134 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



This is one of the pronounced and picturesque 

 personalities of the feathered world — a hand- 

 some, sturdy and self-reliant bird who makes his 

 living bv the persistent, skillful, and largely 

 harmless practice of an ancient and respected art. 



It seems worth while to emphasize at once 



YOONG KINGFISHER 

 Emerging from its nest-burrow 



the character and purpose of the Kingfisher's 

 activities. Too many of his human imitators 

 fear, or even believe, that he is destructive to 

 game fish, especially brook trout. But it seems 

 that this charge cannot be substantiated, and 

 that the bird catches chiefly minnows, chubs, and 

 related shallow-water fish which are pests to the 

 fisherman. And it is known that a very con- 

 siderable part of his diet is composed of craw- 

 fish, frogs, and even injurious beetles and locusts, 

 which he takes when the fishing is bad, because 

 of rough water, or for other reasons. Conse- 

 quently, most discerning and well-informed 

 disciples of the immortal Izaak are disposed to 

 take their hats oflf to this brother fisherman-in- 

 feathers who is always good company on a trout 

 brook and is never without his click-reel. 



What wonderful eyesight he must have — 

 little, if any, less keen than that of the Eagles 

 and the Hawks. !\Iany of his dives after his 

 prey he makes from a fluttering halt in his 

 flight, ten or fifteen feet above the surface of 

 the water ; but not infrequently he makes his 

 plunge, like a blue meteor, from a perch fifty 

 feet or more from the water, striking it with an 

 impact which, one would think, would completely 

 knock the wind out of him. It is as graceful 

 and daring a " high dive " as is to be seen any- 

 where. But think of the vision which must be 

 required to see, at that distance, a fish, often no 

 more than two or three inches long, and gener- 

 ally several inches below the surface I 



Angling has been called the " contemplative 



sport," and it is true that the typical trout fisher- 

 man likes to fish alone, though at other times 

 he may not be a noticeably unsocial person. Nor, 

 if he is a true sportsman, will he be secretive with 

 his friends as to his favorite fishing grounds. 

 With the Kingfisher it is diflferent. Very likely 

 he enjoys fishing; at any rate, he acts as if he 

 does ; but after all, for him fishing is a serious 

 business, not a diversion. Consequently, he is 

 not a gregarious bird, and furthermore he is 

 likely to have pretty definite ideas about his 

 " fishing rights." That is, after he has estab- 

 lished himself in a certain locality, he resents the 

 appearance therein of any other Kingfisher and 

 he will attack and drive away any intruders if 

 he can. It is hardly fair to consider this sheer 

 selfishness. For him, fishing is pretty hard work, 

 demanding both patience and skill ; and besides, 

 the supply of fish he can catch is never actually 

 bountiful. So he cannot be blamed for keeping 

 a sharp lookout for trespassers on his preserve. 



Though the Kingfisher may sometimes actually 

 spear fish with his long bill, he generally seizes 

 them with it. and usually flies immediately to a 

 nearby perch where he beats his prey to death 

 and then swallows it, head foremost, an opera- 

 tion which sometimes is not accomplished with- 

 out much squirming and writhing. Or, if he 

 has young to feed, he flies straight to his burrow 

 in a nearby bank. 



" Among the many legends connected with the 



Photo by H. H. Cleaves Courtesi' ot .\,il. Asiu. .Vial .Sul. 



KINGFISHER 



Flying from nest in bank, Princess Bay, Staten Island, New York 



Euro])ean Kingfisher," says \\'illiani Dutcher, 

 " one relates that originally it was somberly 

 clothed : but that a Kingfisher was liberated from 

 Noah's ark and flew toward the setting sun, 

 whereupon the sky was reflected from its back, 

 while its breast was scorched by the ravs of the 



