152 THE BIRDS OF COOKHAM AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 
molested, and did all in his power to protect it, but at last it 
wandered from this friendly neighbourhool, and was at once shot 
by some less scrupulous person. , 
Fam, ALCEDINIDA. 
Alcedo. 
19. Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher. 
The introduction of salmon and trout hatching on Lord Boston’s 
estate has visibly affected the welfare of this pretty bird, for no 
sooner did the small fry make their appearance, than the King- 
fishers found them out, and created great havoc. This, however, 
did not last long, for a fiery edict went forth, and the poor birds 
were shot down right and left by the fisherman in charge of the 
preserves. Up to this time the Kingfisher was by no means rare 
near Cookham, and used to breed regularly in the bank of the 
stream opposite Formosa, but since tbe wholesale murder of every 
bird that could be seen, their numbers have much decreased, 
although I am happy to say a few are still left to gladden our 
eyes and enliven the beautiful scenery in the river Thames. The 
note of the Kingfisher is a very shrill one, which may be repre- 
sented by the words, pronounced very sharply, twee, twee, 
?wee-e-e. When he flies, the bird always utters that note, but 
when frightened only gives vent to a shrill solitary sound. 
His ordinary flight is slow and steady, and when not alarmed, he 
glides along the sides of the banks of the river or up a brook, 
till he comes to a suitable place, generally a post or dead branch, 
where he settles and waits patiently until the fish come within 
reach, and then like an arrow dives in and brings his prey up 
and flies with it to a perch, where he kills it with a smart rap, 
and swallows it head foremost. Round Formosa the Kingfisher 
finds many suitable places for fishing, as there are numerous small 
streams and rivulets running through the estate, one of which is 
directly opposite the door of Mr. Briggs’ cottage. Here he has 
often seen the birds sit for a long time, first turning their head 
on one side and then on the other, and keeping good watch on all 
sides. Suddenly like magic they are gone, a splash is heard; 
and the bird flies off with a fish in his beak. 
(To be continued.) 
te ‘ee, 
