222 Birds of Colorado 
a few in winter, common in summer, and Plateau Valley in summer 
only (Rockwell), Sweetwater Lake in winter (Cooke), La Plata co., 
rather rare (Morrison). 
Habits.—Kingfishers are seldom found away form 
rivers and lakes, where fishes form the bulk of their 
fare; though at times they may be met with far from 
water, where they take to lizards, snakes and large 
insects. They are rather unsocial and quarrelsome 
birds, and two are to be seen together only in the breeding 
season. Each individual or pair seem to have their 
own range or beat along a stream, where they allow 
no intruder. They sit perched on a branch overhanging 
the water, or on a stone, often for hours, watching for 
a fish. When one appears they rise in the air before 
diving down after it. The fish is carried back to the 
perch and swallowed head first. Occasionally they 
hover over the water and dive from this position. 
The note is rather shrill and they have a characteristic 
rattle. 
The nest is a tunnel in a sand-bank or soft cliff, from 
four to fifteen feet in length ; it ends in a dome-shaped 
cavity ; here the eggs are deposited without any true 
nest, though as the same site is used year after year, 
there is often a large accumulation of fish bones and 
scales. The eggs, about six in number, are white, 
subspheroidal and glossy, and average 1°34 x 1°04. 
Dille gives June 5th as a date for fresh eggs. 
ORDER PICI. 
This order contains the Woodpeckers, a homogeneous 
group, easily distinguished by both internal and external 
characters; bill stout and strong and used like a 
hammer or chisel; wing of ten primaries, the outer 
one short but obvious; tail of twelve rectrices, but the 
