THE LIVING WORLD. 
318 
an arbitrary arrangement in many instances, as all naturalists admit, so tbat it 
is at least pardonable to ignore arrangements except where the family character¬ 
istics are easily distinguishable, and which I shall strive to observe. 
The Kingfisher (. Alcedo ispida ) is a burrower to the extent of seeking a con¬ 
venient cover excavated by some more industrious artisan. Having its haunts 
about the water it does not forsake its familiar range when ready to raise a 
brood, but goes in quest of a hole near the water’s edge, preferring a rabbit 
burrow, or the abandoned hole of a water-rat. Upon finding a place suited to 
its rather fastidious desires, the kingfisher expends some labor in shaping the 
aperture, and in digging out the hole anew so that it will have a slope upward 
towards the rear. This is to prevent the possibility of an invasion from rising 
water, for the air within the hole will prevent the water from penetrating to the 
elevated nest, however great may be the rise. The nest which the kingfisher 
constructs is remarkable both for its shape and the material that composes it. 
Mr. Gould, who has made a study of birds, and is everywhere recognized as an 
authority, tells us that the nest is composed wholly of fish-bones, minnows fur¬ 
nishing the greater portion. These bones are ejected by the bird when the flesh 
is digested, just as an owl ejects the pellets on which her eggs are laid. The 
walls of the nest are about half an inch in thickness, and its form is very flat 
The circular shape and slight hollow show that the bird really forms the mass 
of bones into a nest, and does not merely lay her eggs at random upon the 
ejecta. The whole of these bones are deposited and arranged in the short space 
of three weeks. 
It may possibly be owing to these bones and the partial decomposition which 
must take place during the time occupied in drying, that the burrow possesses so 
exceedingly evil an odor. This unpleasant effluvium, which may indeed be called 
by the stronger name of stench, is wonderfully enduring, and clings to the bird 
as well as to its dwelling. The feathers of the kingfisher are most lovely to the 
eye, but the proximity of the bird is by no means agreeable to the nostrils, the 
“ ancient and fish-like smell ” being extremely penetrating. 
The khigfisher is a great egg producer, usually laying eight or ten eggs each 
season, but if these be removed from the nest with care she will continue to lay 
throughout the season, like our domestic fowls. 
The largest of the species is the Laughing Jackass (Dacelogigas) of Aus¬ 
tralia, its length being about eighteen inches. It is not only larger than its con¬ 
geners, but differs somewhat from the other species in habits. While not refusing 
fish as food, it does not confine itself to a fish diet, being known to eat insects, and 
also rats and even snakes. The name, laughing jackass, has been given it because 
its twittering cry, common to all the several varieties, resembles the guttural 
call of the striped hyena, and sometimes is a fairly correct imitation of a bray¬ 
ing donkey. Though a burrower, this species does not make its nest in the 
abandoned hole of some earth-dweller, but seeks the hollow trunk of a tree in 
which the deposit of eggs is made without constructing any nest. 
The Ternate Kingfisher {Tanysiptera dea ) is found in New Guinea, and 
is very remarkable for the extraordinary length of its / central tail feathers, 
which are nearly bare from the junction of the wing tips to within an inch of 
the extremity, where they broaden out into webbed points. 
The Belted Kingfisher (Ceryfi alcyon ) is the species common in all parts 
of the United States, especially along the banks of streams, over which he sits 
