140



Mr. Gerald E. Rattigan,



containing the various foods, both live minnows, minnows chopped

in half, and minnows chopped up very small and mixed in with the

food; nothing, however, proved of the slightest avail in inducing

it even to try any of the mixtures. The live minnows and the

minnows cut in half were carefully picked out and devoured, but

the minced minnow was not touched.


At length I gave up the attempt in despair. However, I w T as

more successful in another direction, for I succeeded eventually in

getting my bird to partake of mealworms and he finally grew very

partial to these invaluable insects, but curiously enough he would

only eat them if placed with his allowance of fish in the water, and

would take no notice of them if placed in the soft food dish or on

the floor of his cage. After keeping it caged up for the period

mentioned, I turned it out into an aviary.


I first of all intended having a small pond made for it, but

finding this rather too expensive a business, I had perforce to be

content with a large earthenw r are sink as a substitute. This I at

first only half filled with water, fearing the tragedy that eventually

overtook it. To be more explicit, what I feared was that, its wings

being stiff from want of exercise for so long a time, it might after a

plunge into the water be unable to circumvent the slippery sides of

the sink, and so be drowned. Finding, however, that various other

inmates of the aviary, notably a Shama, were beginning to take an

unhealthy, “for my pocket,” interest in the fish, and were robbing

the unfortunate Kingfisher of practically all his lawful prey, I, in

order to save him as much as possible from the effects of their

ravages, took to filling up the sink to the brim, and by filling it

almost to overflowing, I thought that if he did, as I feared, chance

to fall in, he could easily get out again. All went well for a day

or two, but one afternoon on entering the aviary to renew the

supply of fish and mealworms, I found the Kingfisher floating quite

dead on the surface of the water.


The water in the tank had been splashed out a bit, no doubt

by the Kingfisher in his efforts to catch the fish, and had fallen to a

depth of about an inch below the rim. All the fish had gone, so I

imagine it was in effecting the capture of the last one that he met

his fate. It is possible, of course, that he may have hit his head



