76 ON THE MOORLANDS 
spot, and sweet forget-me-nots were in full 
bloom. But what of other bird life in this 
pleasant spot? A flash of colour reveals 
the solitary kingfisher, darting straight as 
an arrow down the stream. If we could have 
watched and followed him, we might, by 
patient waiting, have seen this handsome 
fisherman seize with unerring beak the little 
minnow which he loves so well and return to 
his perch with it to gobble it up head first. 
The kingfisher generally builds its nest under 
an overhanging bank above the water’s edge, 
often utilizing an old rathole or the like. 
The eggs are five or six in number, and pure 
white like most eggs laid in dark nests. Nest 
and eggs, therefore, are well concealed, and 
offer no chance to the photographer. The 
nest is nothing more than a collection of fish 
bones purposely brought there, or as some 
think vomited up by the birds; and the eggs 
are deposited upon the heap. 
A cuckoo in the distance tells his mate that 
hess tere, ! 
We had caught sight of one in the train 
