n8


This species feeds, when at liberty, upon mantides, grass¬

hoppers, beetles, small lizards, and such like ; and some speci¬

mens, that were shot by Gould in the neighbourhood of the salt

marshes, had their stomachs crammed with small crabs and

other crustaceans.


In captivity I have not found these birds difficult to keep,

in fact they seem to be as easily dealt with as the larger and

better known Dacelo gigantea, the celebrated “ Laughing Jackass.”

A diet of raw meat, preferably beef, chopped into small pieces,

suites the Sacred Kingfisher well, if it be now and then supple¬

mented by a few mealworms, cockroaches, or other insects. I

have seen my birds catch and devour minute frogs ; and any

earthworm that may shew itself is immediately captured. I have

little doubt that newly-hatched birds would prove a sore temta-

tion to them ; but they seem perfectly harmless towards adult

birds however small, in fact I have kept the tiny Zebra Waxbills

in the same aviary with the Kingfishers, which never interfered

with them.


This Kingfisher almost invariably beats its food against

the perch before swallowing it, as if to kill it, even although it

consist merely of a piece of beef: and after a meal of tough

skinned creatures, such as cockroaches, it always throws up the

indigestable parts in the form of pellets.


I have found these birds a very interesting addition to my

collection : they are so very different to every other species that

I have kept, both in habits and appearance. Their flight is very

rapid, and it is interesting to watch one of them, after sitting

perfectly motionless for some time, dart from its perch and seize

an insect from amongst the grass and return, without apparently

touching the ground, to the place from whence it came.


Last summer one of these birds dashed out of the aviary

one afternoon as I entered, and was lost to sight amongst the

trees. I greatly feared I should see it no more, but after a care¬

ful search I discovered it high up in a maple tree, enjoying itself

immensely in capturing small green insects. I climbed the tree

and endeavoured to coax it with a mealworm, but, although it

would always allow me to handle it in the aviary, it would not

let itself be caught when at liberty, but as my hand was almost

upon it, went off as though it meant to fly right away. Curiously

enough, however, when it had flown some sixty or eighty yards,

it turned and came back to the tree from which it had flown.

Again I tried to entice it with a mealworm—a dainty loved above



