KIN 
KIDDOW. The Englifli appellation for a 
web-footed fowl common on the Britifh Ihores; 
and called in different places the guillemot, the 
lea-hen, and the fkout. 
KILCH. The German name for a fifh of the 
albula kind, caught in the lakes of that country. 
It's flefh is firm, of a delicate flavour, and very lit- 
tle difiirent from that of the ferra. 
KILLER. A creature of the cetaceous kind, 
fo called by the fifliermen of New England from 
the animofity it fhews to the whale. Though a 
congenerous animal, it is faid to furround the 
whale, and to attack it with all imaginable fury and 
violence. Some feize it behind; others attempt 
it before; till at laft the large unwieldy creature is 
torn down, and affords a lafting provifion to it's 
cruel deftroyers. So ftrong are thefe Killers, that 
one of them has been known to fl:op a dead whale 
which feveral boats were towing along, and to drag 
it to the bottom of the ocean. 
KIMBULA. A fpecies of crocodile found in 
the Ifland of Ceylon, of a very beautiful variega- 
tion of colours, being elegantly mottled with black 
fliining Ipots of a velvet glofs. 
KINE. A term by which animals of the cow 
kind are frequently expreffed. 
KING FISH. An appellation Ibmetimes given 
to the opah, a fifh of the doree kind. See Opah. 
KING-FISHER. A genus of birds of which 
there are various fpecies. Their diftinguifliing 
charafters are, that the bill is ftraight, ftrong, and 
lharp-pointed; that the tongue is fliort and pointed ; 
and that the three loweft joints of the exterior toe 
are connefted to the middle one. 
King-Fisher, Common; the Alcedo Ipfida of 
i^innseus. This bird feems to unite in itfelf fome- 
what appertaining to almoft every clafs. It pof- 
feffes appetites for prey like the rapacious kinds; 
and an attachment to water, like the birds of that 
element. It alfo poffeffes the beautiful plumage of 
the peacock, the delicate fliadings of the hum- 
ming-bird, the Ihort legs of the fwallow, and the 
bill of the crane. 
The King-Fifher is fomewhat larger than the 
fwallow: it's fhape is clumfy; it's legs are very 
fmall ; and it's bill is difproportionably long, being 
nearly two inches from the bafe to the tip, the up- 
per chap black, and the lower yellow. But the 
beauty of this bird's colours amply compenfate for 
the inelegancy of it's form: the top of the head, 
and the coverts of the wings, are of a deep black- 
ifh green hue, fpotted with bright azure ; the back 
• and tail are of the moft refulgent azure; the belly is 
orange-coloured ; and a broad mark of the fame 
colour extends from the bill beyond the eyes, near 
which there is a large white fpot. The tail, which 
is fhort, confifts of twelve feathers of a rich deep 
blue ; and the feet are a reddifli yellow. 
This is one of the moft rapacious little animals 
^ that fkims the deep : it is continually in a£lion; and 
feeds on fifties, which it takes in furprizing quan- 
tities confidering it's clumfy form and diminutive 
fize. It is generally feen on the banks of rivers; 
and, like the ofprey, feizes it's prey by balancing 
itfelf at a certain diftance above the water for a con- 
fiderable fpace, and then darting on the fifli with 
unerring aim. In a clear day it's plumage exhi- 
bits an amazing diverfity of brilliant colours, while 
the bird itfelf remains fufpended in the air; and 
this extraordinary beauty has probably given rife 
to various fiftions. 
This fpecies is the Mute Halcyon of Ariftode, 
K I N 
which hedefcribes with unufual precifion. After 
mentioning the particulars of this bird's figure, he 
fubjoins a delcription of the neft, which appears as 
fabulous and extravagant as any ftory the moft in- 
ventive of the ancients ever delivered. He fays ic 
appeared like thole concretions which are formed 
by the fea- water; that it refembled the long-necked 
gourd; was hollow within; had a very narrow en- 
trance; and that, if ever it over fet, the water could 
not enter: that it refifted any violence from iron, 
but could be broke with a blow from the hand; 
and that it was compofed of the bones of the fea- 
needle. 
Ridiculous as this defcription may appear, part 
of it is founded in truth. With regard to the 
form of the neft, his account cigrees cxaftly with 
that of Count Zinanni. Nor are the materials of 
which Ariftotle fays it is compofed entirely of his 
own invention: the neft of the King-Fiftier is al- 
ways obferved to be ftrewed with the bones and 
fcales of fifties, the fragments of it's food; and 
thofe who will not admit it to be a bird which fre- 
quents the fea, muft not confine their ideas to this 
climate, but confider, that theft birds which inha- 
bit ft^eltered places in the more rigorous latitudes, 
may endure expofed ones in milder climates, Ari- 
ftotle's cbfervations were made in the Eaft ; and he 
admits that the Halcyon fometimes afcended rivers ; 
but it is probable that this was in order to breed; 
for Zinanni informs us, that in Italv it breeds about 
the month of May, in the banks of ftream.s conti- 
guous to the fea; and, after the firft hatch is reared, 
returns to lay a fecond time in the fame place. 
As this bird has been faid to build her neft on 
the fea, that ftie might not be interrupted in this 
taflc; fo ftie has alfo been faid to poffefs a charm, 
with which flie allayed the fury of the waves: and 
the poets, indulging the powers of imagination, 
have drefled the ftory in all the glowing robes of 
romance; as may be feen in Theocritus among the 
Greeks, and Ovid and Virgil among the Latins. 
Both Ariftotle and Pliny inform us, that the 
Halcyon is moft- common in the Sicilian feas; that 
it fits only a few days in the depth of winter; and 
that, during this interval, the mariner may fail in 
perfect fecurity. Hence thefe were called Halcyon 
days; and, in after-times, the words were ufed to 
expi»efs any feafon of felicity. 
Nor do the poets and naturalifts of antiquity 
alone abound in fi£lions relative to this bird: the 
hiftorians themfelves are not exempt from them. 
Cicero wrote a long poem in praife of the Halcyon, 
of which only two lines are extant. Even the 
Emperor Gordian wrote on the fame fubjedl; and 
the fables which the heathens recorded have been 
adopted by one of the primitive fathers of the 
Chriftian church. ' Behold,' fays St.Ambrofe, 
* the little bird which, in the midft of winter, lays 
her eggs on the fand by the ftiore. From that mo- 
ment the winds are huftied; the fea becomes 
fmooth; and the calm continues for fourteen days. 
This is the time flie requires ; feven days to hatch, 
and feven days to fofter her young. The Creator 
has taught thefe little animals to make their nefts in 
the midft of the moft ftorm.y feafon, only to mani- 
feft his kindnefs, by granting them a lafting calm. 
The feamen are not ignorant of this bleffing; they 
call this interval of fair weather their Halcyon days; 
and they are particularly careful to feize the oppor- 
tunity, as they have no interruption to dread.' 
Numberlefs inftances might be adduced of the 
credulity of manki{id with refpect to this bird. But 
the 
