in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace, discovered a Kingfisher’s
nest' in the Bank of a small gravel-pit in ‘the WildernèSk
of that place^ and within a ‘shorirdistance- of the public footh
path leading, through* it,; and; which Is much frequented^
There were Six eggs'in the ne^t, 'whicfir-was’^ompcfsed)as:
usual of small'fish-bones, and was placed about' t w© ’ feet irr
the bank. T h e small gravbtëjSïtf was perfectly dry, and the'
workmen were in the constant habit of throwing the- sweepings
of the garden into it. The old birds showed-but little fear
of the workmen, and this Iedto the discovery: o f the nest; ’
Kingfishers, like many other birds, -pUssësS'the 'power of
reproducing thé"contentó;: of the stomach, at pleasure. ' This
fiiculty is very useful to- them in reference to tKéir n&ffihgs,.
enabling the parent birds nöt onlyto- bring- home ' a Jargfer
quantity of food than-they could otherwisf/carry;- butiafeojbfi
-partially preparing th a t, food, and thus renderihpfeiL ffidrèf
suitable to the-fender stomachs of Ih e frlwhmfcbrood.This
power of‘emptying the stomach is at other times - only^exërk
dsed to discharge the more iudigestibleSpértions * of the -food?
they swallow, as noticed in all the -Birds’ of Brey,tals^aïséih
the Shrikes, ahd some other birds which occasional!/'■feed öfc
large coleoptéróüs -insects.. - The “rejection; by the4 Kingfisher,
appears to Be” performed frequently .whenT^e- bird - is-4rf the."
hole chbsëh. as amabode,1 the wholer|rohhd :.surface o f which is
sometimes covered with bones of smalffishes,- and upbmJhCsn-
bones'-the female deposits hereggs,-generdlyi-from five' to
seven in number, of a short oval form, almost iround, mea-»
suring ten lines .and a half in length-,rby nine lines in bread,th^
of a smooth and shining white when blown; "SJmf: preViéusly-
exhibiting a delicate pink tinge-from the influeftdtr o f thè
colour of the yelk, which' pervades the- transparent albumen:
and thin shell,
: - The young, Mr, 0ould dB&rVes,r do -not leave the%qle 'f i t
fully fledged\.and capable o f 'Sight-; when, ? seated on some
neighbouring branch, they may he known by their clamorous
twittering, greeting their parents as they pass, from whom
they impatiently expect their supplies ; in a short time, however,
they commence, fishing for themselves, assuming at that
early age nearly.the adult plumage.
Y tw g 'Kingfishers, if taken from the nest, axe not difficult
to rear; they require a supply of, small fish for a time,
but may afterwards be brought,1 to do welt on chopped beef.
If kept in ah aviary of sufficient size to_admit a large stone
tfp&gh, or.tin bath, filled^with clear water, in which they can
• b„e,supplied with Jive mjmrp^s, these birds make an interest-
ing;'d±splay i their ,and mod[e of proceeding, and may
. be kept injipMhealtffl'but are voracious feeders: the quan-
tllfSisPf min.n4w-S;.that ,a brood y^yupng Kingfishers will consume
is q£ite^extraordinary. Towards of autumn
thefje birds should be.separated, ^ t h e . strongest,wfll be certain
^ .k ilj’thi|yfeaker oUesj/kyen to the, last' bird. This has
happened two- seasons,* fqUq-ying to m y ^ r j ^ , Mr. William
Rayner of Uxbridge? who living ,$thim a short distance of
the riye^.QqJne able to cfetain Kingfishers as well as min-
and whose aviary is seldom w'ithq||;liviug specimens of
both.
The Kingfisher flies rapidly, .with a; very quick, action of
hjs- s j p q r t a n d is a difficult bird to; sbppt when in motion.
T t is, said to .^ a e ,a shrill piping n$|j, and is known to
quit inland approach of jk e frosts of winter,
visiiing?Jqr'4 time .'the flat shores of. the sea.j^
An accoun^pff,thxe Kingfisher would be incomplete if left
without'^ %ny refetenC^.-to. the powers attributed to tbis bird by
some, of thp older naturalists and ; and the following
brief q<$kice isvjmerefqie: condensed from the pages of Pennant,
and the more recently published observations of Mr. J . H.
Fennell on Shakspeaxk?s knowledge,..of Natural History.
. * Mtagamne^bf Natural Histpfy, voU i.,p. 2-3.' •
VOL. II. P