THE KINGFISHER. 



169 



to move with swiftness and with safety, either on 

 the water, or under its surface. 



There is not much difference in appearance be- 

 twixt the adult male and female kingfisher ; and 

 their young have the fine azure feathers on the back 

 before they leave the nest This early metallic 

 brilliancy of plumage seems only to be found in 

 birds of the pie tribe. It obtains in the magpie, the 

 jay, and, most probably, in all the rollers. Where- • 

 ever it is observed in the young birds, we may be 

 certain that the adult male and female will be nearly 

 alike in colour. We are in great ignorance, and I 

 fear we shall long remain so, concerning colour in 

 the plumage of birds. The adult male and female 

 kingfisher have a very splendid display of fine tints ; 

 so have the adult male and female starling ; but, 

 though the young of the kingfisher have their bright 

 colours in the first plumage, we find the first plu- 

 mage of the young starlings pale and dull. I have 

 had an eye to this circumstance for above thirty 

 years, and still I am sorely in want of the school- 

 master. 



The old story, that the kingfisher hovers over the 

 water, in order to attract the fish by the brightness 

 of its plumage, is an idle surmise. In the first 

 place, fishes cannot see an object directly above 

 them ; and, secondly, if they could see it, there 

 would be nothing brilliant for them to look at in the 

 kingfisher, as all the splendid feathers are upon its 

 upper parts. 



A brook runs through this park, and alongside of 

 it grows a small oak, part of the roots of which are 



