138 Wild Birds 



The human infant and vertebrated animals generally in- 

 stinctively walk forward; how then does it happen that the 

 young Kingfisher early acquires the grotesque habit of walking 

 backwards? The anomaly is readily understood. From the 

 time of birth the young lie huddled in a cluster in their dark 

 underground chamber, which opens to the outside by means of 

 a single narrow tunnel. As they grow in size and strength the 

 monotony of sitting still, often with legs and wings interlocked, 

 must become very great, and whether for diversion or not, at 

 all events they soon begin to bite and tease one another like 

 young puppies. Should one be hard-pressed, the only way of 

 escape lies along the narrow passage, which they naturally 

 traverse head first; but the instinct to return to the warm 

 family cluster is strong, and to do this they are obliged to walk 

 backwards. Again when the rattle of the alma mater announc- 

 ing the capture of another fish is heard, each struggles to get 

 down the narrow passage-way first, but when the parent enters 

 the hole she hustles them all back. With each backward 

 movement the young Kingfishers thus come to associate pleasant 

 things, food and warmth. Thus the habit is temporarily 

 fixed. 



Wishing to see these birds take fish to their young, I decided 

 to try the tent, although it was impossible to get nearer than 

 eight feet, and the hole was in full light for only a part of the 

 forenoon; besides, being situated on a roadside, one was in 

 constant danger of interruption. The experiment succeeded, 

 however, even better than I had anticipated; ten visits' were 

 recorded, and the old birds were photographed in the act of 

 both entering and leaving their tunnel. They brought a single 

 fish each time, usually what appeared to be a small chub or 

 dace, and. I once recognized a good-sized sunfish. 



When the tent and camera were ready at nine o'clock on the 

 morning of July 23d, the parent birds were away on a fishing 

 excursion, and did not return for half an hour. At last a series 

 of warning rattles, at first faint, but momentarily becoming 

 more shrill, announced the approaching bird, who came at full 

 tilt with fish in bill. Hesitating at sight of the tent she perched 



