lesson. He knew that the fish could not 

 get out of the pool, and that his little ones 

 could take their own time in catching them. 



When I saw the family again, weeks after- 

 wards, their lessons were well learned; they 

 needed no wounded or captive fish to satisfy 

 their hunger. They were full of the joy of 

 living, and showed me, one day, a curious 

 game, the only play that I have ever seen 

 among the kingfishers. 



There were three of them, when I first 

 found them, perched on projecting stubs over 

 the dancing riffles, which swarmed with chub 

 and " minnies " and samlets and lively young 

 red-fins. Suddenly, as if at the command 

 go ! they all dropped, bill first, into the river. 

 In a moment they were out again and rushed 

 back to their respective stubs, where they 

 threw their heads back and wriggled their 

 minnows down their throats with a haste to 

 choke them all. That done, they began to 

 dance about on their stubs, clattering and 

 chuckling immoderately. 



It was all blind to me at first, till the game 

 was repeated two or three times, always 



