20 KINGFISHERS, SCARCITY OF 



rarely happens that one can get a good view of 

 him on account of his extreme shyness and ex- 

 treme swiftness on the wing. I was fortunate one 

 day in seeing him swinging on a spray close to 

 the water in a most inaccessible place, warbling a 

 pretty little melody ; at a distance of nearly one 

 hundred yards he sang away, seemingly quite secure 

 from any intruder, and I thought of the pity of it 

 that such a lovely little bird should be doomed to 

 extinction partly on account of its having wrongly 

 got a bad character, and partly because of its 

 attractiveness. 



Montaigne, in one of his delightful essays on the 

 sagacity of animals, has the following remarks 

 about the kingfisher 



"But that which experience teacheth seafaring 

 men, especially those that come into the seas of 

 Sicilie, of the qualitie and condition of the Halcyon 

 bird, or, as some call it, alcedo or kingfisher, 

 exceeds all men's conceit. In what kinde of crea- 

 ture did ever nature so much prefer both their 

 hatching, sitting, brooding, and birth ? 



****** 



" But God's decree hath been that all the watrie 

 wildernesse should be quiet and made calme, without 

 raine, wind or tempest, during the time the Halcyon 

 sitteth and bringeth forth her young ones, which is 

 much about the winter Solstitium, and shortest day 

 in the yeare : By whose privilege even in the hart 

 and deadest time of winter we have seven calme 

 daies, and as many nights to saile without any 



