England.
The Thames.
1909.
Aug. 9 [August 9, 1909]
(No 3)
  The bird life along the river was everywhere bewilderingly
abundant, varied and interesting. Well might it tempt
an American ornithologist to forsake his own country
and to come here to spend the remainder of his days
where so many fine and attractive birds can be seen
in such numbers and studied to such advantage.
First in interest were the Moor Hens, almost constantly
in sight, especially at morning & evening when they forsook
their reedy coverts to swim about well out from shore as
they sought their food among the aquatic vegetation. I must have
seen as many as 500 or 600 in all. Along some of the
reaches we passed them every forty or fifty yards. The adult
birds look & act exactly like Florida Gallinules. They were
often accompanied by young of all sizes from tiny, black
chicks only a day or two old to full grown birds in autumn
plumage. Oddly enough I saw no more than two young with
any one parent or pair or parents.
Moor Hens
  Of Dabchicks I saw only four in all, one pair of adults &
one adult with a fully grown young.
Dabchicks
   I saw four Kingfishers & a fifth was seen by our captain.
All were shy but I had a good view of them, seeing their
exquisite blue backs in clear sunlight. One left his perch
in a leafy willow and flying downward at an incline of
about 30 [degrees] struck the water near the opposite shores with
great force burying himself for an instant but emerging without
his fish. All four birds kept well beyond gun range of the
boat & doubled back over the meadows to avoid her as she
approached. They flew with arrowy swiftness, vibrating their 
wings most rapidly. Their flight reminded me of that of a
Hummingbird but it was wholly free from undulations. The Captain
says they are increasing along the river after a period of exceeding
scarcity when they were almost wholly extinct. He sees on the average about
three every trip he makes.
Kingfishers