42 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



missing one chance in competition with 

 Thrush and Blackbird for the early worm. 



Later in the month, as they were still 

 with ns, I became certain they ^^'o^^ld nest, 

 and watched the various banks and evittings 

 for the circular hole where claw marks on 

 the lower edge denote the Kingfisher's 

 breeding chamber. On this occasion, how- 

 ever, the choice of a nesting site fell on 

 a half rotten willow knot, and presently 

 their secret betrayed itself by the little 

 yellow skee or slip of tunnelled wood-grain 

 piled up against the knot's base. 



This gnarled willow snag lay on the 

 narrow strip of turf betwixt the lake shore 

 and the public road, which here winds 

 along its western edge, but neither riders, 

 waggons, coaches, nor mobs of travelling 

 stock seemed at all to scare the birds. 



It is doubtful, indeed, if they were even 

 noticed by the wayfaring public, and the 

 precautions taken by the birds — ^the low 

 warning note sounded upon the approach 

 of riders and the care taken to lure them 

 away along tlie road by short decoy flights 

 — were probably quite unnecessarv. 



