102 THE BIRDS OF CALCUTTA. 



together, for they frequent the same tank in peace — 

 no doubt because their lines of business are not quite 

 identical, as I remarked above. Although, however, 

 he is more or less of a Jack-of -all-trades for a King- 

 fisher, the white-breasted bird has not nearly so wide 

 a range as the little one, for, though found from 

 Cyprus to China, he is essentially a bird of warm 

 climates. His versatility is shown in his nesting- 

 habits as well as in his feeding, for though he usually 

 nests in a burrow like his family generally, he has 

 been observed in Cachar to actually make a rough nest 

 of moss among rocks — a most anomalous habit ; for 

 Eangfishers, in addition to being burrowers, usually 

 despise all bedding, and allow the family to pig 

 together on a sort of mat of fish-bones which have 

 been cast up in " quids " after the flesh has been 

 digested. 



In this larger Kingfisher, as in the other, male and. 

 female have the same plumage, and the young merely 

 a rather duller one ; but the beaks and feet of the 

 youngsters are blackish instead of red. The male, 

 when courting, makes a great display of his wings,, 

 which have a, fine white patch on the primary quills, 

 like the mynah's ; while the wing-covers are quite 

 diagrammatically coloured, the " major " being blue 

 the " median " black, and the " minor " chestnut — a 

 useful '■■ tip " for anyone who wants to learn the 



