u 



Alcedo ispida. 



Kingfisher. 



EGG OBSERVED. 



May 24tli, 1867. 

 1870. 



Thongli tlie colours of tlie plumage of this bird are as 

 bright and vivid, perhaps even more so, than those of any 

 other tolerably common English bird, I am inclined to 

 dispute the general theory which awards the palm for 

 beauty to this bird. Its form is by no means elegant, and 

 I think that such birds as the Lapwing, the Jay, and the 

 Bullfinch, which unite beauty of colour to that of form, 

 have at any rate an equal claim to the post of honour. 



It is by no means such an uncommon bird with us as it is 

 supposed to be, an abundance may be seen on the banks of 

 the more unfrequented parts of the river, and I believe 

 their nests also to be common, though often difficult to find 

 and to get at when found. 



They do not always build close to the water. One 

 instance is mentioned in the "Flora" list of birds in which the 

 nest was built in one of the clay pits at the top of the 

 Forest Hill, near the Salisbury road, which is at least a 

 mile from any running water. Another was found in 1867 

 at the top of the White Horse Hill. On account of the 

 nature of its food and nest, which is built of the indigestible 

 portion of its prey, the nesting hole of the kingfisher has a 

 m.ost overpowering and disagreeable smell. 



