io8 BOMBAY DUCKS 



domestic affairs pried into. They will not actually 

 attack the human being who tries to get at the nest, 

 but they raise a tremendous hullabaloo. All kingfishers 

 make similar nests. In some parts of India, however, the 

 white-breasted form appears to be changing its habits 

 as regards nest building, just as it is doing with regard 

 to fishing. According to Mr. E. C. Steuart Baker, the 

 white-breasted kingfishers found in Cachar do not ex- 

 cavate their nest, but build a roughly constructed one 

 of moss amongst rocks or large stones. 



Kingfishers are exceedingly unfortunate in having 

 attracted the attention of the poets. Very few of these 

 gentry can ever have seen any of the birds, but all of 

 them have heard of them, and this they think suffi- 

 cient to warrant their writing on the subject. Let me 

 give a few choice specimens of what the poets are 

 capable of. 



Howitt writes of " the scarlet plume of the halcyon." 

 We must, however, not be too severe upon this bard. 

 It is quite possible that some wag dipped a sparrow in 

 red ink and showed it to the poet as a kingfisher. The 

 average poet seems to regard the bird as a sort of 

 melodious seagull, having the habits of the bald coot. 

 This the following quotations will prove : 



(1) " Bird of calm that sits brooding on the charmed wave." 



(2) " When winter halcyons, flickering on the wave, 



Tune their complaints, yon sea forgets to rave, 

 Loud winds turn zephyrs to enlarge their notes, 

 And each safe nest on a calm surface floats." 



Phil Robinson, in the " Poets' Birds," quotes thirty 

 equally idiotic effusions. But Shelley beats all records ; 



