OF VICTORIA. 123 



To say that the Kingfisher is a breeder on the sea is out 

 of place witli our present knowledge, but Aristotle, the first 

 historical ornithologist of any note, arranged a fable. For 

 14 days in midwinter, he says, the birds remain and make 

 nests on the rocks of the Grecian seas, and the sea remains 



\ 



'0 -k 



Fig. 28. Sacred Kingfisher. One fifth natural size. 



calm. During this time the nest is built and the young 

 are reared, while on the seventh day after the '' longest 

 day" the birds pass away. It is simply a fable, and 

 probably the presence of the Kingfishers means an act of 



