




















OF BIRDS, 79 
Bi The King-Fifhers make their nefts on the 
banks of rivers, and on the cliffs near the fea; 
they make holes more than three feet deep; fome- 
‘times they find holes ready made by water rats, 
which the water rats have left; then they make 
their nefts there, and line them with the down of 
the willow. 
Though the King-Fifher be a very pretty bird, 
his neft is dirty ; for as he feeds upon fith, 
| we find in it a great quantity ‘of bones, and of 
| feales, which makes it {mell very difagreeably. 
_. Whilft the hen King-Fither fits upon her egos, 
the cock is very bufy, and brings her fith to eat. 
| Formerly fome people were fo filly as to be« 
lieve, that thefe birds built their nefts upon the 
fea, in the middle of winter; that it floated upon 
the furface ; and that all the time they were fitting 
upon their eges to hatch them, the weather was 
perfectly fine—and fo they called thofe days, when 
nothing made them unhappy, Alcyon days ; for 
_ Alcyon was the name which they gave to the 
King-Fither, | 
The King-Fifher has a very large ftomach, like 
- other birds of prey; and like them, he throws up 
inlittle round pellets, thofe parts of his food which 
he cannot digeft, as the {cales of the fith, &c. 
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