92 



Wild Birds 



Fig. 85. Kingfisher fifteen days old, with nearly all feathers partly un- 

 sheathed. July 25, 1900. 



old, if their age was correctly estimated. They were about ready to fly and would have 

 voluntarily left their nest in a short time. The nesting chamber had been gradually 

 opened up in front and filled at the rear, until it had advanced a foot and a half toward 

 the mouth of the tunnel. At this time fear was possessing them, and a day later it was 



impossible to handle them with- 

 out throwing them into a panic. 

 When quiet they would still 

 pose well, would strike with 

 open bill, and walk backwards. 

 During captivity I fed them 

 on fish which, however, they 

 would never seize of their own 

 accord. It was necessary to 

 open their bills and press the 

 food well down into their dis- 

 tensible throats. They would 

 perch on a branch placed in their 

 cage, drink water and sit in it 

 by the half-hour, but never 

 touch the most tempting mor- 

 sels of food. Raw meat was 

 rejected, but they throve on 

 fish if fed by the hand. When 

 perched they stood as before on 

 the whole tarsus or shank, and 

 would sit together and in si- 

 lence, with breasts thrown out, 

 for hours. You heard only an 

 occasional rattle, and that usu- 

 ally in the morning. The King- 

 fisher's oesophagus is very dis- 

 tensible and the throat is lined 

 with inwardly projecting papil- 

 la;, so that when a fish is once 

 taken in the throat, it is impos- 

 sible for it to escape. 



The bill of the Kingfisher 

 is grooved on the inside, thus 

 giving the mandibles sharp cut- 

 ting edges and a firm gripe on 

 the prey. A fish once seized rarely makes its escape, to prevent which the bird has other 

 resources. I once sa\v a curious trick performed by a Kingfisher, «'ho having made a good 

 capture, was perched on a dead tree over the water. In the course of its struggles the 

 fish nearly got free, and for a moment was held only b\' its tail. The bird with a quick 

 movement of the head tossed the fish in the air, and as it descended caught it by the head 

 and proceeded to swallnw it. 



Fig. 86. At eighteen days. The bright blue tints of the upper parts, and 

 the white and chestnut bands around the neck and breast are now very 

 prominent. July 28, 1900. 



