CURIOUS CREATURES. 199 



THE HALCYON. 



Of this bird, the Kingfisher, Aristotle thus discourses : 

 " The halcyon is not much larger than a sparrow ; its 

 colour is blue and green, and somewhat purple ; its 

 whole body is composed of these colours as well as the 

 wings and neck, nor is any part without every one of 

 these colours. Its bill is somewhat yellow, long and 

 slight ; this is its external form. Its nest resembles 

 the marine balls which are called halosachnae (probably 

 a Zoophyte, Alcyonia) except in colour, for they are red ; 

 in form it resembles those sicyae (cucumbers) which 

 have long necks ; its size is that of a very large sponge, 

 for some are greater, others less. They are covered 

 up, and have a thick solid part, as well as the cavity ; 

 it is not easily cut with a sharp knife, but, when struck 

 or broken with the hand, it divides readily like the 

 halosachnae. The mouth is narrow, as it were a small 

 entrance, so that the sea water cannot enter, even if the 

 Sea is rough : its cavity is like that of the Sponge. The 

 material of which the nest is composed is disputed, but 

 it appears to be principally composed of the spines of 

 the belone, for the bird lives on fish." 



Pliny says : " It is a thing of very rare occurrence 

 to see a halcyon, and then it is only about the time of 

 the setting of the Vergiliae, and the summer and winter 

 solstices ; when one is sometimes to be seen to hover 

 about a ship, and then immediately disappear. They 

 hatch their young at the time of the winter solstice, 

 from which circumstance those days are known as the 

 ' halcyon days ; ' during this period the sea is calm and 

 navigable, the Sicilian sea in particular." 



" Halcyon days " is used proverbially, but the King- 



