NATURE NOTES. 
198 
A Sociable Kingfisher. — Is the kingfisher a shy bird ? I always con- 
sidered it to be so until some time ago whilst seeking for larva of the elephant 
hawk moth, the food of which (willow herb and ladies bed straw) is to be found 
growing on the banks of streams in various parts of the country. Having finished 
my search, I sat down on the bank of the stream, the vicinity of which abounded 
with dragon flies and various other insects. It being a glorious day I was tempted 
to linger, so for amusement I converted the telescope handle of my insect-net into a 
fishing rod and tried my luck. I had been seated but a few minutes, and my 
attention was absorbed in watching a pair of green sandpipers, when a fine large 
kingfisher came flying up the stream towards where I was sitting. I expected on 
seeing me it would dart aside and regain the stream higher up ; but on it came, 
and to my surprise and pleasure actually alighted on the rod I held in my hand 
over the stream. (I may slate the stream was not more than four to five feet at 
its widest part.) I scarcely breathed for fear the slightest motion should frighten 
it away, w'ondering how long it would remain in its novel position. It looked at 
me in a friendly sort of way, as much as to say, “ I am not at all frightened : we 
understand each other ” ; and began to plume its feathers with its long pointed 
bill, the lovely hues glistening in the sunshine metallic green, merging into blue, then 
into a beautiful golden bronze, more like a visitor fresh from the tropics than an 
inhabitant of our northern isle. Having leisurely cleaned and stroked out its 
feathers with its long beak, it gave itself a shake, then with another finishing 
pluming, it resumed its flight up stream, alighting on the stump of an old pollard 
willow overhanging the brook ; almost directly after I noticed it plunge into the 
stream, then in a moment bring up a small fish, which it soon disposed of. It 
then flew further up, where I lost sight of it round a bend in the stream. 
James E. Whiting. 
Bees or Flies? — I was walking in the Lake District one hot August day 
watching the numerous insects that were busy with the flowers. I had been 
speaking at breakfast of the Grass of Parnassus ( Parnassia paluslris) and some 
one had suggested that the so-called false stamens, with their fan-like groups 
of filaments, giving to the flower the appearance of having as numerous stamens 
as a ranunculus, were for the purpose of deceiving the bees. But the question 
now occurred to me : “Is the flower fertilised by bees or by flies ? ” I began to 
examine the flowers by the wayside and to notice which were visited by bees 
and which by flies. I soon found that colour had something to do with it. There 
were harebells, foxgloves, knapweed and other blue or red flowers, and these 
were exclusively taken up by the bees — the flies keeping away from them, while 
the hawkweeds and other yellow flowers had only flies as their guests ; so that it 
would seem that bees, which visit yellow flowers when there are no others, prefer 
blue and red flowers when these latter are present, and that the flies, unable to 
compete, have to confine themselves to the yellow flowers. But what about white 
flowers ? These seemed at first to be visited by both, but further investigation 
shewed that while the meadowsweet and other scented white flowers attract 
the bees, they leave those without scent, such as yarrow, to the flies. I thus 
formed the generalisation that blue, red and scented white flowers are fertilised by 
bees, but that yellow or scentless white flowers are chiefly fertilised by flies, and it 
seemed to me probable that the scentless white parnassia would be found to 
be visited rather by flies than bees. I soon came to a swamp where the flower 
grew in profusion, and was greatly pleased to find that nearly every blossom had a 
black fly nestling among its stamen-like filaments. I have since often seen bees 
visiting yellow flowers, but it has always been when there were no blue or red 
flowers in the neighbourhood. H. A. Nesbitt. 
Frogs and. Toads. — In this neighbourhood (Liphook) toads and frogs are 
not regarded with as much horror as they are in many places. True it is that 
some of the villagers do not quite like touching them, not because they fear the 
poor reptiles spitting fire, but that “folks does say they might poison you.” 
There are many stories told of them, on which many superstitions are founded. 
They are supposed to be great weather prophets, and not only to foretell rain and 
fine, but also heat or cold. If a frog looks a brown colour it is a sign of a wet 
