THE KINGFISHER AND ITS HOME 49 



seemed to pass off, and his long beak was 

 placed round on to his back, his bright 

 eyes were closed, and he slept while the 

 fish digested ! I think it must have been 

 at such times that he forgot that his mate 

 was hungry. For twenty minutes he 

 would remain a ball of brilliant ruffled 

 feathers, sometimes longer, and, strange 

 to say, as soon as he woke, and had 

 preened his plumage, he was ready for 

 another large fish ! Sometimes when I 

 went into the boathouse to take the 

 boat out, I found three or four fishes 

 lying in the boat which he had left 

 there, showing that he had been busy. 



When evening came the hen would 

 leave her nest for a spell, and he went 

 inside, but she did not like to leave 

 her eggs for long. When she returned 

 he settled on a sheltered branch over 

 the creek. While the Thrushes were 

 singing their best songs, and the noisy 

 Starlings were fighting for the best 

 4 



