138 BULLETIISr 17 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



from the burrow without warning [and without waiting to be 

 relieved by the female in the usual way] and flew upstream as usual. 

 I was surprised at this unexpected behavior, but probably no more 

 than his mate. Five minutes later she appeared from the direction 

 of his departure and perched in a trumpet tree growing on the 

 bank a few rods from the burrow, where she often rested before 

 going to relieve the male on the nest. Soon he reappeared and the 

 female, who had not moved, greeted him with a rapid, low rattle, 

 which was evidently a scolding. A minute later he flew upstream 

 again. I thought now the female would certainly enter, it was 

 her day upon the nest, but such an unwelcomed entry would have 

 been a breach in formality, beneath the dignity of a well-bred king- 

 fisher matron. She delayed another minute, as though considering 

 what course to follow, then flew off after the delinquent. Soon they 

 both returned, but separately, and there was a rather lengthy con- 

 versation between the pair as they perched on the banana leaves near 

 the entrance of the burrow. Finally, after flying back and forth 

 several times before it, the male entered, rather sheepishly we may 

 suppose, while his mate continued to Meek from her perch in a low 

 voice. 



"Mrs. kingfisher had won her point. She delayed a seemly 

 interval for him to compose himself for her reception, then entered 

 herself with the usual warning. I shall probably never know what 

 passes between them in the fraction of a minute they must be 

 together in the nesting chamber, but whatever form of greeting they 

 indulge in, we may well suppose it was not as cordial as usual. The 

 male came out in record time, about one minute after his mate's 

 entry, and turned upstream, klecking loudly, a free bird at last." 



A change in the behavior of the two males was noted after the 

 young had hatched in the two nests, of which Mr. Skutch (MS.) 

 writes : "The males of both nests, both of whom happened to be free 

 that day, behaved differently than on previous mornings. After 

 being relieved, they had gone off as usual to their respective terri- 

 tories up and down the stream; but instead of remaining there, as 

 they had always done before the eggs hatched, they soon returned 

 to perch at no great distance from their nests, and loudly protested 

 my presence. In their excitement, both perched at the same time in 

 the trumpet tree which grew on the bank of the river between the 

 two nests, and was apparently the boundary between their terri- 

 tories. They stood side by side on a branch, their beautiful, white- 

 barred, slate-colored wings spread until they almost touched. One 

 raised his crest, but the other laid his flat, and, with open bills and 

 angry klecks, each defied the other to cross the accepted frontier." 



Voice. — The same patient observer says : "Now that there were nest- 

 lings, I heard an utterance from the kingfishers that I had never 



