i6i 



I had the good fortune, one day, to watch 

 a pair beginning their tunneling. All who 

 have ever watched the bird have, no doubt, J(oskomenos 

 noticed his wonderful ability to stop short in ffie ^R^ufcasr 

 swift flight and hold himself poised in mid- 

 air for an indefinite time, while watching the 

 movements of a minnow beneath. They 

 make use of this ability in beginning their 

 nest on a bank so steep as to afford no 

 foothold. 



As I watched the pair referred to, first one 

 then the other would hover before the point 

 selected, as a humming bird balances for a 

 moment at the door of a trumpet flower to 

 be sure that no one is watching ere he goes 

 in, then drive his beak with rapid plunges 

 into the bank, sending down a continuous 

 shower of clay to the river below. In a 

 remarkably short time they had a foothold 

 and proceeded to dig themselves in out of 

 sight. 



Kingfisher's tunnel is so narrow that he 

 cannot turn around in it. His straight, 

 strong bill loosens the earth; his tiny feet 

 throw it out behind. I would see a shower 



