1 92 1.] Economic status of the Kingfisher. 141 



I acknowledge witli many thanks the kindness of the 

 Carnegie Trnst for the Universities of Scothand, in defray- 

 ing the whole of the expenses in connection with this 

 investigation. 



II. Historical. 



References to tlie food and feeding habits of the King- 

 fisher are exceedingly few. Yarrell (10) states : " Its food 

 consists of small crnstaceans, aqnatic insects, such as dragon- 

 fliesj water-beetles, and little fishes — especially minnows and 

 sticklebacks, while leeches are also said to enter into its 

 diet." 



Butler (1) writes: "Although very fond of small fish, 

 these by no means constitute the sole food of the Kingfisher, 

 for it is very fond of tadpoles and water-beetles ; moreover, 

 many of the small fry which are eaten are quite useless for 

 human consumption, so that the bird has been treated with 

 undeserved severity by pisciculturists, many of whom lose 

 no opportunity of shooting it.'' 



Newstead (8) examined the stomach-contents of nineteen 

 specimens, in most of which he found minute and small fish- 

 bones, one small gudgeon (Gobio fldviat His), and remains of 

 several water-boatmen (^Notonecta glauca). 



Forbush (4) refers to the American species as eating 

 grasshoppers, and Mason (7) quotes certain autliorities as to 

 A. ispida, in India, feeding upon small tishes, tadpoles, and 

 aquatic insects. 



III. Field Investigations. 



1. Abundance. — So far as I can learn from information 

 supplied by difierent corresjjondents, the number of nesting 

 sites has decreased during the last ten or twelve years, 

 particularly in the following counties : — Cumberland, 

 Cheshire, Devon, Hereford, Leicester, Middlesex, Warwick, 

 Worcester, and Yorkshire. 



Messrs. Jourdain and Witherby (5), in their valuable 



■ report on the effect of the winter 1916-1917 on our resident 



birds, state : " The diminution in the breeding stock is 



