350 
BELTED KINGSFISHER. 
streams and falling waters ; not, however, merely that they may 
sooth his ear, but for a gratification somewhat more substantial. 
Amidst the roar of the cataract, or over the foam of a torrent, 
he sits perched upon an overhanging bough, glancing his 
piercing eye in every direction below for his scaly prey, which, 
with a sudden circular plunge, he sweeps from their native 
element, and swallows in an instant. His voice, which is not 
unlike the twirling of a watchman’s rattle, is naturally loud, 
harsh, and sudden ; but is softened by the sound of the brawl- 
ing streams and cascades among which he generally rambles. 
He courses along the windings of the brook or river, at a small 
height above the surface, sometimes suspending himself by the 
rapid action of his wings, like certain species of Hawks, ready 
to pounce on the fry below ; now and then settling on an 
old dead overhanging limb to reconnoitre.* Mill-dams are 
particularly visited by this feathered fisher ; and the sound of 
his pipe is as well known to the miller, as the rattling of his 
own hopper. Rapid streams, with high perpendicular banks, 
particularly if they be of a hard clayey or sandy nature, are 
Syvia , and the Tanysiptera of Vigors ; the two latter groups, as species, would 
be at once distinguished by the peculiarities of form, which are perhaps not 
sufficient to indicate a genus without more of like characters ; the geographical 
distribution, South America, New Holland, Africa, and India. 3. Dacelo ; the 
form, D. gigantea ; geographical distribution, New Holland. And 4. Ceyx ; 
containing the three-toed Kingsfisher, C. tridactyla geographical distribution, 
India Ed. 
* Mr Audubon mentions, that this species sometimes also visits the salt 
water creeks, diving after fish ; when crossing from one lake to another, 
which it frequently does, it passes over forests in a direct line, not unfrequently 
by a course of twenty or thirty miles, towards the interior of the country. Its 
motions at this time consist of a series of slops, about five or six in number, 
followed by a direct glide, without any apparent undulation. 
They dig the holes for their nest with great despatch. As an instance of their 
working with celerity, the same gentleman mentions, that he hung a small net in 
front of one of their holes to entrap the bird upon the nest ; but, ere morning, 
it had scratched its way out. On the following evening, he stopped up the 
hole for upwards of a foot with a stick, but the same thing again took place. 
— Ed. 
