BIRDS OF THE WAVE AND WOODLAND 193 



before you have time to say " There it is." And what is 

 its real colour ? Sitting opposite you on its perch, the 

 throne from whence this little king surveys its subject fishes, 

 the bird is a beautiful chestnut and white, and its legs and 

 feet are coral red. Then it dives, and as it goes down its 

 plumage Hashes a pure, clear blue, and as it comes up, taking 

 the light at another angle, it is a lovely mixture of azure 

 that is half emerald-green and of emerald-green that is 

 half azure. For all these colours go to the painting of 

 a kingfisher ; but, as a rule, when it is flying from you it 

 is simply a streak of sapphire. The young birds of the 

 first year have their colours fainter, but even then are sweetly 

 pretty, and there are not many sights in our wild Nature more 

 completely attractive than that of the young brood sitting 

 about close together on the roots among which their nest 

 has been tunnelled out, while the old ones fly backwards 

 and forwards, fishing for them and feeding them. And 

 whatever happens, they all keep on saying "Peep-peep" 

 to one another, in the happiest, contentedest way conceivable. 

 Their nest is a yard back in the bank. It takes the old 

 birds two or three weeks to dig it out (though sometimes 

 they will begin housekeeping in some convenient hole that 

 the water-rat has left or the sand-martin deserted), and at 

 the end of the tunnel, on a flooring of fish-bones, are laid the 

 exquisite white round eggs, with shells so translucent that 

 when they are fresh they look more pink than white. 



2 B 



