THE BIRDS OF THE GREEN LANES. 117 



some bough, and greeting their parents as they pass 

 to and fro, looking after food for them, and probably 

 teaching them the art of fishing. The kingfisher is 

 rather a difficult bird to shoot, but it is a great pity 

 it is not even more so, for its beautiful plumage, 

 comparable with any tropical species, renders it so 

 attractive an object that every gun is pointed at it 

 whenever a chance occurs. The recent rage for 

 showy feathers in ladies' bonnets also has had a 

 great deal to do with its decimation. In this respect, 

 the fair sex are among the greatest destroyers of 

 animal life, the entire kingdom of nature being ran- 

 sacked to furnish them with furs, feathers, beetle's 

 elytra, &c. The generic name of this bird is Alcedo. 

 There was a widespread, ancient belief that when it 

 was hatching its eggs, the water was always calm 

 and still ; and many allusions to this idea are to be 

 found both among ancient and modern poets. 



In the same waters as the heron and kingfisher 

 affect, you may see the Moor-hen plashing and 

 swimming, if you are careful to approach noiselessly. 

 These birds always seem to us to be good illustra- 

 tions of how soon new habits are acquired. It is 

 one of the most timid of all the feathery tribes, and 

 yet you may see it disporting in the dykes which 

 run alongside the railways in the eastern counties, 

 utterly regardless of the passing trains, let them 

 whistle and roar as loud as they will ! There cannot 

 be a doubt that a few generations ago, the ancestors 

 of these individuals were startled by the trains, but 



