Ground and Underground Nests 



can detect his presence. As he flies down-stream, a streak 

 of exquisite azure, he is remarkably conspicuous. It is sad 

 to relate that this beautiful bird and its nest are possessed 

 of an odour which is wellnigh overpowering, as we shall 

 relate in a moment. 



Selecting some spot on the bank of a stream where fish 

 are plentiful, the kingfisher excavates a hole in leisurely 

 manner : a month is often expended in this engineering 

 feat. The entrance to the tunnel is always kept small, so 

 small, indeed, that one marvels how the bird can enter. 

 The tunnel itself is often of a tortuous nature, to avoid 

 tree roots and other obstacles, but it always inclines 

 gently upwards, so that a rise of a few inches in the level 

 of the stream will not flood the nest. At the end of the 

 tunnel, usually about two feet from the entrance, a low, 

 broad chamber is made, and here the nest is constructed. 

 And curious indeed is this nest, being constructed of dry 

 fish bones, those of minnows for the most part. 



Certain birds, whose food consists of boned animals, are 

 in the habit of disgorging the bones of their prey after 

 they have digested the softer parts. The kingfisher is one 

 of these birds, and it is from the bones of these ejected 

 food pellets that the nest is built. 



As may be supposed, the nest is of the most fragile 

 description, and it was years after the nesting habits of 

 this bird were fully understood before a complete nest 

 was brought to light. Sometimes the remains of dragon- 

 flies' wings may be found amongst the bones comprising 

 the nest, a sign that the eggs have been hatched, for it is 

 upon these insects that the young kingfishers are fed. 

 Little wonder that the haunt of the kingfisher may be 

 easily detected by its smell. The decaying flesh on the fish 

 bones and the excrement of the fish-eating birds combine 

 to produce an odour which is beyond human endurance. 

 The nest, the tunnel, the bird itself, reek of putrid fish. 



Many birds nest in burrows but are not true burrowers, 

 for the reason that they take advantage of some other 



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