The Kingfishers and their King Row. 



89 



Fig. 79. Five Kingfishers from chamber at end of tunnel ; nine days 

 old. July 19, 1900. 



already acquired some curious habits. They, like the adult birds, stand not on the toes 

 .simply, but on the whole tarsus, which corresponds to the scaly part of the leg of a fowl, 

 so that the " drum-stick " rises from the heel. They can be posed in any position like toy 

 soldiers, but if placed in line they will soon break ranks and walk backwards, even mov- 

 ing up inclined planes or against 

 obstacles set in their paths. They 

 are rarely seen to take a single for- 

 ward step for many days after reach- 

 ing this stage. 



The human infant and verte- 

 brated animals generally instinctive- 

 ly walk forward ; how then does it 

 happen that the young Kingfisher 

 early acquires the grotesque habit 

 of walking backwards? The anom- 

 aly is readily understood. From 

 the time of birth the young lie hud- 

 dled in a cluster in their dark un- 

 derground chamber, which opens 

 to the outside by means of a single 

 narrow tunnel. As they grow in 

 size and strength the monotony of 

 sitting still, often with legs and 

 wings interlocked, must become 

 very great, and whether for diver- 

 sion or not, at all events they soon 

 begin to bite and tease one another 

 like young puppies. Should one be 

 hard-pressed, the only way of es- 

 cape lies along the narrow passage, 

 which they naturally traverse head 

 first ; but the instinct to return to 

 the warm family cluster is strong, 

 and to do this they are obliged to 

 walk backwards. Again when the 

 rattle of the alma mater announcing 

 the capture of another fish is heard, 

 each struggles to get down the nar- 

 row passage-way first, but when the parent enters the hole she hustles them all back. With 

 each backward movement the young Kingfishers thus come to associate pleasant things, 

 food and warmth. Thus the habit is temporarily fixed. 



Wishing to see these birds take fish to their young, I decided to try the tent, al- 

 though it was impossible to get nearer than eight feet, and the hole was in full light for 

 only a part of the forenoon ; besides, being situated on the roadside, one was in constant 

 danger of interruption. The experiment succeeded, however, even better than I had 



Fig. 80. Posed in line, biting, pulling, and crowding one another. 



