96 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
would like to know what the animal thought about it when it sat 
down to eat its meal, to find that it had caught a freak of a bird 
without flesh, blood or bones. 
Two of the most beautiful species of birds, and certainly the 
most difficult to establish of those I collected here, were a pair of 
Pygmy Kingfishers and some White-fronted Bee-eaters. 
The kingfisher family is spread over most of the world and its 
numerous species comprise some of the most brilliantly colored 
birds in nature. The English name, however, is misleading. The 
Giant Kingfisher, or Laughing Jackass of Australia, for instance, 
devours almost any form of small animal life including birds, 
rodents, lizards and crabs, etc., and in Africa the majority of 
species live on insects—not fish. The Pygmy Kingfisher belongs 
to this group, and is not so difficult to accustom to an artificial 
diet as the purely fish-eating species. Its diminutive size and ex- 
quisite beauty never fail to make an impression when seen for 
the first time. It may often be seen sitting motionless on the tip 
of a dead branch, usually on a bush, watching for the movement 
of a grasshopper which, when detected, is immediately pounced 
upon, but in the heat of the day it loves to get into some cool spot 
where a clump of trees offers abundant shade. In such situations 
it was always getting caught in my “invisible” nets set for other 
birds, for it makes a swift direct il without caution, through 
dark gaps in the foliage. 
Kingfishers, on account of their nervous disposition, are essen- 
tially aviary birds, and are, on the whole, not suitable for cage 
life. Apart from this, their full coloration is not revealed unless in 
flight. I rarely attempted to keep any except those taken straight 
from the nest, before they had any fear of man. 
The bee-eater belongs to the same order as the kingfisher, but 
having entirely different feeding habits has developed certain fea- 
tures essential to its mode of life. One species inhabits southern 
Europe but most are inhabitants of the tropical and sub-tropical 
regions of the Old World. 
Bee-eaters live mostly on winged insects and consequently 
“hawk” all their food in the air. For this they are well adapted, 
having long pointed wings and short legs, and what a joy it is to 
watch them performing their aerial acrobatics, twisting this way 
