Belted Kingfisher 121 



point of advantage, and gulp it down with evident relish. 

 Sometiines the fish, if it is very small, is swallowed on the 

 wing.' 



The Kingfisher digs a long tunnel about five inches in 

 diameter in a sand bank, and at a distance of between five 

 and seven feet from the outer world, hollows out a little cavern 

 where the eggs are laid on the bare sand. I have dug out 

 several Kingfishers and have always found them to be extremely 

 devoted to dieir home. Once, after excavating seven feet 

 into a bank, my spade suddenly exposed die nest-cavern and 

 the female sitting on her eggs. Although given every 

 opportunity to escape she remained sitting until I lifted her 

 off with my hands. Even then she struggled fiercely, using 

 beak and claws, and was loath to leave the beloved domicile. 

 From five to seven glossy white eggs are laid. I have 

 discovered that the shell has a beautiful pinkish cast, which 

 does not disappear after the contents have been removed. A 

 set of eggs in a collection I once made retained this rosy hue 

 for several years. 



^ There is evidence that the King- L. Richard and G. H, Chadwick found 

 fisher, when the flesh of the fish has a number of these fish-bone pellets 

 been digested, disgorges pellets of along a creek near Nassau and were 

 bones, scales, and other indiges- convinced that they were disgorged 

 tible matter, after the manner of by the Kingfisher, as no other fish- 

 several of the Raptores. Messrs G. eating bird frequents that stream. 



