230 THE COMMON KINGFISHER. 



the sea was calm while the kingfishers built their nests in 

 winter. He says that "birds generally pair in spring and 

 summer, except the halcyon, which hatches its young about the 

 time of the winter solstice." And, after Tennyson wrote — 



" When rosy plumelets tuft the larch, 



And rarely pipes the mountain thrush, 

 Or underneath the barren bush, 

 Flits by the sea-blue bird of March." 



The critics wondered what bird he meant. Some said it was 

 the blue tit, some the kingfisher ; and as both are non- 

 migratory, they were the more puzzled by the " flitting of the 

 sea-blue bird." The question was only settled by the poet him- 

 self saying he meant the kingfisher, as it abounded in the 

 fenland in the month of March. It is well named the king of 

 fishers, for, besides its natural adaptation for fishing, it is dressed 

 as becomes royalty, having, as it were, a glittering crown of dark 

 green, spotted with light blue on its head, and a lovely mantle 

 of bright blue shining upon its back. 



The length of this dwarf-like but beautiful bird to the end 

 of its stunted tail (which is only 2 inches long) is 1\ inches ; 

 extent of wings, 10J inches. The head and neck are bright 

 green, each feather of the crown having a cross-bar of light 

 blue near the end. The back, rump, and tail coverts are 

 glossy light blue ; the throat yellowish white, and the 

 rest of the lower parts of a rich yellowish red. The tarsi 

 and toes, orange red ; the iris, hazel. The female is similar, 

 only less richly attired and smaller. The older the bird 

 the brighter is the green on the head, the deeper the blue 

 on the back, and the richer the red on the breast. The wings 

 are short, but broad ; the secondary quills very long for the 

 size of the bird. There are twenty-five quills, and all rounded, 

 the tail having twelve narrow feathers. The young have the 

 upper parts of a deep green ; the lower, yellowish red ; bill, 

 black ; iris, brown. As a rule, when the brilliant plumage of 

 any bird shows itself before the first moulting, the adult male 

 and female are alike, as in the kingfisher, starling, and magpie ; 

 while, as in the mallard, the young males are like the old 

 females until the moulting shows the green on the head and 

 neck of the adult male. The kingfisher is the only one of the 

 family found in Britain — I may say the only one in Europe. 



