46 SYLVA]^ SECRETS. 



full extent of his somewhat constricted neck, 

 with the crest erected so that each feather 

 stands to itself, and the short tail spread like 

 a fan. When, after a season of rain, the 

 streams are not clear, Alcyon hovers in this 

 way close to the water's surface, and plunges 

 upon his prey from on the wing, after th^ 

 manner of the prairie hawk. 



A gentleman in Alabama told me that 

 while trolling with a float and silver min- 

 now in one of the bass-streams of the Sand- 

 mountain region, he actually hooked and 

 caught a "kingfisher which struck at the bait. 

 The incident, though unusual, is not wonder- 

 ful, and might happen at any time when the 

 troller should have out enough line to relieve 

 the bird of fear. 



The swallowing capacity of Alcyon is enor- 

 mous ; he makes nothing of taking down a 

 stout minnow of three inches in length, an 

 operation nearly always followed by a rasp- 

 ing snicker of gustatory delight and a wrig- 

 gle equally expressive. Upon such an occa- 

 sion he looks down upon the stream which 

 has furnished him the delicious morsel with 

 a glare of supercilious ingratitude in his half- 

 fishy, half-beautiful eyes, as if he never 

 should ask another favor or want another 

 fish. 



Near an old mill, in which I had my quar- 

 ters for a bream-season, two kingfishers had 

 their burrow, the entrance being just above 

 the longitudinal timbers of the race-way. I 

 used to sit on the cap of the fore-bay with the 

 big water-wheel jarring and groaning under 

 me, and cast my lure into the stream far be- 

 low. From this same perch I could watch 

 and study the busy Alcyons as they speared 

 the minnows and bore them into the burrow 



