THE KESTGFISHER. 287 



The The Trogons are among the most gorgeous of 



Trogons. living birds; the brilliance of their plumage defy- 

 ing verbal description. Their main coloiu: is " a metallic golden 

 green, boldly contrasted with scarlet, black, and brown." 

 " The Resplendent Trogon," says Mr. Wood, "is the most gor- 

 geous of all this gorgeous family. Its long and gracefully 

 curved tail is nearly three feet long, and the whole of the 

 upper surface, and the throat, are a glowing green ; the breast 

 and under parts are bright crimson; the middle feathers of 

 the tail black, and the outer feathers white. " These birds 

 are natives of Mexico. 



The The Kingfishers are a wide-spread family, being 



King^her. found all over the world. There are numerous - 

 vsirieties, of which the Common Kingfisher and the Laughing 

 Kingfisher are all that we can notice. The Common King- 

 fisher is ihdigenous in England where it usually lives on the 

 banks of rivers and streams, feeding upon fish and insects. 

 It makes burrows or holes in the banks, where it lays its eggs 

 and rears its young; fishing from the low branches of trees 

 which overspread the water. When the fish is caught it is 

 beaten to death against some hard substance and then 

 swallowed whole, head foremost. The Common Kingfisher 

 is somewhat larger than the lark, and has a beautiful metallic 

 coat which shimmers with a very pleasing eflfect as it darts 

 among the greenery of the river bank or flies along the 

 surface of the water. The Laughing Kingfisher belongs to 

 Australia and is so named from its peculiar cry. It is one of 

 the largest species of its kind. Other species belong to the 

 Moluccas and New Guinea, and a few to America. 



The The Hombill is famous for the size and shape 



Hombiil. of its bill, which is very large. There are several 

 varieties, African and Indian. They live mostly on fruit, 

 though some are said to eat reptiles. They have some very 

 curious habits. Mr. Wallace describes the habit of the male 

 Hombill of shutting up the female during the period of 



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