124 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
“Buddy! Fred! Wade out and get him before he 
drowns !” cried the girls. 
“Sit still and see what happens,” quietly said Uncle 
Jack. Quickly the little bird came to the top of the water 
and flew up to the branch. 
“Look! He has a fish in his bill,” cried Buddy. “Why, 
he didn't fall off that branch; he dived for that fish.” 
“Yes,” explained Uncle Jack. “That bird is a real 
fisherman. He needs a big head and strong bill to catch 
and to hold the fish. He is called the Kingfisher because 
he is such a good fisherman. The feathers standing up 
on the top of his head look like a king's crown. That is 
why he is called king. The dark feathers on his breast 
look like a belt. So we say he is the Belted Kingfisher.” 
“What is he trying to do now? Is he trying to kill the 
fish?” asked Fred. 
“Yes. Watch him and see how he does it!” 
The kingfisher held the fish by the tail, and beat it 
against the branch. Whack! Whack! Then he stopped 
and felt of the body of the fish with his bill. He did not 
think that it was dead; so he took hold of the tail again. 
Whack! Whack! Whack! He pounded it again and 
again until he was sure it was dead. Then he took it into 
his mouth and swallowed it head first. 
“Won't the fish bones hurt him?" Bess asked anxiously. 
“No,” replied Uncle Jack. “He is used to them. After 
a while he will eject, or as we might say throw up, the 
bones. Then he will be ready for another fish.” 
“Such a queer bird ought to have an interesting nest 
and babies,” said Marylee. 
