THE KINGFISHER 127 



catching trout in the Acclimatisation Society's Gardens in 

 Christchnrch, until the artificial races were netted in to keep 

 him off, and also of killing Californian quail in the Auckland 

 Gardens. 



Our kingfisher, like other members of the family, is a grave, 

 sedate, mournful, and usually silent bird. It is a worthy 

 representative of "the mournful race," as Dryden has called 

 them. Even when not engaged in fishing excursions, it often sits 

 motionless, like Patience on a monument, without uttering a 

 sound. It never delights to flit about in the trees, as if happy 

 in existence. It has no real song; and its cries are monotonous 

 and harsh, and without any sweet music. 



In spite of moroseness and gluttony, the kingfisher has several 

 good qualities, which appeal to our leniency. 



It is persevering. This fact was proved beyond doubt when 

 a pair tried to build their nest in the back of a plastered sod 

 chimney attached to an empty cottage. It should be stated, first 

 of all, that the nest is like a robber's cave. It is generally 

 tunnelled into a bank, wall, or tree. The tunnel is about sixteen 

 inches long, and two inches in diameter at the entrance. The 

 floor of the tunnel rises from the entrance. It leads to an inner 

 chamber about seven inches long and five and a half inches 

 wide, while the height from the floor to the roof is four inches. 

 This is the egg chamber. It is hollowed out slightly below the 

 floor of the tunnel, so that neither the eggs nor the young, when 

 they are flrst hatched, can roll out and meet with accidents. 

 The young remain within the walls of this comfortable little 

 nursery until they are ready to fly well. 



The incident in connection with the cottage, which is related 

 by Mr. Potts, happened a good many years ago. It is sufficient 

 to say it was the month of October. On the nineteenth, the 

 kingfishers, a male and female, started working at the chimney. 

 They completed the tunnel; but, shortly after they had com- 

 menced on the egg chamber, they al^andoned the nest, probably 

 because they found that the wall of the chimney did not give 

 what they deemed to be sufficient depth for the safety of their 

 offspring. On November 3rd, they were seen again, hard at 



