Class II. KINGFISHER; 249 



The materials which Artftotle fays it was compofed 

 of, are not entirely of his own invention. Who- 

 ever has feen the neft of the kingfifher, will obferve 

 it ftrewed with the bones and fcales of fifh ; the 

 fragments of the food of the owner ^and its young : 

 and thofe who deny that it is a bird that frequents 

 the fea, muft not confine their ideas to our northern 

 fhores ; but refled, that birds that inhabit a (hel- 

 tered place in the more rigorous latitudes, may 

 endure expofed ones in a milder clime. Arifiotle 

 made his obfervations in the eaft : and allows, 

 that \\it halcyon fometimes afcended rivers * ; pof- 

 fibly to breed : for we learn from Zinanni^ that 

 in his foft climate, Italy^ it breeds in May^ in banks 

 of dreams that are near the fea; and having brought 

 up the firft hatch, returns to the fame place to lay 

 a fecond time. 



On the foundation laid by the philofopher, fuc- 

 ceeding writers formed other tales extremely abfurd ; 

 and the poets, indulging the powers of imagination, 

 drefTed the ftory in all the robes of romance. 

 This nefl: was a floating one j 



Incubat hakyone pendentibus aequore nidisf , 



it was therefore neceffary to place it in a tranquil 

 fea, and to fupply the bird with charms to allay the 



riducendo il fine di detto foro a foggia di batello, tutto co- 

 perto di fcaglie di pefci, che reftano vagamente intrecciate; 

 ma forfe non fono cosi difpofte ad arte, bensi per accidente. 



* kvaoccmi h ts £7r) ra^ TToTau^; Hift. an, 1 050, 



t O^i^ Met, lib. xi. 



Vol. II. S fury 



