MARCH 345 
push through their tiny sheaths, but so distinctly showed 
their markings that I was able to distinguish the sexes 
by the colouring of the bands on the chest. They did 
not open their mouths in the usual manner for food, 
but tried to pick up small objects from the ground, and 
one got another by his foot, as the picture shows. I 
took two other photographs the same day, showing 
several birds searching on the ground with their bills, 
as if they were already used to this manner of feeding. 
“When the birds were sixteen days old, they had 
begun to look like formidable Kingfishers, with more 
shapely bills and crests, but as yet they evidently knew 
no use for their wings. They showed little temper, 
though they appeared to be somewhat surprised at 
being disturbed. 
“My next visit to the hole in the bank was when the 
birds were twenty-three days old, and, to ascertain 
whether they were still at home, I poked into the entrance 
of the hole a long, thin twig, which was quickly accepted 
by quite a strong bite. Taking the precaution to stop 
the hole with a good-sized stone, I proceeded to my 
digging for the last time on the top of the bank. This 
time I found the chamber had been moved, and I had 
some difficulty in locating it about a foot higher up and 
about the same distance to one side. The old birds had 
evidently discovered my imperfectly closed back door, 
and either mistrusted its security, or else a heavy rain 
had soaked down into the loosened earth and caused 
them to make alterations. They had completely closed 
up the old chamber and packed it tightly with earth 
and disgorged fish bones. 
