120 THE PARADISE FLY-CATCHER. 



great mounds of earth made by the ants send out 

 colonies of winged ants. Then the Fly-catchers 

 come prepared for a banquet, and assemble in 

 thousands. 



They do not always content themselves with 

 insects ; the larger species of birds will even feed 

 on fish. A gentleman was once sitting at his 

 window, and he heard a splash in a lake close by. 

 Looking out, he spied a Fly-catcher perched on a 

 dead branch which overhung the water. A mo- 

 ment after, he saw the bird give a plunge, in the 

 same manner as the Kingfisher does. Then it 

 rose again to its branch, and sat, as if drying its 

 feathers. The gentleman watched intently, and 

 he saw the bird dive again into the water, and 

 bring up a tiny fish, just after the manner of the 

 Kingfisher. The dart was made with the rapidity 

 of lightning, and then the bird sat on the branch, 

 as if to allow its feathers to dry. 



The Fly-catcher has even been suspected of de- 

 vouring small animals, for a lizard was once found 

 in its stomach. 



