The 
Kingfisher. 
(47) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
The Kingfisher. 
By F. FINN, B.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 
(See Fiontijpiecc.) 
The remark is often made that our King¬ 
fisher is a tropical-looking bird, and the observ¬ 
ation is a singularly just one, for, as a matter 
of fact, the Kingfisher is tropical; it is a mem¬ 
ber of a thoroughly tropical family, and our 
species (Alcedo ispida) is itself more common in 
hot than in temperate climates, though it 
ranges all across the Old World. Its existence 
in our country is therefore a living refutation 
of those ornithologists who want to kill off 
Rollers, Bee-eaters, etc., when they visit us, on 
the plea that birds of this type, characteristic 
of warm regions, could not possibly establish 
themselves here. I am not denying that our 
severe winter is a serious check on the King¬ 
fisher, which does not usually migrate from us; 
and it is sad to think that many are starved 
to death at that season, when Jack Frost locks 
up the waters containing the food supplv. 
The Kingfisher at Sea. 
Those individuals which can succeed in reach¬ 
ing the coast have the best chance of surviving, 
since they can find open water and can accom¬ 
modate themselves to a diet of sea-fish; the dif¬ 
ference in the water itself does not trouble 
them, for it is doubtful if this bird ever drinks. 
The Greeks seem to have known it only as a 
seashore bird, for this was the famed “ halcyon ” 
of antiquity, supposed to brood its eggs in a 
floating nest during the celebrated “halcyon 
days,” when Neptune kept the sea calm for his 
pets. It seems probable that the classical ob¬ 
servers only saw it on its autumn migrations, 
when it certainly is a shore-bird; I have seen 
it in Port Said harbour myself. Hence its 
breeding was always a mystery to them. 
A Mythical Nest. 
There has been a good deal of modern myth 
and mystery about the Kingfisher’s nest, which 
was supposed to be made of fish-bones, and 
therefore very difficult to take out whole; and I 
fancy that the legend that the British Museum 
authorities would give ^Jioo for a perfect nest 
still fingers here and there. The fact is that 
the Kingfisher does not build any nest at all; 
it occupies a disused rat-hole, or burrows out 
a home itself, using its long bill as a pick and 
its quaint little feet as shovels. Then, when the 
hole is in occupation, the family all spit their 
fish-bones on the floor, for the Kingfisher, like 
the Owl and so many other birds, casts “ quids ” 
or pellets of the indigestible parts of its food. 
These after-dinner remnants are trodden by the 
birds into a sort of mat, and this is what has 
passed as the “ nest.” 
A Curious Family. 
The hen Kingfisher lays about half-a-dozen 
^ggs, which would be pure white but for an 
exquisite blush imparted by the yolk within. 
The young which emerge from them are most 
curious little beings, never having any down, 
and looking, when the pen-feathers appear, like 
miniature metal hedgehogs, the feather-sheaths 
having a silvery appearance. Their gait is also 
remarkable, for they run backwards as readily 
as forwards, if not more so. This is a useful 
instinct, enabling the young, after coming for¬ 
ward, to retreat down their tunnel in case of 
need without being obliged to turn round, and 
thus get in each others’ way or stick fast. They 
consume an immense amount of food, and it 
is a wonder how the parents ever get enough 
to satisfy them, considering their method of 
fishing. 
The Only Way. 
For the Kingfisher, being neither a wading 
nor a swimming bird, has but one way of secur¬ 
ing his food—to wait for its appearance and 
pounce on it. He “ makes his point ” either 
from a perch, or when hovering like a miniature 
Kestrel, but he often misses. I used to calcu¬ 
late, from watching one that haunted the pond 
in the Calcutta Museum grounds, that he only 
scored about once in three tries; but, after all 
the wonder is he succeeds so often, considering 
the nimbleness of a fish. Fish, however, are not 
his only prey, for he also takes crustaceans and 
water insects, to say nothing of tadpoles and 
probably little frogs, for he will feed on these 
last in captivity. The abundance of fresh¬ 
water shrimps in the East is no doubt one very 
great reason why this bird is so common there. 
The Immature Plumage. 
It is well known that young Kingfishers when 
they leave the nests have not such long beaks as 
they will ultimately possess, but the full degree 
of difference between the young and adult birds 
is seldom correctly stated. Not only are the 
fledged young slightly less brilliant above than 
their parents, but they are decidedly different 
below, being dull cinnamon instead of rich chest¬ 
nut, with a wash of dirty dark green on the 
breast; and their feet are nearly black instead 
of the brilliant scarlet of those of the old birds. 
Their beaks also lack the scarlet streak along 
the lower jaw which is found in adults. 
The Kingfisher in Aviculture. 
Young Kingfishers are not at all difficult to 
rear if one can get enough small fish—at least, 
that has been my experience. If minnows, etc., 
cannot be obtained, the flesh of large fish cut 
up should be substituted, or, in case of need, 
minced and washed raw meat. With these 
dried flies should be mixed, and some mealworms 
added, to give the birds some natural material 
for producing their castings. It is always well 
to keep the birds accustomed to mealworms and 
meat, in view of the fact that they are not 
purely fish-eaters. 
