WATER-FOWL. 



603 



these little animals to make their nest in the 

 midst of the most stormy season, only to ma- 

 nifest his kindness by granting them a lasting 

 calm. The seamen are not ignorant of this 

 blessing ; they call this interval of fair wea- 

 ther their halcyon days ; and they are particu- 

 larly careful to seize the opportunity, as then 

 they need fear no interruption," This, and 

 a hundred other instances, might be given of 

 the credulity of mankind with respect to this 

 bird ; they entered into speculations concern- 

 ing the manner of her calming the deep, the 

 formation of her nest, and her peculiar saga- 

 city ; at present we do not speculate, because 

 we know, with respect to our king-fisher, that 

 most of the facts are false. It may be al- 

 leged, indeed, with some show of reason, that 

 the halcyon of the ancients was a different 

 bird from our king-fisher; it may be urged, 

 that many birds, especially on the Indian 

 ocean, build a floating nest upon the sea; but 

 still the history of the ancient halcyon is clog- 



fed with endless fable; and it is but an in- 

 ifferent method to vindicate falsehood, by 

 showing that a part of the story is true. 



The king-fisher with which we are acquaint- 

 ed at present, has none of those powers of al- 

 laying the storm, or building upon the waves; 

 it is contented to make its nest on the banks 

 of rivers, in such situations as not to be af- 

 fected by the rising of the stream. When it 

 has found a place for its purpose, it hollows 

 out with its bill a hole about a yard deep; or 

 if it finds the deserted hole of a rat, or one 

 caused by the root of a tree decaying, it takes 

 quiet possession. This hole it enlarges at 

 the bottom to a good size ; and lining it with 

 the down of the willow, lays its eggs there 

 without any further preparation. 



Its nest, or rather hole, is very different 

 from that described by the ancients, by whom 

 it is said to be made in the shape of a long- 

 necked gourd of the bones of the sea-needle. 

 The bones, indeed, are found there in great 

 quantities, as well as the scales of fishes; but 

 these are the remains of the bird's food, and 

 by no means brought there for the purposes 

 of warmth or convenience. The king-fisher, 

 as Bellonius says, feeds upon fish, but is in- 

 capable of digesting the bones and scales, 

 which he throws up again, as eagles and owls 

 are seen to do a part of their prey. These 



HO. 51 & 52. 



fill the bird's nest of course ; and although 

 they seem as if designedly placed there, are 

 only a kind of nuisance. 



In these holes, which, from the remains of 

 fish brought there, are very foetid, the king- 

 fisher is often found with from five eggs to 

 nine. There the female continues to hatch, 

 even though disturbed; and though the nest 

 be robbed, she will again return and lay there. 

 " I have had one of those females brought me,'" 

 says Reaumur, " which was taken from her 

 nest about three leagues from my house. Af- 

 ter admiring the beauty of her colours, I let 

 her fly again, when the fond creature was in- 

 stantly seen to return back to the nest where 

 she had just before been made a captive. 

 There, joining the male, she again began to 

 lay, though it was for the third time, and though 

 the season was very far advanced. At each 

 time she had seven eggs. The older the nest 

 is, the greater quantity offish-bones and scales 

 does it contain: these are disposed without 

 any order; and sometimes take up a good 

 deal of room." 



The female begins to lay early in the sea- 

 son; and excludes her first brood about the 

 beginning of April. The male, whose fideli- 

 ty exceeds even that of the turtle, brings her 

 large provisions offish while she is thus em- 

 ployed ; and she, contrary to most other birds, 

 is found plump and fat at that season. The 

 male, that used to twitter before this, now en- 

 ters the nest as quietly and as privately as 

 possible. The young ones are hatched at 

 the expiration of twenty days ; but are seen to 

 differ as well in their size as in their beauty. 



As the ancients have had their fables con- 

 cerning this bird, so have the modern vulgar. 

 It is an opinion generally received among 

 them, that the flesh of the king-fisher will not 

 corrupt, and that it will even banish all ver- 

 min. This has no better foundation than 

 that which is said of its always pointing, when 

 hung up dead, with its breast to the north. 

 The only truth which can be affirmed of this 

 bird, when killed, is, that its flesh is utterly 

 unfit to be eaten; while its beautiful plumage 

 preserves its lustre longer than that of any 

 other bird we know. 



Having thus given a short history of birds, 

 I own I cannot take leave of this most beau- 

 tiful part of the creation without reluctance.. 

 4R 



