BIRDS IN THE NURSERY 105 



babyhood in a sheltered hole or nest, it 

 does not much matter if it has down or 

 not. 



Some of the funniest young birds among 

 the helpless kinds are young kingfishers ; 

 these are hatched naked, and never get any 

 down, but when the feathers begin to come 

 and are sheathed in a sort of skin, as new 

 feathers are, this sheath is of a silver colour, 

 not bluish-grey as usual, so that a baby king- 

 fisher looks rather like a live pincushion at 

 this age. Also, although it cannot do much 

 for itself, it has some idea of moving, but it 

 runs backwards instead of forwards ! This 

 seems very strange, but then baby kingfishers 

 live in a hole ; and if after crowding to the 

 entrance to watch for one of the old ones 

 coming back with fish, they wanted suddenly 

 to get back inside when they happened to see 

 some enemy instead, they would be very likely 

 to stick fast if they all tried to turn round at 

 once. But by " reversing engines " it is easy 

 enough for them to retreat down the tunnel 

 in a hurry without getting in each other's 

 way in doing it. 



Another British bird which has a very 



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