126 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
“The belted kingfishers do not build their nests in 
trees as many other birds do/’ continued Uncle Jack. 
“They dig a hole in the side of a bank near the water.” 
“How can they dig?” asked Fred. 
“They dig with their strong bills. Two of their toes 
grow together. It may be that those toes help to push 
the dirt out of the hole. Those odd toes also may help 
kingfishers to swim. They feed their babies fish, and the 
babies eject the bones just as the old birds do. King¬ 
fishers are not very neat housekeepers. They leave the 
old fish bones in the nest. By the time the babies are ready 
to leave, the nest is almost full of bones.” 
“What queer birds!” said Bess. 
“Yes, they are,” agreed Uncle Jack, “and each family 
of kingfishers seems to have its own fishing waters. 
Two families never live near each other, and they fish 
only in their own part of the creek. 
