THE KINGFISHER. 99 



Moreover, in various parts of its wide range across the 

 Old World the Kingfisher often finds ibself on the shore 

 and takes kindly enough to a diet of salt-water fish and 

 shrimps. But it is by rights a haunter of trees over- 

 hanging fresh water ; its libtle coral feet, with the 

 front toes joined together by skin, are better suited 

 for perching than for walking, and all it ever does 

 in the way of pedestrianism is a very short waddle. 



As it is not adapted for hopping about the twigs 

 either, and furthermore has not very long wings, it 

 wisely sits still on whatever point of vantage presents 

 itself, and thence plunges on its prey with a deter- 

 minea splash. If there is no suitable perch, it will 

 fly up and hover for a short time, but this more 

 laborious procedure it naturally does not adopt 

 if it can be avoided. Our little Indian Kingfisher has 

 sometimes been ranked as a distinct species from the 

 home bird (Alcedo ispida) and called Alcedo benga- 

 lensis ; but it really does not deserve such distinction, 

 being simply a rather undersized variety. That this 

 should be so is curious ; the Kingfishers are essentially 

 a tropical family, pushing out here And the;:e hardy 

 pioneers into colder climates. And yet here we find 

 that the European bird, which too often starves to 

 •death when winter lock up the fresh waters it 

 frequents, nevertheless has a finer physique than 

 when living in its native tropics, where food is almost 



