THE BELTED KINGFISHER 161 



started scooping out a hole in the side of a mud bank, 

 using their mighty bills as we would a pick. A quantity 

 of earth was torn loose, and then scratched away with 

 their claws. By persistent hard work they soon had a 

 tunnel in the side of the bank three or four feet deep and 

 perhaps three or four inches in diameter. 



This hole did not run straight, but twisted to one side 

 about a foot from the entrance, and then sloped up a lit- 

 tle. I have dug out very few kingfisher's nests, but they 

 all ran back five or six feet into the bank, and I have never 

 seen one that went in straight, tho other persons report that 

 they often follow a straight course. At the back end of this 

 hole a little enlargement was made in the earth, and a 

 few pieces of grass were piled about; hardly enough to be 

 called a nest, just enough to show that mother kingfisher 

 felt it her duty to do something. I did not see the egg^ 

 and do not know whether one was laid every day or not. 

 The fact is, I did not care to disturb the nest because 

 I wished to watch the development of the family. 



In May the mother must have begun sitting, for then I 

 seldom saw more than one bird at a time. But about the 

 last of June both the birds were to be seen again, actively 

 fishing most of the time, so I took it for granted that the 

 young were hatched, and were old enough not to require 

 much brooding. The mother bird, however, did her fishing 

 nearer the precious hole than did the male, tho I do not 

 know that she would have done anything if an animal had 

 bothered the nest. Certain it is that when I would go to 

 the mouth of the nest hole, she would fly away with the 

 same rasping, rattling cackle she would have used if there 

 had been no nest in the vicinity, and would not return 

 until I had left the place. Probably she felt that her deep 



