THE GIANT KINGFISHER. BIRDS. THE AUSTRALIAN KINGFISHER. 



299 



he breaks out into his usual laugh, probably expressive 

 of his satisfaction at the proceedings going on before 

 him ; but his cachinnatory explosion often costs him his 

 life, " for if, as is often the case," says Mr. Gould, " the 

 traveller's larder be ill provided, and his appetite keen, 



but a few minutes elapse before it is roasting over the 

 fire it was lately surveying with so much curiosity." 



The name Kingfisher applied to this bird, and indeed 

 to all the following species, is, perhaps, a misnomer, 



and can only be justified by the desire to indicate how 



Fig. 106. 



The Giant Kingfisher (Daceto gigas). 



closely these birds are allied to the true kingfishers. 

 None of them appear to be aquatic in their habits, but 

 they feed upon insects and other terrestrial animals, so 

 that the name of Hunters is more applicable to them 

 than that of Fishers. Accordingly some naturalists 

 have proposed to denominate these birds Kinghunters, 

 and the French term Martins chasseurs, expresses the 

 same opposition to the habits of the Kingfishers, or 

 Martins pecheurs. The Giant Kingfisher is a great 

 hunter, feeding voraciously upon insects, reptiles, and 

 crabs. Mr. Gould says, " it devours lizards with 

 avidity, and it is not an unfrequent sight to see it bear- 

 ing off a snake in its bill to be eaten at leisure." It 

 also preys on small mammalia. Hence, unlike the true 

 kingfishers, this bird is not confined to the vicinity of 

 water ; indeed Mr. Gould believes that it seldom if 

 ever drinks, so that the driest plains serve it as a habi- 

 tation. It breeds in August and September, depositing 

 its eggs, which are of a beautiful pearl white colour, in 

 a hole in some large gum-tree, upon the dust and 

 decomposed wood which lines the bottom. It defends 

 its nest and young with great courage, and its formid- 

 able bill enables it to inflict very severe wounds. 



This bird is represented in other parts of Australia 

 by nearly allied but distinct species; in the north- 

 eastern part of that continent its place is taken by 

 LEACH'S KINGFISHER (D. Leachii), and along the 



northern and north-western coast, by the BUFF- 

 BREASTED KINGFISHER (D. cervina). Another species 

 (D. Gaudichaudii) inhabits New Guinea; their mode 

 of life is, for the most part, very similar to that of the 

 Giant Kingfisher of New South Wales. 



THE AUSTRALIAN KINGFISHER (Halcyon sancta}. 

 The numerous species to which the generic name of 

 Halcyon has been applied, are all inhabitants of tha 

 eastern hemisphere, in all parts of which, with tho 

 exception of Europe, some of them occur. They have 

 three toes in front and one behind, but the inner front 

 toe is very small. The present species, which is called 

 the Australian Kingfisher, from its receiving the name 

 of kingfisher from our colonists, is generally dispersed 

 over the whole continent of Australia. It measures 

 about eight inches in length, including the powerful 

 bill, which is black, with the base of the lower mandible 

 white ; the crown of the head, the back, and scapularies, 

 and the wings and tail are green, the latter tinged with 

 blue ; a line running from each nostril over the eye is 

 buff ; a broad blackish-green band separates the green 

 of the head from a broad buff collar which surrounds 

 the neck ; the throat is nearly white, and the whole 

 lower surface of the body buff, deeper on the flanks. 



This handsome species is a summer resident in the 

 southern parts of Australia, from which it retires north- 

 wards after the breeding season is over. Its food con- 



