230 BELTED KINGSFISHER 
hatching, &c., of the Kingsfisher, are too trifling to be repeated here. 
Over the winds and the waves the humble Kingsfishers of our days — at 
least, the species now before us—1].ave no control. Its nest is neither 
constructed of glue nor fish-bones, ut of loose grass and a few feath- 
ers; it is not thrown on the surface of the water to float about, with its 
proprietor, at random, but snugly secured from the winds and the 
weather in the recesses of the earth. Neither is its head or its feath- 
ers believed, even by the most illiterate of our clowns or seamen, to 
be acharm for love, a protection against witchcraft, or a security for 
fair weather. It is neither venerated, like those of the Society Isles, 
nor dreaded, like those of some:other countries; but is considered 
merely as a bird that feeds on fish ; is generally fat; relished by some 
as good eating; and is now and then seen exposed for sale in our 
markets. j ; 
Though the Kingsfisher generally remains with us, in Pennsylva- 
nia, until the commencement of cold weather, it is seldom seen here 
in winter; but returns to us early in April. In North and South 
Carolina, I observed numbers of these birds in the months of Feb- 
ruary and, March. I also frequently noticed them on the shores of 
the Ohio, in Februaty, as high up as the mouth of the Muskingum. 
I suspect this bird to be a native of the Bahama Islands, as well as of 
our continent. In passing between these isles and the Florida shore, 
in the month of July, a Kingsfisher flew several times round our ship, 
and afterwards shot off to the south. 
The length of this species is twelve inches and a half; extent, 
twenty; back and whole upper parts, a light bluish slate color; round 
the neck is.a collar of pure white, which reaches before to the chin; 
head, large, crested; the feathers, long.and narrow, black in the cen- 
tre, and generally erect; the shafts of all the feathers, except the white © 
plumage, are black; belly and vent, white; sides under the wings, 
variegated with blue; round the upper part of the breast passes a band 
of blue, interspersed with some light brown feathers; before the eye 
is a small spot of white, and another immediately below it; the bill is 
three inches long from the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp- 
pointed, and black, except near-the base of the lower mandible, and at 
the tip, where it is of a horn color; primaries and interior webs of the 
secondaries, black, spotted with white; the interior vanes of the tail- 
feathers, elegantly spotted with white on a jet-black ground; lower 
side, light colored ; exterior vanes, blue; wing-coverts and seconda- 
ries, marked with small specks of white ; legs, extremely short; when 
the bird perches, it generally rests on the lower side of the second 
joint, which is thereby thick and callous; claws, stout and black; 
whole leg, of a dirty yellowish color; above the knee, bare of feathers 
for half an inch ; the two exterior toes united together for nearly their 
whole Jength. , 
_ The female is sprinkled all over with specks of white; the band of 
blue around the upper part of the breast is nearly half reddish brown ; 
and a little below this passes a band of bright reddish bay, spreading 
on each side under the wings. The blue and rufous feathers on the 
breast are strong, like scales. The head is also of a much darker blue 
than the back, and the white feathers on the chin and throat of an ex- 
quisite fine, glossy texture, like the most beautiful satin. 
