﻿Speaking of the holes in which the Belted Kingfisher breeds, the same author says: — 

 " I have laid open to my view several of these holes, in different situations and soils, 

 and have generally found them to be formed as follows. The male and female, after 

 having fixed upon a proper spot, are seen clinging to the banks of the stream in the 

 manner of Woodpeckers. Their stout bills are set to work, and as soon as the hole has 

 acquired a certain depth, one of the birds enters it, and scratches out the sand, earth or 

 clay, with its feet, striking meanwhile with its bill to extend the depth. The other bird 

 all the while appears to cheer the labourer, and urge it to continue its exertions ; and when 

 the latter is fatigued takes its place. Thus by the co-operation of both, the hole is dug 

 to the depth of four, five, or sometimes six feet, in a horizontal direction, at times not 

 more than eighteen inches below the surface of the ground, at others eight or ten 

 feet. * * * * Incubation continues for sixteen days. In the Middle States, these 

 birds seldom raise more than one brood a year, but in the Southern usually two. 

 Incubation is performed by both parents, which evince great solicitude for the safety of 

 the young. The mother sometimes drops on the water, as if severely wounded, and 

 flutters and flounders as if unable to rise from the stream, in order to induce the intruder 

 to wade or swim after, whilst her mate, perched on the nearest bough, or even on the edge 

 of the bank, jerks his tail, erects his crest, rattles his notes with angry vehemence, and 

 then springing off, passes and repasses before the enemy, with a continued cry of 

 despair." 



" I have not been able to ascertain whether or not the young are fed with macerated 

 food disgorged by the parents into their bills, but I have reason to think so, and I have 

 always observed the old ones to swallow the fishes which they had caught, before they 

 entered the hole. The young are, however, afterwards fed directly on the entire fish ; and 

 I have frequently seen them follow the parent birds, and alight on the same branch, 

 flapping their wings, and calling with open bill for the food just taken out of the water, 

 when the petition was seldom denied." 



From Mr. Samuel's work, the latest published on American Ornithology, I have taken 

 the following note (/. c.) : — 



"When perched on a limb overhanging the water, he frequently jets his tail in the 

 manner of the Peewee, and often descends from such a perch and seizes a frog or a fish, 

 and I once shot one that had just seized a meadow mouse (arvicola) in this manner. The 

 young usually remain in the hole in the bank until they are about fledged. I am inclined 

 to think, that usually they return to these holes at night and in stormy weather, as I have 

 frequently seen them about their nests long after they were fledged, and have even seen 

 them passing into them at the close of the day. In migrating, the young leave their 

 parents, and these even separate, and pursue their journey alone ; and it is a case of rare 

 occurrence that two are seen together after the latter part of August." 



There seems to be some little confusion as to the identity of the female of the present 

 species, and curiously enough I have not been able to meet with a sexed specimen in this 

 country ; but the figure of the female in the plate has been taken from a bird properly 

 named and sexed, in the Leiden Museum (No. 7 of Schlegel's Cat.). From this it would 

 appear that the female is distinguished by red flanks and by a second band of rufous below 

 the ordinary 'belt.' This agrees with the descriptions of Wilson and Audubon, but the 

 authors of the ' Birds of North America' (and after them Mr. Samuels, who seems simply 

 to have copied their remarks) consider this rufous colouring to be the sign of young birds 

 only. I find considerable differences in the measurements of old and young birds, and it 

 seems also from observations in the above-mentioned work that differences also exist in 

 specimens from different localities, those from the Pacific Coast 'being appreciably larger 

 than Eastern ones.' I should be glad to receive any notes or specimens from any friends 

 who have the opportunity of personal observation. My measurements and description are 

 token from an old male shot near Albany, New York, U.S.A., in my OAvn collection. 



