance of 

 safety. If the kingfisher is to be considered a water bird 

 merely because it draws its sustenance from the water, then 

 our modern innovators ought to consider the osprey in the 

 same light : and even the barn owl might give them a hint 

 that she feels inclined to seek a new acquaintance ; for I my- 

 self have seen her plunge into the water, bring out a fish, and 

 convey it to her nest. [V. 13.] Indeed, the swallow, with a 

 still better grace, might ask permission to form a new division, 

 distant both from land and water birds, and call it ethereal ; 

 because it procures the whole of its sustenance from insects 

 in the circumambient air. 



When I remarked above, that the feet of the kingfisher 

 are not webbed, I did not wish it to be understood, that I 

 consider the webbed foot essentially necessary to the act of 

 swimming. The water-hen is an expert swimmer, without 

 having the feet webbed : but then, its form and plumage, so 

 different from the form and plumage of land birds, enable it 

 to move with swiftness and with safety, either on the water, 

 or under its surface. [Further remarks by Mr. Waterton, 

 on the fitness of the structure of the water-hen for its action 

 in the water, are given in VII. 73.] 



There is not much difference in appearance betwixt the 

 adult male and female kingfisher ; and their young have the 

 fine azure feathers on the back before they leave the nest. 

 This early metallic brilliancy of plumage seems only to be 

 found in birds of the pie tribe. It obtains in the magpie, the 

 jay, and, most probably, in all the rollers. Wherever it is 

 observed in the young birds, we may be certain that the adult 

 male and female will be nearly alike in colour. We are in 

 great ignorance, and I fear we shall long remain so, concern- 

 ing colour in the plumage of birds. The adult male and 

 female kingfisher have a very splendid display of fine tints : 

 so have the adult male and female starling ; but, though the 

 young of the kingfisher have their bright colours in the first 

 plumage, we find the first plumage of the young starlings 

 pale and dull. I have had an eye to this circumstance for 

 above thirty years, and still I am sorely in want of the school- 

 master. 



The old story, that the kingfisher hovers over the water, in 

 order to attract the fish by the brightness of its plumage, is 

 an idle surmise. In the first place, fishes cannot see an object 

 directly above them ; and, secondly, if they could see it, there 

 would be nothing brilliant for them to look at in the king- 

 fisher, as all the splendid feathers are upon its upper parts. 



A brook runs through this park, and along side of it grows 



s 3 



