46 SYLVAAf SECRETS. 



full extent of his somewhat constricted neck, 

 with the crest erected so that each feather 

 stands to itself, and the short tail spread like 

 a fan. When, after a season of rain, the 

 streams are not clear, Alcyon hovers in this 

 way close to the water's surface, and plunges 

 upon his prey from on the wing, after the 

 manner of the prairie hawk. 



A gentleman in Alabama told me that 

 while trolling with a float and silver min- 

 now in one of the bass-streams of the Sand- 

 mountain region, he actually hooked and 

 caught a kingfisher which struck at the bait. 

 The incident, though unusual, is not wonder- 

 ful, and might happen at any time when the 

 troller should have out enough line to relieve 

 the bird of fear. 



The swallowing capacity of Alcyon is enor- 

 mous; he makes nothing of taking down a 

 stout minnow of three inches in length, an 

 operation nearly always followed by a rasp- 

 ing snicker of gustatory delight and a wrig- 

 gle equally expressive. Upon such an occa- 

 sion he looks down upon the stream w^hich 

 has furnished him the delicious morsel with 

 a glare of supercilious ingratitude in his half- 

 fishy, half-beautiful eyes, as if he never 

 should ask another favor or want another 

 fish. 



Near an old mill, in which I had my quar- 

 ters for a bream-season, two kingfishers had 

 their burrow, the entrance being just above 

 the longitudinal timbers of the race-way. I 

 used to sit on the cap of the fore-bay with the 

 big water-wheel jarring and groaning under 

 me, and cast my lure into the stream far be- 

 low. From this same perch I could watch 

 and study the busy Alcyons as they speared 

 Hhs minnows an.d, bore them into the burrow 



