YOUTH 25 



since ; that is, a bird in full flight being fired at 

 and apparently missed will pursue his way with- 

 out a motion to indicate the fatal wound, and then, 

 after going a greater or less distance, suddenly fall 

 dead to the ground, frequently from mid-air. I 

 know now the reason for this. A single shot 

 striking a bird in flight, penetrating the thin side 

 of his body and entering his lungs, makes a very 

 small hole and no external hemorrhage ensues. 

 There is little or no shock to the bird ; I fancy 

 he hardly feels pain, but presently the internal 

 hemorrhage from the great blood-vessels that have 

 been severed makes him suddenly unconscious, 

 and in a moment he is dead. The time, however, 

 between the penetrating of the shot and the in- 

 ternal hemorrhage is sufficient to allow the animal 

 to travel a very considerable distance, seemingly 

 uninjured. 



Kingfishers, with the characteristic note I have 

 referred to, are always associated in my mind 

 with the gentry who tradition says patrolled the 

 streets and byways of towns and villages, giving 

 warning of danger with a machine sounding not 

 unlike the " rattle " of the kingfisher. 



Well, I had my kingfisher and I wanted to keep 

 him, but the question in my mind was how to do 

 it. Birds could be stuffed, because I had seen pre- 

 served birds at that time, but I knew of no one who 

 could show me the process. Though there were 



