KINGFISHERS 103 



Boat Club their head-quarters and dive off the landing- 

 stage, a third affect the culvert at the tee of the seventh 

 hole of the "Island" golf links; indeed, almost every 

 piece of water in Madras has its special kingfisher. 



Birds are essentially stationary creatures. The average 

 non-migratory bird, if we except swallows and swifts, 

 does not, under ordinary circumstances, ever wander 

 more than a mile or two from what may be termed its 

 head-quarters. Even migratory birds content themselves 

 by travelling to and fro between their summer and 

 winter quarters. A pair of kingfishers select a stretch 

 of water and remain upon it until death parts them. 

 They guard the fishing ground, when once it is selected, 

 as jealously as a European power guards a new sphere of 

 influence which it has established. 



The common kingfisher is not a noisy bird. When it 

 rests it rarely if ever utters a sound ; when, however, it 

 dashes along, just over the surface of the water, it emits 

 a peculiar whistling call. 



The next kingfisher which demands our attention is 

 the beautiful white-breasted form — Halcyon smytiensis. 

 This is the commonest kingfisher in Southern India. 

 He is one of our noisy birds, his unpleasant scream 

 being one of the most familiar sounds in Madras. 



He is distinguishable from the species already de- 

 scribed by his larger size, his white breast, his more 

 brilliant plumage, and the white bar on his wing, which 

 is seen only during flight. Many birds have a similar 

 white bar. The use of this to its possessor is a mystery. 



In the case of gregarious birds, such as mynas, it is 

 supposed to be useful as a mark of warning. One of 



