220 A HISTORY OF 



The Dird I mean is the King-fisher, of which many extraordinaij 

 falsehoods have been propagated ; and yet of which many extraordi- 

 nary things remain to be said that are actually true. 



The King-fisher is not much larger than a swallow ; its shape is 

 clumsy ; the legs disproportionably small, and the bill disproportion- 

 ably long ; it is two inches from the base to the tip ; the upper chap 

 black, and the lower yellow ; but the colours of this bird atone for its 

 inelegant form ; the crown of the head and the coverts of the wings 

 are of a deep blackish gray, spotted with bright azure ; the back and 

 tail are of the most resplendent azure ; the whole under-side of the 

 body is orange-coloured ; a broad mark of the same passes from the 

 bill beyond the eyes ; beyond that is a large white spot : the tail is 

 short, and consists of twelve feathers of a rich deep blue ; the feet 

 are of a reddish yellow, and the three joints of the outmost toe ad- 

 here to the middle toe, while the inner toe adheres only by one. 



From the diminutive size, the slender short legs, and the beautiful 

 colours of this bird, no person would be led. to suppose it one of the 

 most rapacious little animals that skims the deep. Yet it is for ever 

 on the wing, and feeds on fish, which it takes in surprising quantities 

 when we consider its size and figure. It chiefly frequents the banks 

 of rivers, and takes its prey after the manner of the osprey, balancing 

 itself at a certain distance above the water for a considerable space, 

 then darting into the deep, and seizing the fish with inevitable cer- 

 tainty. While it remains suspended in the air, in a bright day, the 

 plumage exhibits a beautiful variety of the most dazzling and brilliant 

 colours. It might have been this extraordinary beauty that has given 

 rise to fable ; for wherever there is any thing uncommon, fancy is al- 

 ways willing to increase the wonder. 



Of this bird it has been said that she built her nest on the water, 

 and thus in a few days hatched and produced her young. But not to be 

 interrupted in this task, she was said to be possessed of a charm to 

 allay the fury of the waves ; and during this period the mariner might 

 sail with the greatest security. The ancient poets are full of these 

 fables ; their historians are not exempt from them. Cicero has writ- 

 ten a long poem in praise of the halcyon, of which there remains but 

 two lines. Even the Emperor Gordian has written a poem on this 

 subject, of which we have nothing remaining. These fables have 

 been adopted each by one of the earliest fathers of the church. " Be- 

 hold," says St. Ambrose, " the little bird, which in the midst of the 

 winter lays her eggs on the sand by the shore. From that moment 

 the winds are hushed ; the sea becomes smooth ; and the calm con- 

 tinues for fourteen days. This is the time she requires ; seven days 

 to hatch, and seven days to foster her young. Their Creator has 

 taught these little animals to make their nest in the midst of the most 

 stormy season, only to manifest his kindness by granting them a last- 

 ing calm. The seamen are not ignorant of this blessing ; they call 

 this interval of fair weather their halcyon days ; and they are par- 

 ticulany 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 en- 

 tered into speculations concerning the manner of her calmin? the 

 deep, the formation of her nest, and her peculiar sagacity ; at present 



