THE BELTED KINGS F I S H E R .
ALCEDO ALCYON, LINN.
P L A T E L X X V I I . MALE AND FEMALE.
You must not suppose, good-natured reader, that the lives which I
try to write, are short or lengthy according to the natural dimensions of
the objects themselves ; for if with the representation of a large bird, I
present you with a long history of its habits, it is merely because that
bird, being perhaps more common, and therefore more conspicuous, I have
had better and more frequent opportunities of studying them. This happens
to be the case with the bird which I proceed to describe.
The Belted Kingsfisher .'—Now, kind reader, were I infected with the
desire of giving new names to well-known objects, you may be assured
that, notwithstanding the partly appropriate name given to this bird, I
should call it, as I think it ought to have been, called, the United States'1
Kingsfisher. My reason for this will, I hope, become apparent to you,
when I say that it is the only bird of its genus found upon the inland
streams of the Union. Another reason of equal force might be adduced,
which is, that, although the males of all denominations have, from time
immemorial, obtained the supremacy, in this particular case the term
Belted applies only to the female, the male being destitute of the belt or
band by which she is distinguished. But names already given and received,
whether apt or inapt, I am told, must not be meddled with. To
this law I humbly submit, and so proceed, contenting myself with feeling
assured that many names given to birds might, with much benefit to the
student of nature, become the subjects of reform.
The Belted Kingsfisher is a constant resident in the States of Louir
siana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and all the districts that lie to the south of
North Carolina. Its inland migrations along the windings of our noble
rivers extend far and wide, over the whole of the United States. In all
those portions winch I have visited it also breeds, although it returns to
the south from many parts during severe winters.
The flight of this bird is rapid, and is prolonged according to its necessities,
extending at times to considerable distances, in which case it is
performed high in the air. When, for instance, the whole course of one
B E L T E D K I N G S F I S H E R. 395
of our northern rivers becomes frozen, the Kingsfisher, instead of skimming
closely over the surface that no longer allows it to supply itself
with food, passes high above the tallest trees, and takes advantage of
every short cut which the situation of the river affords. By this means it
soon reaches a milder climate. This is also frequently the case, when it
seems tired of the kind of fish that occurs in a lake, and removes to another
in a direct line, passing over the forests, not unfrequently by a course of
twenty or thirty miles towards the interior of the country. Its motions
when on wing consist of a series of flaps, about five or six in number, followed
by a direct glide, without any apparent undulation. It moves in
the same way when flying closely over the water.
If, in the course of such excursions, the bird passes over a small pool,
it suddenly checks itself in its career, poises itself in the air, like a Sparrow
hawk or Kestril, and inspects the water beneath, to discover whether
there may be fishes in it suitable to its taste. Should it find this to be
the case, it continues poised for a few seconds, dashes spirally headlong
into the water, seizes a fish, and alights on the nearest tree or stump,
where it swallows its prey in a. moment.
The more usual range of the Belted Kingsfisher, however, is confined
to the rivers and creeks that abound throughout the United States ; all
of which, according to the seasons, are amply supplied with various
fishes, on the fry of which this bird feeds. It follows their course up to
the very source of the small rivulets ; and it is not unusual to hear the
hard, rapid, rattling notes of our Kingsfisher, even amongst the murmuring
cascades of our higher mountains. When the bird is found in such
sequestered situations, well may the angler be assured that trout is abundant.
Mill-ponds are also favourite resorts of the Kingsfisher, the usual
calmness of the water in such places permitting it to discover its prey
with ease. As the freshets are proportionally less felt on the adjoining
shores, the holes dug in the earth or sand by this species, in which it deposits
its eggs, are generally found in places not far from a mill worked
by water.
I have laid open to my view several of these holes, in different situations
and soils, and have generally found them to be formed as follows.
The male and female, after having fixed upon a proper spot, are seen
clinging to the bank of the stream in thé manner of Woodpeckers.
Their long and stout bills are set to work, and as soon as the hole has
acquired a certain depth, one of the birds enters it, and scratches out the