THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 
302 
he clatters in high glee. If, as rarely happens, the bird misses the stroke, the 
sputtering notes which follow speak plainly of disgust, and we are glad for the 
moment that Kingfisher talk is not exactly translatable. 
It is not quite clear whether the bird usually seizes or spears its prey, 
altho it is certain that it sometimes does the latter. The story is told of a 
Kingfisher 
which,  spy- 
ing some 
minnows in a 
wooden — tub 
nearly filled 
with water, 
struck soeag- 
erly that its 
bill _penetrat- 
ed the bottom 
of the tub, 
and so thor- 
oughly — that 
the bird was 
unable to ex- 
tricate itself; 
and so died— 
a death al- 
most as igno- 
minious as 
that of the 
king who 
was drowned 
in a butt of 
Malmsey 
wine. 
When a 
fish is taken 
the bird first 
thrashes it 
against its 
Demeln wo) 
«eral Bile wBy 
1 hae lie re ey '¢ amet ne make sure it 
“i Ae Pera: tam Fok 2 a - es 
: is dead, and 
Taken near Elyria. Photo by the Author. then swal- 
“QVERLOOKING A QUIET POOL.” lows it head 
