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VOLUME XXVI— No. 1. 
NEW- YORK, JANUARY, 1867. 
NEW SERIES— No. UO. 
GROUP OF KIN 
We have had several of the most beautiful of 
the Kingfishers engraved for our frontispiece 
this month, not to remind our readers of the 
" halcyon days " when they went a-fishing and 
made the acquaintance of the brave little fellow 
who seems here to be entertaining a party of 
cousins, but simply to introduce this family to 
our readers. The Kingfishers are peculiar birds, 
distinguished by their short bodies, short legs, 
short rounded wings, large heads and bills. 
The central one above is our own Kingfisher, 
(Alcedo alcyon,) with it9 bright eye and cocked 
hat, and true Union-blue coat. It builds its 
nests in holes in banks near streams; lives 
upon fish which it takes from a poise in the air 
above the water. Its sharp, loud call, quick, ar- 
row-like flight, brilliant manoeuvres, and quick, 
sure plunges after its linney prey, arc familiar 
to every country-bred American. Beneath, in 
the picture, flying from us, is the brilliantly 
colored European Kingfisher — a bird of great 
beauty. The upper part of the bill is black, the 
lower orange colored ; the throat white ; the 
crest green and blue ; shoulders and wings dark 
Engraved/Or the American Agriculturist. 
green, with the edges of the feathers pale blue; 
the back resplendent azure ; tail blue, and the 
whole under part 1 night orange ; legs red, with 
black claws. It is much smaller than our King- 
fisher; and smaller vet. but not more brilliant, 
is the little East Indian one, which is darting 
across the bottom of the picture. The spotted 
Kingfisher on the right is also a native of 
India, where il is called by the natives the 
"Fish Tiger." It is considerably larger than 
ours, and is brilliantly, but not gaily colored. 
The largest is the great African Kingfisher. 
