THE KINGFISHER, 287

Fhe The Trogons are among the most gorgeous of
frogons. living birds; the brilliance of their plumage defy-
ing verbal description. Their main colour is “a metallic golden
green, boldly contrasted with scarlet, black, and brown.”
“The Resplendent Trogon,” says Mr. Wood, “is the most gor-
geous of all this gorgeous family. Its long and gracefully
curved tail is nearly three feet long, and the whole of the
upper surface, and the throat, are a glowing green; the breast
and under parts are bright crimson; the middle feathers of
the tail black, and the outer feathers white.” These birds
are natives of Mexico.
The The Kingfishers are a wide-spread family, being
Kingfisher. found all over the world. There are numerous
varieties, of which the Common Kingfisher and the Laughing
Kingfisher are all that we can notice. The Common King-
fisher is indigenous in England where it usually lives on the
banks of rivers and streams, feeding upon fish and insects.
It makes burrows or holes in the banks, where it lays its eggs
and rears its young; fishing from the low branches of trees
which overspread the water. When the fish is caught it is
beaten to death against some hard substance and then
swallowed whole, head foremost. The Common Kingfisher
is somewhat larger than the lark, and has a beautiful metallic
coat which shimmers with a very pleasing effect as it darts
among the greenery of the river bank or flies along the
surface of the water. The Laughing Kingfisher belongs to
Australia and is so named from its peculiar cry. It is one of
the largest species of its kind. Other species belong to the
Moluccas and New Guinea, and a few to America.
The The Hornbill is famous for the size and shape
Hornbill. of its bill, which is very large. There are several
varieties, African and Indian. They live mostly on fruit,
though some are said to eat reptiles. They have some very
curious habits. Myr. Wallace describes the habit of the male
Hernbill of shutting up the female during the period of