THE KINGFISHER FAMILY 173 
they were just as fond of being close together as 
before. 
After this the birds were left in their home 
till they were twenty-three days old, and it 
seemed about time for them to come out. When 
the nest was opened this time, it was found that 
the family had moved. The old room was filled 
up with earth, and a new one made farther up. 
No doubt the old birds thought the man too 
curious about their babies. The young birds 
were ready to fly, and two of them did take to 
their wings when they came to daylight. 
There is a very old fable about the kingfisher, 
who was called the halcyon. It is told in the 
first book that was ever written about birds (so far 
as | know). The author was Aristotle, a Greek 
who lived three hundred years before Christ. The 
story is, that the bird builds a nest that floats 
on the sea, and for seven days before and seven 
days after the shortest winter day, the sea stays 
calm, so that the nest may not be hurt. During 
the first seven days she builds her nest, and in 
the second seven she hatches out the young. 
These fourteen days were called halycon days. 
You may find more about this curious story in 
the encyclopedias. 
