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THE AUSTRALIAN KING-FISHER. 





The Buff Dacelo inhabits the thickly wooded portions of the northern and north- 

 western districts of Australia, where it may be seen and heard sitting on the topmost 

 branches of the loftiest trees, taking observations of the surrounding country, and yelling 

 in a most unmusical manner. When three or four pairs of these birds get together upon 

 a single tree, they become quite excited by mutual noise, and make such a horrid uproar 

 that nothing can be heard except their deafening outcries. It is a very shy bird, and not 

 easily approached within range of shot. 



The general colour of this bird is a pale fawn marked with brown, and with a 

 considerable amount of rich blue in the wings and tail of the male, the tail feathers being 

 largely tipped with white. The tail of the female is chestnut, boldly barred transversely 

 with deep black, and tipped with buff. 



OF the genus Halcyon, the AUSTRALIAN 

 KINGFISHER affords a good example. 



This bird is a resident in New South 

 Wales from August to December or January, 

 and then passes to a warmer climate. Like 

 the preceding birds, it cares little for the 

 presence of water, making its subsistence 

 chiefly on large insects, such as locusts, cater- 

 pillars, grasshoppers, and cicadse, which it 

 seizes in its bill, and beats violently against 

 the ground before eating them. It is also 

 very fond of small crabs and other crustaceans. 

 Mr. Gould mentions that the stomachs of 

 Australian Kingfishers that had been shot 

 were found crammed with these creatures. 

 To obtain them, it is in the habit of frequenting 

 the sea-shore, and pouncing upon the crabs, 

 shrimps, prawns, and various other creatures 

 as they are thrown on the strand by the re- 

 tiring tide, or forced to take refuge in shallow 

 rock-pools, whence they can easily be extracted 

 by the long bill of this voracious bird. 



On the banks of the Hunter River this 

 Kingfisher resorts to a very curious method of 

 obtaining food. There is a kind of ant which 

 builds a mud nest upon the dead branches and 

 stems of the gum-trees, and by the unpractised 

 eye would be taken for fungi or natural ex- 

 crescences. The Kingfisher, however, knows 

 better, and speedily demolishes the walls with 

 his powerful beak, for the purpose of feeding 

 upon the ants and their larvae. 



Like the preceding bird, the Australian 

 Kingfisher is a most noisy creature, and re- 

 markably fond of exercising its loud startling 

 cry, which is said to resemble the shriek of a 

 human being in distress, sharp, short, urgent, 

 and frequently repeated. There is hardly any 

 real nest of this species, which chooses a con- 

 venient hollow branch or " spout " as its domicile, and there lays its eggs. They are 

 generally from three to five in number, and are of a pure white. 



It is rather a fine bird, being nearly the same size as the laughing jackass. The top of 

 its head and the back of the scapularies are tinged with a dull green, and the throat, neck, 

 and abdomen are buff, abundantly flecked with brown spots. The wings and the tail are 

 of a rather peculiar greenish blue, in which the latter hue prevails, and the ear-coverts 



AUSTRALIAN KINGFISHER. H&lcyon Knwta. 



