THE LANGIJAGE OF BIRDS. 
99 
Stick, or perched on the branch of a tree. In the 
house it does not walk or hop, but flies or remains 
perched. It is very necessary to put some turf or 
branches in a corner, or it must be kept in a cage 
with a perch. It constantly remains in the same 
place/* 
I have never seen these birds domesticated ; but, 
from Mr. Paxton's account, it seems possible to rear 
them by hand. He says, " Having become pos- 
sessed of some young' kingfishers last summer, we 
were very anxious to rear them ; this we have accom- 
plished, and, to the best of our information, it is the 
first time kingfishers were ever reared by hand. To 
accomplish this object, we had a wire cage con- 
structed, about ten feet long, and four broad; the 
back part of the cage was made to imitate, as nearly 
as possible, the banks of a river. Through this cage 
a small stream of water was conducted, in which the 
birds received their food, &c. When the young 
birds were first taken from the nest, minnows, and 
bullheads were their principal food ; they have since 
been fed on almost every species of fresh-water fish, 
although they evince a decided preference for trout. 
Immediately on a quantity of small fish being put 
