I04 BOMBAY DUCKS 



the little flock sees danger and flies off; the flash of 

 the white in his wings attracts the attention of his com- 

 panions, and they follow him without knowing why they 

 are flying away. But the white-breasted kingfisher is 

 not a gregarious bird, hence in his case the white bar 

 cannot have this meaning. 



It has been suggested that it serves as a recognition 

 mark, a mark whereby the male and female can dis- 

 tinguish one another from other kinds of kingfishers. 

 This may be so, but it seems to me that, if the kingfisher 

 has any difficulty in recognizing his wife, and I am far 

 from asserting that he has, his difficulty would be in 

 distinguishing her, not from a bird of another species, 

 but from others of her own kind. 



The white-breasted kingfisher is an organism full of 

 interest to the zoologist, since it appears to be under- 

 going evolution before our very eyes. Those who do 

 not believe in the theory of evolution — and there are 

 still some persons who do not — urge as an objection to 

 the theory that they see no signs of changing structure 

 in the animals round about them ; these are apparently 

 fixed and stable, and not undergoing any modification. 



It is true that Nature does not work in a hurry, that 

 most of the alterations which are being effected are 

 coming about so slowly as to be imperceptible to human 

 eyes. There are, however, exceptions, and the white- 

 breasted kingfisher is one of them. 



The proper hunting ground for a kingfisher is ob- 

 viously water of some description or other, but this 

 particular species is often found far away from water. 

 It is one of the common birds of our gardens, and is 



