CHAP, v.] KINGFISHERS THERE. 305 



planted, so that the birds soon made themselves at 

 home in their new habitation, and followed their natural 

 instincts. 



" Of the class Sylviadae, those which I had were for 

 the most part brought up by my children from the nest, 

 so that we had opportunities for watching their natural 

 propensities, untaught by the parent birds. King- 

 fishers were also brought up and kept by me with the 

 other birds, and in fact one nest of Kingfishers was 

 confined, in a separate long cage, with two Hobby 

 Hawks. These Hawks were brought up from the nest 

 by my apprentice living with me at that time : he also 

 had the care of the Kingfishers, which were fed on 

 dace and gudgeon until they could manage for them- 

 selves ; but it so happened that he forgot my King- 

 fishers, while he thought of his own Hawks, and I was 

 astonished one day by observing, when he threw into 

 the cage the meat cut up into small pieces, these said 

 Kingfishers dashing down upon the meat, and, so great 

 is the power of instinct, dashing the meat against the 

 perches on which they alighted, as if to kill the imagined 

 prey, and at length bolt it. This diet at last became as 

 palatable to them as fish, upon which they were usually 

 fed ; and so tame did they become, that at any time if I 

 held a piece of meat in my fingers, either in the aviary 

 (in which they were afterwards placed) or against the 

 wires outside, the birds would instantly dart at my 

 hand and fly off, with the meat in their bill, to their 

 roosting-place, which I observed was always particu- 

 larized, if I may use the term, each bird having his 

 separate roost. These were generally on boughs, so 

 situated as to have a good view of the fountain, in which 



