The Kingfisher. 



343 



and the birds will pounce down upon it from their perches, often securing a piece without alighting. 

 The pieces of fish, if fairly free from bones, need not be very small ; it is astonishing what a swallow 

 the birds have ; I have seen them manage a piece, or a whole fish, which looked nearly as large as 

 the head of the bird itself I have frequently found that they prefer the meat to the fish. Nearly 

 all writers recommend the food to be placed in a vessel of water, that the birds may take it as they 

 do in their wild state. This, however, does not work well in practice, especially with young ones. 

 They tumble into the water, get thoroughly soaked, and, unless the pan is very flat, cannot scramble 

 out; and if they do, must be taken in hand and dried. With half a dozen birds doing this two or 

 three times a day, one may have nothing else to do. In my early attempts to rear this bird I was 

 particularly anxious to carry out this idea, supplying the birds as ' near to nature ' as I well knew 

 how, also constructing a small fountain with a basin beneath for the birds to feed out of But the 

 trouble the birds gave me through getting too wet two or three times a day, to say nothing of the 

 annoyance of finding several dead from cold, &c., caused me to abandon the 'natural' scheme and 

 resort to the plan above recommended. 



" When the birds can do for themselves, continue to give them the same food, only by degrees 

 substituting beef and egg in place of the fish. With a few persons the difficulty of obtaining fresh- 

 water fish is no serious matter ; and with such there is no need to persevere in the idea of weaning 

 the birds from a fish diet ; but with most people obtaining a daily supply of, fresh-water fish would 

 be a serious matter, and therefore with such the sooner the birds get accustomed to artificial food 

 the better. In the course of a few weeks the fish may be dispensed with, and only given at such 

 intervals as opportunities arise for obtaining it. Small earthworms and water-leeches may be given 

 when obtainable, but the birds will live and thrive well on beef and egg. The cage or aviary must 

 be well supplied with water for drinking and bathing, and. if the vessel for bathing is placed 

 for them in the morning, it should be withdrawn after the birds have been in it, or they will be 

 getting wet all day long. 



"All writers say that the Kingfisher is very pugnacious; but it is nothing compared to some 

 of the inmates of the aviary. Robins, Nightingales, &c., are far worse in this respect ; half a 

 dozen Kingfishers may be kept together comfortably. It is a pretty sight, which will well repay 

 for the trouble taken, to see half a dozen of them sitting in a row upon their perch, especially if 

 the sun should shine on their lovely backs. When reared from the nest, the birds exhibit but little 

 of their natural shyness, and will take the food out of your hand, especially if it should be a live 

 minnow or any other small fish, which they immediately bolt head foremost, not waiting to kill it, 

 as is often asserted." 



The Ring Dove is a common bird, known also as the Wood Pigeon, rather too large 

 for the aviary, but may be kept in a special cage, when it will become very tame. These birds 

 should be reared in pairs from the nest on soaked tares, lentils, or peas cut small, and when 

 adult should be fed upon peas, wheat, or any other grain except oats. 



The Stock Dove may also be kept in confinement, in pairs, if fed and treated as the 

 Ring Dove. 



The Turtle Dove, from its sentimental associations, is more often kept than either of 

 the foregoing. It is much smaller than either of the preceding, and from its extreme docility 

 and quiet habits may be kept in a moderately large aviary. It should be fed the same ab 

 the Ring Dove, adding canary, rape, hemp, and millet seeds. 



