146 On the Kingfisher and Snipe in Captivity.


curious thing it used to do when supplied with its dish of “ soft ”

food, was to take a portion of it in its bill and rush off with it to

the water vessels, where it would moisten the food in the water

before swallowing it. It would then carry water back in its bill

and empty it into the “ soft ” food dish. This performance it

would repeat several times till it had made the food into a very

sloppy mess, when it would proceed to devour it with much gusto.

I eventually was forced to supply it with a separate dish of “soft”

food, as by these manoeuvres it rendered the main supply quite

unfit for my Landrails and other “ soft ” food eaters. It struck

me, however, that the bird showed wonderful intelligence in the

manner it obviously thought matters out, and having decided that

the food was not prepared to its liking, gave a pleasing display of

sound reasoning power in effecting a remedy. Another proof to

my mind that birds are by no means so much guided by blind

unreasoning instinct as some good people fondly imagine.


In conclusion, I would like to say that I think it is the

greatest pity that two such charming species as the foregoing

appear to have been so sadly neglected by aviculturists. In the

case of the Kingfisher there is admittedly some excuse for this

neglect, for unless one is conveniently near a river or lake where

an unlimited supply of minnows or similar small fish can be

obtained, it is, as I have good reason to know, a pretty expensive

business to provide for its wants. In the case of the Snipe,

however, this does not apply, and it requires no special conditions,

as far as my experience goes, to keep it in perfect health. Even

in my large aviary it had to be content with a grass run, and all

through a pretty dry summer, all it was provided with in the shape

of its natural surroundings, was a fair-sized earthenware dish filled

with moss and water, and yet it throve well. It used to get through

a surprising amount of earthworms, and these, together with about

twenty mealworms and the “ soft ” food mentioned, was all that

I supplied it with in the way of food.


Whilst living in London, I kept a Sandpiper in a similar

manner, which lived in my aviaries there for over two years, and

was still in perfect health when it was set upon and killed by a

cock Golden Pheasant. This was an adult caught bird which I



