314 AXIMAL LIFE IN THE YO SEMITE 



Portal, and along the Tuolumne River near Lagrange in spring; also, in summer und 

 fall, in Yosemite Valley, in the upper Merced Canon between Merced and Washburn 

 lakes, and, on the Mono side of the mountains, at Walker Lake and along Rush Creek 

 down nearly to Mono Lake. 



Associated closely, as it is, with fish-producing waters, the ^\^estern 

 Belted Kingfisher proves to be well represented in the Yosemite region. 

 Along the sloughs and quieter parts of the Merced River, one's attention 

 is often suddenly attracted by the harsh rattling note of one of these birds, 

 as it dashes past in rapid flight. When alighting, it chooses some prominent 

 bare tree branch at the side of the stream, where it can have an uninter- 

 rupted view of the water beneath and also have access to a clear ' fly-way ' 

 up and down. Here the bird perches with its big head and bill held 

 horizontally, its crest showing in profile conspicuously. It does not keep 

 one perch very long, however, but soon goes rattling off down the river to 

 the next favorable vantage point. 



This bird's wing-beat is characteristic, three quick beats followed by 

 two executed in a more leisurely manner, like this : one, two, three ; four ; 

 five. 



A Western Belted Kingfisher watched by Mr. Walter P. Taylor came 

 to a perch on a bare limb overhanging some rapids in the river, and sat 

 there motionless. The outline of the bird's body at once became indis- 

 tinguishable from the light and shade of its background; in other words 

 it was obliterated because of the disruptive pattern of its coloration, white 

 and slate areas alternating. If the fishes in the water beneath got the 

 same impression as did the human observer, the kingfisher must have 

 become invisible to them, remaining so until the moment of its headlong 

 plunge in their pursuit. 



Outlining the behavior of the belted kingfisher in further detail, our 

 notes record an observation at Stoneman bridge, October 12, 1914. It 

 was 5 P.M., and dusk was just coming on. A kingfisher wa.s much in 

 evidence. It flew down to the water, skimmed over its surface for a ways, 

 then up and out into the woods, twisting among the trees with wild head- 

 long flight. Then back to the river it flew, to take its position for a few 

 moments on a cottonwood limb twenty feet above the water. It uttered, 

 at short intervals throughout this flight, the characteristic harsh clatter. 



At El Portal, December 5, 1914, a kingfisher was seen to perch on the 

 tip of a sharp-angled boulder out in the swift current. In that locality 

 certain drift snags in mid-stream and dead oak branches extending out 

 over the water were also chosen as perches. 



Even to the casual observer the dependence of this bird on a diet of 

 fishes is most apparent. This fact plainly accounts for the antipathy 

 to it displayed by most human fishers, and, a.s a result, many kingfishers 



