340 ENGLISH BIRD LIFE 



This tunnel, usually excavated by the bird itself, 

 slopes slightly upwards and extends into the bank 

 for about two feet. At the upper extremity a small 

 cavity is hollowed, and here, upon a mass of fishes' 

 bones, disgorged by the bird, the round, rosily- 

 white eggs, seven in number, are laid. As in the 

 case of the Sand Martin, the shells are translucent, 

 and when the yolks are extracted, the faintly rosy 

 hue disappears. The debris of bones is said at times 

 to be worked by the sitting bird into the form of a 

 cup, and that, by reason of certain secretions and 

 the dampness of the soil, the particles cohere, form- 

 ing a smooth rounded structure which may be with- 

 drawn from the cavity intact. In most cases, how^- 

 ever, I think the bones merely form a loose bed, and 

 are often so thinly distributed that the eggs rest 

 upon the bare soil. When the young are able to 

 fly, they may be seen perched in a line upon some 

 overhanging bough, giving a clamorous welcome 

 to the old birds as they come bearing the food in 

 the shape of small fish or aquatic insects. 



The accompanying photographs, which show the 

 Kingfisher during incubation, and the young in 

 different stages of development, were the result of 

 no small amount of ingenuity and patience. The 

 bank above the nest was partly cut away and the 

 old bird, at length, permitted a view of herself to be 

 taken. The displaced portion of the bank was then 

 carefully restored, and subsequently the cavity was 

 exposed again and again as fresh pictures were 

 required. The remarkable feature in this case is 

 that a bird, so wary as the Kingfisher is known to 

 be, did not desert at the first assault upon her home. 



