CHAPTER I. 
THE KINGFISHER 
(Aleedo ispida ). 
“ The Halcyon flew across the stream, 
And the silver brooklet caught the gleam; 
The glittering flash of his dazzling wings 
Was such ns the gorgeous rainbow flings, 
In broken rays through the tearful sky, 
On a sunny eve in bright July.” 
Amongst our birds of bright plumage we have a pretty, 
clever little fisherman, which we meet with along the banks 
of our streams and ponds, but always singly, or at most 
accompanied by his mate. He is a small bird with a very 
large beak, very short tail, and exceptionally tiny feet, 
and would be considered heavy and awkward, but for the 
beautiful colouring of his plumage. The head and neck 
are of a splendid green; all the feathers are bordered at 
the ends with bluish green, those of the back are bright 
greenish blue; the wing-feathers black-gray, and their 
outer webs dark green; the upper wing-coverts streaked 
with greenish blue: thus the whole of the upper part 
of the bird appears green or blue, according as the 
light falls on it; the tints are ever changing, and in the 
sun are marvellously brilliant ; the under portion of the 
body, as well as the sides of the head, are of a yellowish 
brown, tinged more or less with a rusty red. The sexes 
