[Illustration: KING FISHERS.]
The King-fishers, the Martin-fishers of some authors, form a highly
interesting group. They are very singular Birds. Their bill is strong,
straight and angular, being of immense length compared with their size.
Living on the banks of rivers, they feed almost exclusively on Fish,
watching patiently from a fixed station, generally a naked twig
overhanging the water, or a stone projecting above the surface, for its
prey. In this position it will sometimes remain for hours, absolutely
immovable.
When a Fish comes within reach, with great rapidity the King-fisher
darts upon it, seizing it in its powerful mandibles, and after
destroying it by compression, or by knocking it against a stone or the
trunk of a tree, swallows it head foremost.
When Fish are scarce they feed upon aquatic Insects, which they seize on
the wing. They build their nests in the steep banks of rivers, either in
the natural crevices, or in holes hollowed out by Water-rats; and these
dwelling places are generally littered by the fragments of their food.
Father and mother sit alternately, and when the young are hatched they
feed them with the produce of their fishing. The Bird has a shrill and
piercing note, which it utters on the wing.