OF HARTING. 255 



itself. The old birds, hitherto accustomed to see their 

 protege only in his cradle, had no doubt under- 

 estimated his real bulk and dimensions, so that when 

 he stood confessed a gigantic nursling, ravenously 

 clamouring for food with enormous gape and shivering 

 wings, they questioned his identity, and were actually 

 afraid to venture near him. Each, with a dainty morsel 

 in its bill, would alternately flit about from side to side 

 and alight at a safe distance from the monster, eyeing 

 him most suspiciously the while, and garrulously de- 

 manding of its companion an explanation of the 

 phenomenon. At intervals one or both would hang 

 on wing a few seconds in the air over the cuckoo, and 

 take a " bird's eye" view of him ; but for a long time 

 every fresh appeal from the famishing one seemed to 

 increase their perplexity. The dilemma might have 

 resulted in serious consequences to the poor cuckoo, 

 had not one of the wagtails, more courageous or more 

 fertile in expedients than the other, after many feints 

 and attempts, fairly settled on his back, and hastily 

 dropped a supply in his upturned bill, the other after 

 some further hesitation, followed the example of its 

 mate, and in this way did they continue to feed him 

 till he was able to cater for himself. 



The Kingfisher (Alcedo Ispidd} frequents our streams 

 and ponds in small numbers, and not uncommonly 

 rears a brood here. " Have you ever seen a nest 

 actually built by this bird ?" asks a local observer, 

 copies of whose letters are before us. " The circum- 

 stance which induces me to put the question is this : 

 during the spring of '53, I directed the attention of 

 some farm labourers to a pair of kingfishers, which I 

 had seen more than once frequenting a brook at Down 

 Parks, and in a few weeks afterwards was much 

 pleased at receiving a message from one of them to 

 the effect that a nest had been found. I lost no time 

 in going down, but what was my surprise when, after 

 having been conducted into a barn close by the brook, 



