BIRD LEGEND AND LIFE 



casionally his solitary vigil was broken by a plunge into its 

 depths. 



After nearly every plunge he came up, apparently dry, 

 with a fish, which, .after compressing the life out of with his 

 mighty bill, he either swallowed head first or carried to his 

 lonely mate in the tunnel in the bank. A shrill, rattling sound 

 announced the catch, while a similar but softer rattle told 

 his companion of his coming. Then a rattle told of his de- 

 parture on another excursion, which was sure to be a profit- 

 able one, for, as his name implies, he was a king among fish- 

 ers. His grave and dignified bearing gave evidence to the fact 

 that this was no misnomer. Some of his finny captives were 

 as large as himself, though rarely. These were mutilated 

 by his sharp-edged bill and pounded into softness against 

 some limb or stone, then taken into his great throat. It made 

 little difference to him that the fish could not all be swallowed 

 at once. Without further mutilation he took in as much of 

 it as his internal construction would allow, then waited; he 

 was used to waiting. When his own digestion made it pos- 

 sible for him to complete the transaction, he gave another 

 gulp, and the captive was seen no more. Younger kingfish- 

 ers might need assistance in getting their acquisitions under 

 cover, but not he. 



His family line was a long one, dating back to the time 

 when the gods dwelt on Olympus, and, if tradition could be 

 credited, the gods themselves were implicated in the founding 

 of the family. Since that time not one of its representatives 

 had done aught to bring disgrace upon the name. Though 

 its history had been marked by many a tragedy, no act of 

 one of its members had made any of the line ashamed. 



Every kingfisher mother pointed with pride to her mate 

 and taught her family to follow his example in all things. 



96 



