. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. 92 Wild Birds. Fig. 85. Kingfisher fifteen days old, with nearly all feathers partly un- sheathed. July 25, 1900. old, if their age was correctly estimated. They were about ready to fly and would have voluntarily left their nest in a short time. The nesting chamber had been gradually opened up in front and filled at the rear, until it had advanced a foot and a half toward the mouth of the tunnel. At this time fear was possessing them, and a day later it was impossible to handle them
. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. 92 Wild Birds. Fig. 85. Kingfisher fifteen days old, with nearly all feathers partly un- sheathed. July 25, 1900. old, if their age was correctly estimated. They were about ready to fly and would have voluntarily left their nest in a short time. The nesting chamber had been gradually opened up in front and filled at the rear, until it had advanced a foot and a half toward the mouth of the tunnel. At this time fear was possessing them, and a day later it was impossible to handle them with- out throwing them into a panic. When quiet they would still pose well, would strike with open bill, and walk backwards. During captivity I fed them on fish which, however, they would never seize of their own accord. It was necessary to open their bills and press the food well down into their dis- tensible throats. They would perch on a branch placed in their cage, drink water and sit in it by the half-hour, but never touch the most tempting mor- sels of food. Raw meat was rejected, but they throve on fish if fed by the hand. When perched they stood as before on the whole tarsus or shank, and would sit together and in si- lence, with breasts thrown out, for hours. You heard only an occasional rattle, and that usu- ally in the morning. The King- fisher's oesophagus is very dis- tensible and the throat is lined with inwardly projecting papil- la;, so that when a fish is once taken in the throat, it is impos- sible for it to escape. The bill of the Kingfisher is grooved on the inside, thus giving the mandibles sharp cut- ting edges and a firm gripe on the prey. A fish once seized rarely makes its escape, to prevent which the bird has other resources. I once sa\v a curious trick performed by a Kingfisher, «'ho having made a good capture, was perched on a dead tree over the water. In the course of its struggles the fish nearly got free, and for a moment was held only b\' its t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
