Halcyon the 
Kingfisher. 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
( I 49) 
cold very much, for he was hardy and strong, 
but he had a difficulty in finding food, so he 
travelled, directed by some deep and long-seated 
instinct, from the stream to the river, and thence 
down to the river’s mouth and the sea. 
His First Winter. 
It was an irksome journey, for food was 
scarce, and he had to travel in the teeth of a 
strong wind, bringing cold blasts from the frozen 
north-east; but he knew how to fly well now, 
and, keeping low above the fast-closing open 
water, went swiftly in straight and level flights, 
only turning when he must to follow his track 
along the slow-flowing river to the ocean, where 
the frost was held in check by the brave salt sea. 
The whole winter long he travelled up and down 
the muddy banks of the river mouth and along 
the adjoining shore, picking up small fish and 
worms and many strange insects in abundance. 
He did not, however, care for the dirty mud, 
rough seas, and the boisterous and noisy birds 
of the coast. He longed for the frost to go 
again, so that he could get back to his stream 
with the clear water and pebbly shallows. 
New Experiences. 
After waiting some three or four months the 
south-west winds began to blow warm and soft, 
carrying away the frost and melting snow and 
ice. The nights were still cold, but in a few 
days the white world had gone, and the river 
was running strong and full to the top of its 
high banks; but Halcyon was happy, and began 
to follow the water back again to his home pool. 
He picked up insects and worms and small prey 
of any kind he could, but the water was too 
muddy to see into until he went up some small 
side streams, and then he found some clear and 
smooth water, where he could stop and fish. He 
saw several other Kingfishers up these side 
streams, but made no friendships; but up one of 
them he had a narrow escape from capture. 
A Capture and an Escape. 
It was a particularly attractive length of water, 
and several Kingfishers had stopped on their way 
from the coast to fish for a few days while the 
main river was clearing. The early spring days 
were bright and sunny, and all the birds were 
enjoying themselves after the long winter, when 
one day two men, one on each side of the bank, 
began to walk down stream, beating the bushes 
as they came. Of course the Kingfishers, each 
one as disturbed, darted with his arrow-like 
flight down stream well round the next bend, but 
still the men came on, until there were seven or 
eight birds on the move. Fortunately for him¬ 
self, Halcyon was with the last one or two going 
down, when suddenly the men started to run as 
quickly as possible and shout loudly, so that the 
birds went heading down stream in right good 
earnest. Halcyon was suddenly startled to see 
another Kingfisher only a few yards ahead of 
him appear to stop dead and bunch up in the 
air, and before he was aware of it a fine net 
seemed to appear before him, and crash he went 
into it, too; but he had slowed his speed, and 
was able to get loose from the net and dart away 
over the adjoining banks to the main river. He 
was much dazed, and for some days was stiff 
and sore; but he was free, and what was stiff¬ 
ness and soreness in comparison with freedom? 
He had many narrow escapes tha^ spring, for 
several times men with guns came prowling 
along the banks, ready to shoot anything and 
everything that came to hand. He kept clear of 
them all, however, and when spring-time had 
really come the men with guns came no more. 
Halcyon Finds a Partner. 
Halcyon wandered much on these bright days. 
He did not feel he could settle in one place, until 
one April day he met a bright young lady King¬ 
fisher watching over a beautiful pool in a small 
stream overhung with alders and willows. He 
stopped and talked in his bird language to her, 
and she was quite happy to talk to him. Even¬ 
ing came on, and so they both roosted on bushes 
near together for the night. The next day they 
travelled up and down stream and enjoyed them¬ 
selves so much that Halcyon was loth to leave 
his new-found friend. They still strayed to¬ 
gether, until Halcyon asked her to come with him 
to his favourite fishing pool on his home stream. 
After much curious twittering she agreed, and 
they travelled by short stages up the river until 
they reached it. 
The Building of the House. 
Halcyon is proud to show his new-found mate 
the beautiful stream and pool he calls his own, 
and soon they begin to make a hole in the bank 
for a nesting-place. There are no rat-holes here, 
so they must dig for themselves; but they 
manage to burrow a nice tunnel just large 
enough to get in, with a nice, round, warm 
chamber at the farther end. Here they put 
their cast-up fishbones, Halcyon’s wife lays her 
beautiful white eggs, and they rear their young 
as their parents did the year before. They go 
through the same hard work of fishing for their 
hungry youngsters until they can gain food for 
themselves. 
The End of Freedom. 
Now Halcyon has seen five years of life and 
reared five different families of youngsters, and 
all are scattered abroad, many of them, no doubt, 
killed; but Halcyon is a wary bird of long ex¬ 
perience, and knows well how to keep out of any 
dangers which are familiar to him. Each season 
he learns of other and unknown dangers, but as 
yet he has kept free. This season has been the 
best he has ever known. The sun has given 
many bright and clear days, and the winds have 
been soft, the air has been full of life, and Hal¬ 
cyon and his busy wife have had less labour than 
before in getting food for their brood of young¬ 
sters. May flies and dragon-flies have paid 
