140 American Birds 



are grown ! But maybe Nature set the kingfisher to live 

 in a dark hole in order to adapt him better for his work. 



A young kingfisher seems to grow like a potato in a 

 cellar, all the growth going to the end nearer the light. 

 He sits looking out toward the door and, of course, his 

 face naturally all goes to nose. Everything is forfeited 

 to furnish him with a big head, a spear-pointed bill, and 

 a pair of strong wings to give this arrow-shaped bird a 

 good start when he dives for fish. Of course, he seems top- 

 heavy in appearance. His tiny feet are deformed and 

 hardly large enough to support him. I am sure a king- 

 fisher would not pretend to walk, but he is built for a pro- 

 fessional fisher and is a success at the business. 



If a kingfisher can find a bank he always has some 

 advantage over other birds, because he can burrow in 

 far enough to get out of reach. For several years we 

 have watched a pair of these birds that nested along the 

 river bank within the city limits. One day we paddled 

 across to the east side above the mill. The bank ran 

 abruptly up and was well wooded. Beyond this was a 

 short, sandy beach where we used to swim, and where a 

 cool spring of water gushed out of the rocks just above 

 the river. Above was a small clay bank where the king- 

 fishers lived. I saw one enter the hole and I climbed up 

 just below the entrance. I pounded with a stick to get 

 him out so as to snap his picture as he left the nest. But 

 he was like a baron in his castle. He knew I couldn't 

 drive him out. Then I sat down for fifteen minutes until 

 his mate returned. When she arrived with a loud clat- 

 tering cry, out he came and lit on a stump while she 

 entered. 



