454 THE KINGFISHER 



The swift, arrow-like flight, just over the water, is not seldom the 

 cause of its undoing, for those acquainted with its habits, when they 

 find this bird frequenting a narrow stream, spread a fine silken net 

 across, when its capture is certain. Not always, however, does it 

 follow the winding of the stream, for sometimes it will take a short 

 cut overland to join the bend of the river later. At such times it 

 will often fly high up, but, as a rule, the flight is low, and surprisingly 

 swift, having regard to the small and rounded wings. Alighting 

 with ease, the tail is often bobbed up and down to maintain balance. 

 According to Seebohm, 1 the feet are so ill-adapted for perching that 

 the bird is obliged to sleep in the burrow, which during a part of 

 the year serves for its nursery. There is no evidence in support of 

 this statement, which, on the face of it, is improbable. When the 

 nest is placed in low banks, as on the Thames, for instance, the 

 mouth of the burrow is often under water for weeks. Where, then, 

 could the birds rest ? 



This nursery is dug by the birds, both sexes taking part in the 

 tunnelling, which is, perforce, done by the beak. It is commonly 

 supposed, however, to avail itself of the holes dug by water-voles, 

 where the nesting-site, as in flat and marshy country, is, perforce, 

 near the water's edge. Montagu, 2 however, long ago refuted this, 

 urging that the water-vole is a deadly enemy of the kingfisher, eating 

 its eggs and young. This, however, can hardly be likely, since the 

 kingfisher would be liable, when nesting in the neighbourhood and 

 within the reach of these animals, to the same perils in a hole dug 

 by itself. As a matter of fact, the kingfisher invariably digs for itself, 

 and the mouth of its burrow can be recognised at a glance from 

 that of any other creature. And this because of its shape, which is 

 oval, and with clean-cut edges. Thereby it differs from the burrow 

 of the sandmartin, which is cordiform, the apex upwards. The 

 initial stage of the tunnelling is said to be performed by charging the 



1 Seebohm, British Birds, vol. ii. p. 342. 

 1 Montagu, Ornithological Dictionary. 



