KINGFISHERS 103 
Boat Club their head-quarters and dive off the landing- 
stage, a third affect the culvert at the tee of the seventh 
hole of the “Island” golf links; indeed, almost every 
piece of water in Madras has its special kingfisher. 
Birds are essentially stationary creatures. The average 
non-migratory bird, if we except swallows and swifts, 
does not, under ordinary circumstances, ever wander 
more than a mile or two from what may be termed its 
head-quarters. Even migratory birds content themselves 
by travelling to and fro between their summer and 
winter quarters. A pair of kingfishers select a stretch 
of water and remain upon it until death parts them. 
They guard the fishing ground, when once it is selected, 
as jealously as a European power guards a new sphere of 
influence which it has established. 
The common kingfisher is not a noisy bird. When it 
rests it rarely if ever utters a sound; when, however, it 
dashes along, just over the surface of the water, it emits 
a peculiar whistling call. 
The next kingfisher which demands our attention is 
the beautiful white-breasted form—Halcyon smynensis. 
This is the commonest kingfisher in Southern India. 
He is one of our noisy birds, his unpleasant scream 
being one of the most familiar sounds in Madras. 
He is distinguishable from the species already de- 
scribed by his larger size, his white breast, his more 
brilliant plumage, and the white bar on his wing, which 
is seen only during flight. Many birds have a similar 
white bar. The use of this to its possessor is a mystery. 
In the case of gregarious birds, such as mynas, it is 
supposed to be useful as a mark of warning. One of 
