104 BOMBAY DUCKS 



the little flock sees danger and flies off; the flash of 

 the white in his wings attracts the attention of his com- 

 panions, and they follow him without knowing why they 

 are flying away. But the white-breasted kingfisher is 

 not a gregarious bird, hence in his case the white bar 

 cannot have this meaning. 



It has been suggested that it serves as a recognition 

 mark, a mark whereby the male and female can dis- 

 tinguish one another from other kinds of kingfishers. 

 This may be so, but it seems to me that, if the kingfisher 

 has any difficulty in recognizing his wife, and I am far 

 from asserting that he has, his difficulty would be in 

 distinguishing her, not from a bird of another species, 

 but from others of her own kind. 



The white-breasted kingfisher is an organism full of 

 interest to the zoologist, since it appears to be under- 

 going evolution before our very eyes. Those who do 

 not believe in the theory of evolution and there are 

 still some persons who do not urge as an objection to 

 the theory that they see no signs of changing structure 

 in the animals round about them ; these are apparently 

 fixed and stable, and not undergoing any modification. 



It is true that Nature does not work in a hurry, that 

 most of the alterations which are being effected are 

 coming about so slowly as to be imperceptible to human 

 eyes. There are, however, exceptions, and the white- 

 breasted kingfisher is one of them. 



The proper hunting ground for a kingfisher is ob- 

 viously water of some description or other, but this 

 particular species is often found far away from water. 

 It is one of the common birds of our gardens, and is 



