The Kingfishers' Home Life 



79 



They did not open their mouths in the usual manner for food, but 

 tried to pick up small objects from the ground, and one got another 

 by his foot, as the picture shows. I took two other photographs the 

 same day, showing several birds searching on the ground with their 

 bills, as if they were already used to this manner of feeding. 



When the birds were sixteen days old they had begun to look 

 like formidable Kingfishers, with more shapely bills and crests, but 

 as yet they evidently knew no use for their wings. They showed 

 little temper, though they appeared to be somewhat surprised at 

 being disturbed. 



My next visit to the hole in the bank was when the birds were 



YOUNG KINGFISHER, TWENTY-THREE DAYS OLD 



twenty-three days old, and, to ascertain whether they were still at 

 home, I poked into the entrance of the hole a long, thin twig, which 

 was quickly accepted by quite a strong bite. Taking the precaution 

 to stop the hole with a good-sized stone, I proceeded to my digging 

 for the last time on the top of the bank. This time I found the 

 chamber had been moved, and I had some difficulty in locating it 

 about a foot higher up and about the same distance to one side. 

 The old birds had evidently discovered my imperfectly closed back 

 door, and either mistrusted its security, or else a heavy rain had 

 soaked down into the loosened earth and caused them to make 

 alterations. They had completely closed up the old chamber and 

 packed it tightly with earth and disgorged fish bones. 



The skill with which they met this emergenc}' was of unusual 



