XIII 

 KINGFISHERS 



I'LL clothe and equip each of my creatures for a 

 special work, and give him some particular thing 

 to do," says Nature. " I'll give the hummingbird a long 

 bill to suck honey from the flower-cups. I'll give the night- 

 hawk a big mouth to catch flies. I'll give the grosbeak 

 a large, powerful bill to crack seeds. I'll give the snipe 

 long legs to wade in the mud and water and find his food. 

 I'll give the woodpecker a chisel-shaped bill to bore holes 

 in the trees. I'll give the owl eyes that see at night-time, 

 and strong claws and a hooked beak to catch mice and 

 other harmful beasts. Every creature will have its special 

 part to play in the world." 



Until we have studied this plan of Nature, and have 

 seen how specially he is adapted for his life's work, we 

 can't appreciate the beauty of the Kingfisher (Ceryle 

 alcyon) . You might not notice how closely the color of 

 his coat matches the water until you look at him from 

 above with the blue water behind him. 



A kingfisher cannot be high above his reptile ances- 

 tors. Young kingfishers are raised in such a dark, damp 

 place you might think, at first sight, that all of them would 

 die of consumption. They never get even a glint of sun- 

 shine till they are old enough to climb out of the cave 

 and take flight. Think of living in a deep well till you 



