134 



THE KINGFISHER. 



KINGFISHER. 



The Kingfisher lays its eggs, to the number of seven or more, in a 

 hole in the bank of the river or stream that it frequents. Dr. Hey- 

 sharn had a female brought alive to him at Carlisle, by a boy, who 

 said he had taken it the preceding night when sitting on its eggs. 

 His information on the subject was, that " having often observed these 

 birds frequent a bank upon the river Peteril, he had watched them 

 carefully, and at last he saw them go into a small hole in the bank. 

 The hole was too narrow to admit his hand ; but, as it was made in 

 soft mould, he ea-sily enlarged it. It was upwards of half a yard long : 

 at the end of it, the eggs, which were six in number, were placed upon 

 the bare mould, without the smallest appearance of a nest." The eggs 

 were considerably larger than those of the Yellow-hammer, and of a 

 transparent white color. It appears from a still later account than 

 this, that the direction of the holes is always upward ; that they are 

 enlarged at the end ; and have there a kind of bedding formed of the 

 bcnes of small fish, and some other substances, evidently the castings 

 of the parent animals. This bedding is generally about half an inch 

 thick, and mixed with earth. There is reason to believe, that both 

 male and female come to this spot for no other purpose than to eject 

 the refuse of their food, for some time before the latter begins to lay: 

 and that they dry it with the heat of their bodies ; as they are fre- 

 quently known to continue in the hole for hours, long before the 

 period for laying On this disgorged matter the female deposits and 

 batches her eggs. 



