THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



71 



THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 

 (Ceryle alcyon.) 



BY EDWARD FULLER, NORWICH, CONN. 



The kingfisher inhabits many parts of 

 America, and from its habit of migrat- 

 ing towards the north or south accord- 

 ing to the season of the year, it is very 

 well known throughout the larger por- 

 tion of America, from Mexico to Hudson's 

 Bay. It seems to have a special ten- 

 dency toward rapid streams where the 

 banks are high, steep and clayey. Here 

 it can burrow its way into the earth 

 unmolested. Using both beak and claws 

 in its work, it digs a tunnel from two to 

 six feet in length, and at the end of this 

 it makes its nest. This is' very simple 

 in construction, being merely composed 

 of a few small sticks and feathers laid 

 loosely across each other with perhaps 

 a slight depression in the centre. 



The birds seem to be strongly attached 

 to their homes, and the same pair will 

 breed year after year in the same bur- 

 row. Sometimes there will be a small 

 colony of kingfishers occupying the 

 same bank, and it is curious to note 

 that the young birds do not stay in the 

 same colony with the older ones, but 

 have a seperate bank for themselves. 



The sight of Ceryle alcyon is remark- 

 ably keen and active, and when passing 

 iu swift flight over the country it may 

 be seen to suddenly stop in its wild ca- 

 reer and hovering for a moment over 

 some small brook or river, shoot down 

 into tlie water, driving the spray in all 

 .directions, and in a moment emerge with 

 a small fish in its beak. The prey is 

 then ( arried to a convenient resting 

 place and after being pounded against 

 a log or stone, is swallowed and tbe 

 bird returns for another. The king- 

 fisher can even discern its finny prey in 

 the boiling water at the foot of some 

 water-fall or in the muddy waters of 

 some dark swollen stream. 



The eggs of the belted kingfisher are 

 from five to seven in number and look 



very much like those of the flicker. 

 They are placed at the end of its bur- 

 row, which is slightly enlarged at its 

 termination. 



The head of the kingflsher is furnish- 

 ed with a crest of long pointed feathers, 

 which can be raised or depressed at will. 

 The whole upper surface of the body is 

 light blue, marked by the black shafts 

 of the feathers. The wings are brown- 

 ish-black, barred wfth white upon the 

 primaries, and diversified with a beau- 

 tiful blue upon the outer web of the 

 secondaries. The sides are mottled with 

 blue, a bar of the same bright hue cros- 

 ses the breast, and a broad white band 

 encircles the neck, thoat and chin. The 

 tail is dark brown barred with white, 

 with the exception of the two central 

 feathers which are blue. The length of 

 the bird is about one foot. None can 

 better describe the voice of the king- 

 fisher than Wilson, who says; " the 

 voice of the kingfisher is loud, dissonant 

 and startling, and sounds like the con- 

 tinued twirling of a watchman's rattle." 



THE ENGLISH ROBIN AND OURS. 



BY JULIA M. HOOPER. 



The English robin is of about the 

 same size as a song sparrow, and car- 

 ries its head, not high, but backward; 

 sometimes making almost a crescent of 

 its back, the head and tail forming the 

 horns. The red on its breast is brighest 

 near the throat, and does not extend as 

 far downward as that of our robins; 

 neither is the color as bright, tho' I no- 

 tice a difference in different birds. 

 Their running is the same as with ours — 

 a succesion of the quickest of hops — 

 then a stop. The note is low and soft, 

 but perhaps as the spring advances it 

 may vary. I have never heard anything 

 that can be called a song — the sound is 

 rather subdued, as tho' he knew that he 

 lived in a monarchy, and could not 

 speak out like our free, joyous-toned 

 Republicans. 



