KINGFISHERS. 



PIG. 561. KINGFISHER. 



The Kingfishers (Alcedd] have a quadrangular beak, which is long, 

 straight, pointed, and trenchant ; their legs are short, and bare to above the 

 knees. The only species found in Europe is the Alcedo ispida, a beautiful 

 bird. His plumage is green and black above, with a stripe of red beneath, 

 and a riband of the same colour on each side of the neck. His delight is to 

 dwell amidst the most sequestered scenes on the borders of rivers and streams 

 abounding in small fish and insects, upon which he feeds. On the broken or 

 rocky bank of his aquatic retreat he may be frequently seen perched on some 

 projecting bough, scrutinizing the waters for his expected prey; if unsuccessful, 

 he comes along the stream just above the surface, and occasionally hovers for 

 an instant with rapidly-moving wings over the spot where he perceives his 

 gliding quarry. In the next instant, with a swift spiral sweep, he seizes a fish, 

 which he at once swallows. 



The Hornbills (/?*ri)*are large birds of India and Africa, remarkable 

 for their enormous toothed beaks, surmounted by a crest or prominence 

 almost as large as the beak itself. They live upon mice, reptiles, small birds, 

 and dead animals. 



ORDER ScANsoRES.f 



In all birds belonging to this Order the outer toe can be directed 

 backwards like the thumb, an arrangement that enables them 

 more firmly to grasp the boughs of trees, and which some genera 



* /3ous, bous, an ox ; tctpas, keras, a horn ; because their beak somewhat resembles the 

 horn of an ox. t Scando, scansum, to climb. 



