Cambridge, Mass.
1908.
June 20
  About 1.30 P.M. as I was sitting on our
back piazza I heard a Kingfisher very near at hand.
After its rattle had been given thrice at intervals of
eight or ten seconds and always apparently in the same
place I began to suspect that the bird was perched
among the trees near our little artificial pond on
the edge of the jungle. This proved to be the case for
when a little later I approached the spot the Kingfisher
dashed off through the jungle in the direction of
Sparks Street rattling loudly & excitedly. It is true
I did not catch even a glympse of it but the
sound of its voice was sufficient evidence that
it had been perched near the edge of the pond and that
it made off low down among the trees to the eastwood.
I suspect that it has visited the place before this
month for when I was here on the 8th. Gilbert heard
it or another twice about noon. He was in the
Museum at the time yet the sound was so loud
that he heard it very distinctly. The pond is only
a few yards square and so nearly embowered in foliage
that it seems surprising a Kingfisher could have
discovered it. The bird was doubtless attracted to it
by seven small gold fish which were put in it
three or four weeks ago. It may have caught some
of them as I could see but two there after he left
to day.
Kingfisher visits pond in our Garden.
  June 29 
  James, our new gardener, tells me that he saw a Kingfisher
at the pond just mentioned this morning & once or twice
last week. On one occasion last week he saw the bird perched
on the stone coping of the little pool in front of the Museum.
Both ponds still contain a few gold fish. These have disappeared from
the pond at the edge of the jungle but none as yet from the Museum pond.
Kingfisher pays more visits to our garden.