The Kingfisher.



147



purchased from Mr. Frost, who had just received it at the time

from one of his catchers. It was so wild when I received it that

I had to clip the flights of one wing in order to prevent it dashing

itself to bits against the sides of the aviary. However, it soon

settled down and became fairly tame in a few weeks, and eventually

so far overcame its natural shyness that it would take mealworms,

etc., from my fingers with the greatest boldness. All of which

goes to prove that some species, at all events, of the smaller waders,

are by no means difficult to keep in captivity, and will thrive well

even under conditions differing widely from those obtaining in

their natural state.



THE KINGFISHER.


By P. F. M. Galloway.


Having read the interesting notes on the Kingfisher by our

Editor and others in the Avicultural Magazine, and also the letter

from Mr. C. Barnby Smith, asking for information relating to keep¬

ing the Kingfisher in captivity, I should like to say I have kept this

handsome bird in perfect health.


I have kept the adult Kingfisher for two years, and no doubt

should have been able to keep it much longer, but for the fact that

during a very severe spell of frost whilst I was away from home it

died. I may say I left it in charge of a servant who, seeing that

there were several small fish in its large water tin, thought things

were all right, but it did not occur to her that the poor bird could

not get at the fish, owing to the water tin being frozen over. My

advice is never leave birds in charge of anyone, unless it is someone

who takes the same amount of interest in them as you do yourself.


The Kingfisher is a very interesting bird to keep, but live fish

it must have. I have also hand-reared it and kept it, but it is an

exceedingly dirty bird in a cage, owing to the nature of its food;

and if kept in a cage, the cage should be three feet long, fourteen

inches deep and sixteen to eighteen inches high. At one end a

vessel made of zinc, 2i inches deep, 3i inches wide, to hold live

fish, should be made to slide into the cage and should be the width

of the cage from back to front. Level with the top of this vessel a



