ALCEDINID.E — TIIK KINGFISHERS. 



;ji)o 



The result of tlio evidence thus <;iven seems to he tliat th(» hoh's the 

 Kinj^tisliers in.ike jire not less tlisiu lour nor more tliun tifteen teet in 

 length ; that some are perfectly stmight, while some, just he lore their 

 termination, turn to tlie riglit, and others to tlie left ; and that all have, 

 at or near the terminus, an enlarged space in which the eggs are deposited. 

 Here the eggs are usually hud on the hare sand, there heinir verv rarclv if 

 ever, any attempt to construct a nest. The use of hay, dry grass, and feath- 

 ers, spoken of hy the ohler writers, does not ai)pear to be confirmed by moie 

 recent testimony. Yet it is ([uite possible that in certain situati«»ns the u.sc 

 of dry materials may be resorted to to protect the eggs from a too damj) 

 soil. 



The idace cliosen for the excavation is not always near water. In the 

 spring of ISoo I found tlie nest of a Kingfisher in a bank bv the side of the 

 carriage path on Mount Washington, ww than a mile from any water. It 

 was a shaUow excavation, made that sea.son, and contained fresh eggs the 

 latter part of May. The foo«l of the jiair wjis taken near the dam of a saw- 

 mill on PealMMly IJiver. In another instance a i)air of Kingfishers made 

 their abode in a sand-bank in the midst of the villagi^ of Hingham, within 

 two rods of the main street, and withina few feet of a dwelling, and not in 

 the near vicinity of water. Here the Cimfidence they dis])layed was not 

 misplaced. They were ])rotected, and their singular habits carefully and 

 curiously watched. During tlu^ day they were cautious, reticent, and mrely 

 seen, but during the night they seemed to be passing back and forth contin- 

 ually, the reti'.rn of each parent being announced by a loud rattling cry. 

 T^iter in the season, when the yt>ung reipiired constant attention, these noc- 

 turnal noises seemed nearly incessant, and became almost a nuisance to the 

 family. 



The Kingfisher, having once selected a situation for its nest, is very 

 tenacious of it, and mrely forsakes it unless compelled to by too great 

 annovances. Thev will submit to be robbed time after time, and still 

 return to the same sj)ot and renew their attempts. They are devoted to 

 their vounn, exhibit jrreat solicitude if their safety is threatened, and will 

 sutler chemselves to Ite taken from their nest rather than leave it, and 

 innnediately return to it again. 



^Ir. Dall ol>served a male bird of this species digging other holes in the 

 bank near his nest, apparently for amusement or occupation. They were 

 never more than two feet in length and about eight inches in diameter. He 

 seemed to abandon them as soon as made, though seen to retire into one to 

 eat a fish he had captured. 



The eggs are usually six, rarely seven, in number, and are of a beautifully 

 clear crystal whiteness. They are very nearly spherical in shape, and mciis- 

 ure X.31 l>y l,Otj inches, , 



