35 



no vSand-Martins liore in tliis district. As regards the 

 ncstin<^ nialerinl, it is j^^eiicrally stated to be small 

 fish hones, but all the nests I have examined seemed 

 to he; composed (;( the husks or outside skins of 

 the fresh water sliiimps, with which the stream 

 abounds. I have seen oue b'-auhful S{)ecimen of a 

 nest iu the ])ossession of a gentleaian, Mr. Kidgesford, 

 late of Wraxal Court, uow residin;;- in Cliftou, 

 J>ristol. This nest was like a. tea-saucer, about fivn 

 inches in diameter, and about half to three quarters of 

 an inch in thickuess, eulirely eompos'.-d of small fish 

 bones cemented together. It was (;bt;nned in the 

 Midland Counties by a gamek(;eper, and must have 

 been a nest that had been occupied year after year ; 

 hence its perfect form and unusual thickness. 



The ej^j^s are ])iire wliite, nearly round, usually 

 from six to ei;dit in numl>er, as f,ir as f c lu ascertaiu. 



'i'liere is but (Uie species of the Kin<^fisher in 

 Jiritain : /Xustralia and South America jn'oducing the 

 greatest numb'-r of s])ecies. 'i'he ornithological or 

 Ivatin name of our ivnglish species is Alcejlo ispida. 

 I came acifjss one record of the Incited Kin;^fisher 

 (Alcedo alcyov.) bein;( found in Ireland, in the 

 counties of Meatli, y\ntiim, and Wicklow, but no 

 da.t'- was ^iven. As this is .'i South y\merican species, 

 so I have been told, I should think it must have been 

 an imported bird tlirit had escaped. 



To hand-rear these birds, they siiould be taken 

 from the nest when about twenty-one days old ; it takes 

 tliem a long time to get their feathers, so it is quite 

 thiity d.'iys before they I'-ave the nest. They should 

 be ]>laeefl in a box prop'-i ly ventilated, on some moist 

 or fresii eaitli, and fed about every three (piartei'S of an 

 hour. The food, if pf>ssible, shoid'! be live minnows 

 or small ^old fish cut smrdl, or fresh fish, such as 

 ]>laice or wliiting, cut in strips — raw lean beef, minced 



