136 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



then banged on the branch, turned, and swal- 

 lowed head first. 



Before a kingfisher attempts to turn or 

 swallow food it invariably knocks it upon its 

 perch. It is very unlikely that the bird objects 

 to swallowing the food alive, and the probable 

 reason why the fish is first knocked on the perch 

 is to prevent it escaping while it is being turned 

 and swallowed. Young kingfishers, by instinct, 

 bang all their food in this way. 



On one occasion I reared a nest full of young 

 birds, which lived for several weeks in a special 

 cage fitted with a diving tank. Fish food was 

 not always available, and occasionally they were 

 fed on small pieces of raw meat. In one case 

 the young bird pierced the meat with its upper 

 bill, and was, in consequence, unable to swallow 

 it. Each failure to get the piece of meat down 

 was followed by a series of bangs. After I 

 started to count, the fledgling hit that piece of 

 meat one hundred and forty times before it 

 "broke away from the beak. 



I next tried a lump of cold porridge. Two 

 bangs, and the porridge was gone! The bird 

 evidently thought that the porridge had escaped, 

 and was determined to kill the next piece with 



