Part 13

The TODIES (_Todi_), a group of American birds, apparently representing the Broad-throats, are remarkable for the very peculiar formation of their beak; and on this account much diversity of opinion has arisen as to the place that should properly be assigned them. All the species with which we are acquainted are small, delicately-built birds, possessing moderate-sized and straight beaks, with both mandibles so flatly compressed that they may literally be described as two thin plates; the margins of the bill are finely incised, and the gape extends as far back as the eyes; the tarsus is slender, and scarcely longer than the middle toe; the toes are unusually long and thin, armed with short, delicate, but very sharp hooked claws; the fourth, fifth, and sixth quills in the short, rounded wings exceed the rest in length; the tail, of moderate length, is broad, and slightly incised. The plumage, which consists of soft, compact feathers, is replaced by bristles in the region of the beak; the tongue, except at its fleshy root, resembles a horny plate, and is as transparent as the barrel of a quill.

THE TODY, OR GREEN FLATBILL.

The TODY, or GREEN FLAT-BILL (_Todus viridis_), is of a blueish green on the back, and greyish-white on the under side. The throat and upper breast are bright rose red, and the belly pale yellow; the quills are greyish green; the centre tail-feathers green, and those at the exterior grey; the eye is pale grey, the beak reddish horn-grey above, and bright scarlet beneath; the foot flesh-pink or brownish red. This species is four inches and a quarter long, and six and a half broad; the wing measures one inch and four-fifths, and the tail one inch and a half. The sexes closely resemble each other in the coloration of their plumage.

"In all parts of Jamaica," says Gosse, "that I have visited, the Tody is a very common bird. On the summit of Bluefields Mountain, about 3,000 feet above the level of the sea, and particularly where the deserted provision-grounds are overgrown with an almost impenetrable thicket of joint-wood, it is especially abundant. Always conspicuous, from its bright, grass-green coat, and crimson velvet gorget, it is still a very tame bird; yet this seems rather the tameness of indifference than of confidence: it will allow a person to approach very near, and, if disturbed, alight on another twig a few yards distant. We have often captured specimens with an insect-net, and struck them down with a switch; it is not uncommon for the little boys to creep up behind one, and actually to clap the hand over it as it sits, and thus secure it. It is a general favourite, and has received a familiar name--that of Robin Redbreast. There is little resemblance, however, between the European Robin and its West Indian namesake. I have never seen the Tody on the ground; but it hops about the twigs of low trees, searching for minute insects, occasionally uttering a querulous, sibilant note. But more commonly it is seen sitting patiently on a twig, with the head drawn in, the beak pointing upwards, and the lower plumage puffed out, when it appears much larger than it really is. It certainly has an air of stupidity when thus seen; but this abstraction is more apparent than real. If we watch it we shall see that the odd-looking grey eyes are glancing hither and thither, and that ever and anon the bird sallies out upon a short, feeble flight, snaps at something in the air, and returns to his twig to swallow it. I have never seen the Tody eat vegetable food; but I have occasionally found in its stomach, among minute coleopterous and hymenopterous insects, a few small seeds. One of these birds, which I kept in a cage, would snatch worms from me with impudent audacity, and then beat them violently against the perch or sides of the cage, to divide before he swallowed them. One captured in April, on being turned into a room, began immediately to catch flies and other minute insects that flitted about. At this employment he continued incessantly and most successfully all that evening and all the next day, from earliest dawn till dark. He would sit on the edge of the table, on shelves, or on the floor, ever glancing about, now and then flitting up into the air, when the snap of his beak announced a capture, and he returned to his station to eat it; he would peep into the lowest and darkest corners, even under the tables, for the little globose, long-legged spiders, which he would drag from their webs and swallow. He sought these also about the ceilings and walls. I have said that he continued at this employment all day without intermission, and I judge that on the average he made a capture per minute. We may thus form some idea of the immense number of insects destroyed by these and similar birds. Water in a basin was in the room, but I did not see him drink. Though so actively engaged in his own occupation, he cared nothing for the presence of man; he sometimes alighted voluntarily on our heads, shoulders, or fingers, and when sitting would permit me at any time to put my hand over him and take him up, though when in the hand he would struggle to get out. He seemed likely to thrive; but incautiously settling in front of a dove-cage, a surly bald-pate poked his head through the wires, and aimed a blow at the head of the unoffending Tody. She did not appear to mind it at first, but an hour afterwards shivered and died."

"The Green Tody," says Mr. Hill, "is a bird of peculiar structure and habits; he is exclusively an insect-feeder, and burrows in the earth to breed. The subterranean nest is made wherever there is mould easy of excavation; ravines and gullies, whose banks are earthy, and where the water passes rapidly from the surface-soil, are generally selected. The excavation is made by the beak and claws. It is a winding gallery, rounded at the bottom, and terminating in a sufficiently wide lodging, lined with pliant fibres, dry moss, and cotton, placed with much attention to arrangement. Four or five grey, brown-spotted eggs are laid, and the young are fed within the cave till they are full-fledged."

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The KINGFISHERS (_Alcedines_) principally frequent the warmer latitudes. The members of this group possess a powerful body, large head, and short or moderate-sized wings and tail, with a very long, straight, and powerful beak, pointed at its extremity; the small foot is furnished with either three or four toes. The plumage is of most brilliant hues, and varies but little in the sexes, or with the age of the bird.

All the various species of Kingfishers prefer the vicinity of water; and, where fish is to be found, venture to a very considerable altitude when following mountain-streams. Like all such members of the feathered creation as subsist by fishing, they are quiet, indolent, and wary in their habits, seeking their prey either alone or, at most, in pairs. As regards their powers of locomotion, they have little to distinguish them; it is true, they possess a certain skill in diving and swimming, but on the ground or in the air their deportment is extremely clumsy. Of their senses, sight and hearing appear to be highly developed; but, with these exceptions, we must pronounce these birds to hold a very low place in the scale of intelligence, and to exhibit but one attractive quality--that of warm attachment to their eggs and young. Fish, insects, and crabs constitute their principal means of subsistence, and these are principally obtained by diving. The numerous eggs laid by the members of this group are deposited in a hole excavated in the ground, the extreme end of which forms the actual nest.

THE EUROPEAN KINGFISHER.

The EUROPEAN KINGFISHER (_Alcedo ispida_) is recognisable by its long, thin, straight, and powerful beak, which is much compressed at its tip. The foot is small; the centre of the three front toes is connected with the external toe as far as the second, and with the short inner toe to the first joint; the hind toe is very small; the third quill in the short, blunt wing exceeds the rest in length; the tail is formed of twelve small feathers. The thick, compact plumage is very brilliant, with a metallic gloss above, and a silky gloss on the under side. The feathers on the head are prolonged into a crest. As it would be impossible to mistake the European Kingfisher for any other bird, it will suffice to say that the upper portions of the body are greenish blue, and the lower yellowish brown; the eye is deep brown, the beak bright red, and the foot cinnabar-red. The length of this bird is six inches and a half, the breadth ten inches and a half; the wing measures two inches and two-thirds; the length of tail one inch and a half.

This Kingfisher, the only European representative of the above group, is one of the most beautiful of our British birds, and its appearance as it dashes along in the sunshine strikingly brilliant. It is an inhabitant of all parts of Europe, except the extreme north, and is also widely spread over Asia and Africa. This species is always found in the vicinity of water, over which it may be seen shooting along like a little meteor. Its food consists not only of small fishes, but also of aquatic insects and leeches. The appetite of the Kingfisher is voracious, and his manners shy and retiring. Dwelling near sequestered brooks and rivers, he sits for hours together motionless and solitary on some bough overhanging the stream, patiently watching the movements of the smaller fishes which constitute his food, waiting for a favourable moment to dart with the velocity of an arrow upon the first that comes near enough to the surface, and seldom failing in his aim. He returns with it to his former station, on some large stone or branch, where he kills his captive by shifting its position in his bill, so as to grasp it firmly near the tail, and striking its head smartly against the object on which he rests; he then reverses its position and swallows it head foremost; the indigestible parts are afterwards ejected in a manner analogous to that of Owls and other birds of prey. The Kingfisher, however, does not confine himself to this mode of watching in motionless solitude, but should the stream be broad, or no favourable station for espionage present itself, he may be seen poising himself over it at an altitude of ten or fifteen feet, scrutinising the element below for his food, and then plunging upon it with a velocity which often carries him considerably below the surface. For these habits his muscular, wedge-shaped body, increasing gradually from a long, pointed bill, and his sleek plumage, which, whilst it passes freely through the water, is impervious to wet, seem especially to adapt him. His wings are short, but powerful; hence his flight is smooth, even, and exceedingly rapid. Silent, except during the pairing and breeding season, when he occasionally utters a sharp, piercing cry, indicative, perhaps, of attachment, and equally solitary and unsocial in his habits, the Kingfisher dwells alone; seldom consorting with others, or even with his mate, except during the rearing of the young, when both sexes discharge with assiduity the duty of procuring requisite supplies of food. The places selected for incubation are steep and secluded banks, overhanging ponds or rivers, generally at a considerable distance above the surface of the water, and extending two or three feet into the bank. The female, without making a nest, lays five or six eggs, of a beautiful pinky white. As soon as the young are hatched, the parent birds may be seen incessantly passing to and from the hole with food, the ejected remains of which in a short time accumulate around the callow brood. The young do not leave the hole until fully fledged, when, seated on some neighbouring branch, they may be known by their clamorous twitterings as they greet their parents, from whom they impatiently expect supplies of food. They assume at an early age a plumage nearly resembling the adult. The Kingfishers appear to possess habits of partial migration; or, at least in our island, they wander from the interior of the country along the rivers to the coast, and in the autumnal and wintry months frequent the mouths of small rivulets and dykes near the sea.

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The PURPLE KINGFISHERS (_Ceyx_), a group inhabiting India, the Malay and Philippine Islands, and New Guinea, are without the inner toe possessed by the European Kingfisher above described. These birds have hitherto been grouped with the Halcyones on account of the broad base of their beak; but the shortness of their wings and tail, and their general habits, fully justify their introduction in this place.

THE PURPLE KINGFISHER.

The PURPLE KINGFISHER (_Ceyx tridactyla_), one of the most remarkable members of this family, is of a bright orange, gleaming with peach-colour on the back, and shading from rust-red into chestnut-brown on the neck and sides of breast; the rest of the under side is saffron-yellow. The large wing-covers are deep black, the shoulders and exterior borders of the wings chestnut-brown, the quills blackish brown, with a rust-red edge to the inner web; the tail-feathers are rust-red. This species is five inches long and eight broad; the wing measures two inches and a quarter, and the tail three-quarters of an inch. This beautiful bird is met with over the whole extent of India and Ceylon, but is nowhere numerous. Fish and some of the smaller inhabitants of the water constitute its usual food.

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The GREY KINGFISHERS (_Ceryle_) exhibit, in an eminent degree, the admirable skill with which their bodies have been adapted to the situation they are destined to occupy in the great scheme of creation. Although resembling the True Kingfishers in many particulars, their wings are considerably longer and more pointed than in those birds, and far more available as instruments of locomotion; the long, straight beak is compressed at its sides, and pointed at its tip; the almost lustreless plumage is of comparatively sombre hue, and differs more or less in the sexes. Most of the numerous members of this group inhabit America; some few are met with in Asia and Africa, while Europeans may lay claim to one species that may now be regarded as naturalised, on account of the frequency of its visits to our continent.

THE GREY KINGFISHER.

The GREY KINGFISHER (_Ceryle rudis_) is chequered blue and white on the mantle, with a white under side, relieved by two black lines upon the breast, and dark spots upon the sides; the top of the head and the cheek-stripes are black, the eyebrows black and white, the white tail-feathers are crossed by a black line near the extremity, the eye and foot are brown, the beak is black. This species is ten inches long and eighteen broad; the wing measures five and the tail three inches. The female has but one black line upon her breast.

The Grey Kingfisher is met with in almost every part of Africa, in Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Persia, and, we believe, in India; in Europe, as far as we can ascertain, it has only been seen in Greece and Dalmatia. Unlike the true Kingfisher, this bird exhibits a most social disposition, and prosecutes its search for food in spots constantly frequented not only by cattle, but by man. The chase after fish is sometimes carried on from the top of a post or projecting branch, sometimes while the bird is hovering over water, into which it plunges headlong at the first appearance of a suitable victim, which is borne off to some favourite perch, and there devoured, after (as is frequently the case) it has been struck repeatedly against the branch or post. When in pursuit of food, the Grey Kingfisher flies over the surface of the water with a Falcon-like motion, rising and sinking rapidly through the air, and varying its movements with equal adroitness and grace. During the daytime it is comparatively quiet, but towards evening begins to disport itself in this manner, accompanying its movements by a loud, shrill, monotonous cry. According to our own experience, the breeding season commences in Egypt about March or April. Tristram informs us that the nests made by this bird in Palestine are placed in settlements formed in the steep banks of rivers. Some which he examined had their entrances not more than four inches above the level of the water; each of these entrance-passages was about three inches and a half deep, and led into the actual nest; a few fish-bones and a little grass had been placed to form a bed, on which the eggs were deposited. The latter vary both in form and colour; those we saw were oval in shape, and pure white.

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The ALCYONS (_Halcyones_) are at once recognisable from the Kingfishers by the superior development of their wings, their greater breadth of beak, and more powerful feet. The plumage is lax and of brilliant hue, and, in some species, rivals that of any member of the feathered creation in gorgeous beauty. Africa, Southern Asia, Australia, and the islands in their vicinity, afford a home to the numerous and varied members of this group; in America and Europe they are unrepresented. All are more or less inhabitants of woodland districts, and but few exhibit a decided preference for the vicinity of water. Unlike the Kingfisher, the Alcyons are active in their habits, and, when winging their way through the air, equal the Bee-eater in agility and grace. But few move with ease upon the ground, or are capable of obtaining their prey by plunging beneath the water; they usually procure the insects, beetles, and grasshoppers on which they mainly subsist by darting down upon them from a chosen lurking-place among the branches of their favourite trees. Some, we are told, will even attack snakes, while others destroy large numbers of other birds' eggs and young. Such as possess sufficient zeal to obtain a few fish or crabs, exhibit but little skill either in swimming or diving after them. The voice of all is loud and peculiar, and, as far as our own observation goes, their intelligence and senses are not highly developed. Their neatly-constructed nest is usually placed in a tree, or hollow in a stone or in the ground. The eggs are pure white and very glossy.

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The TREE ALCYONS (_Halcyones_) are recognisable by their long, straight, broad beak, which in some species turns slightly upwards, their short feet, moderate-sized and rounded wing, with its third quill only a trifle longer than the fourth and fifth, and a comparatively short and rounded tail.

THE RED-BREASTED TREE ALCYON.

The RED-BREASTED TREE ALCYON (_Halcyon rufiventris_) is black on the mantle, and reddish brown on the under side; the head, back, and sides of the throat are ash-grey; the lower part of the back, the tail, and a large spot on the wings are of a metallic green; the front of the throat is pure white, the breast dirty white, and the cheek-stripes black. When seen from beneath, the wing is of reddish brown, marked with white, and tipped with black; the under side of the tail is similarly coloured; the eye is brown, the beak and feet red. This species is eight inches and a half long; the wing measures three inches and a half, and the tail two inches and a half.

The _Halcyon rufiventris_ is an inhabitant of Western and Central Africa, where, according to our own observations in Eastern Soudan, it principally frequents well-watered and woodland districts, in preference to the scanty growth of brushwood to be found in the vast and arid steppes. The nest usually contains three round, glossy white eggs; these are laid in October or November, and are hatched by the united care of both parents; on the male alone, however, devolves the task of rearing the nestlings.

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The WOOD ALCYONS (_Todiramphus_) have the beak still shorter, broader, and more decidedly turned upwards than in the birds last mentioned; the wing is also somewhat larger, and its second quill almost equals the third in length. The various members of this group principally inhabit Australia and the most extensive of the neighbouring islands; whilst in India, although they are occasionally met with, the species are few and comparatively rare.

THE YELLOW-HEADED WOOD ALCYON.

The YELLOW-HEADED WOOD ALCYON (_Todiramphus chlorocephalus_), a species inhabiting Java, is of a metallic green on the back, and white on the under side; the cheek-stripes, which pass behind the neck and unite on the back, are black; a spot on the sides of the brow, and a line on the nape, are both dirty white; the eye is yellowish, the upper mandible entirely black, the lower one yellowish white at its base, with black tip. This species is nine inches long; the wing measures four inches and a half, and the tail two inches and three-quarters.

According to Bernstein, this species is one of the commonest of the birds inhabiting Java; and is to be seen on the banks of every river or streamlet that is not at any great distance from trees, and from a projecting stone or branch patiently spying out the approach of any insect or tiny fish. Its flight is usually accompanied by the repeated utterance of its clear loud cry. The nest consists of a bed of dry leaves and moss placed in a hollow in the ground, protected by an overhanging stone. The three or four eggs have a dull white shell.

THE BLUE ALCYON.

The BLUE ALCYON (_Cyanalcyon Macleayi_), one of the most beautiful birds of Australia, is blackish blue on the head, as far as the nape; the mantle is bright blue; the wings and tail are black, shaded with blue; the entire under side of the roots of the primary and secondary quills, a broad band round the throat, and an oval spot behind the nostrils, are white; the iris is dark brown, the beak black, and the tarsus blackish grey. The female is less brightly coloured than her mate, and has an irregular, broken line of white around her throat. This species is seven inches long; the wing measures six inches and one-sixth, and the tail two and a half inches.

"This beautiful bird," says Gould, "far surpasses any other Australian Kingfisher in the brilliancy of its plumage. Like the other members of the genus to which it belongs, it is rarely if ever seen near water, and evinces so decided a preference for the open forests of the interior of the country that it has obtained the name of the Bush Kingfisher. It is generally dispersed about in pairs, and feeds on small reptiles, insects, and their larvæ. Its usual note is a loud "pee-pee," uttered with considerable rapidity. It incubates in November and December, sometimes forming its nest in the hollow trunks of trees, and at others excavating for itself a hole in the nest of the tree-ants, which present so singular and prominent a feature in the scenery of the country. The nest of these birds is easily discovered, for on the approach of an intruder they at once commence flying about in a very wild manner, uttering a loud, piercing cry of alarm. The eggs, three or four in number, have a pearly white shell, and are round in form."

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The GIANT ALCYONS (_Paralcyon_, or _Dacelo_) are readily distinguishable, not only from their size, but by their long flat beak, which is broad and flat at its base, straight at the culmen, compressed at its sides, and slightly hooked at the tip of the projecting upper mandible; the tarsi are short, but powerful, and the toes very long and thick; the wings, in which the second and third quills are of almost equal length, are of moderate size, and blunt; the broad tail is also of medium length. The rich, lax plumage is of comparatively quiet hue.