The poor fellow is having an unhappy time with his lunch," laughed the
children.

At the sixth effort the fish was safely landed in the bird's stomach.

With a flash of blue wings he circled through the air. He gave a noisy
rattling cry as he alighted on a branch nearer to the children.

Again the bird watched the water intently. Again he dived like a
flash. Again he bore a fish to the surface and killed it by striking
it against the tree.

But this time the kingfisher did not swallow the fish. He rose with it
in his bill and flew gracefully away.

The children watched for some time, but the strange blue bird did not
return. Then Jack turned again to his fishing.

"I thought you were to furnish the thimbleberries for lunch," he said.

"So I shall," Phyllis replied, snatching up her basket and starting off
in the direction of some bushes which she could see.

So Jack was left to his fishing and Phyllis went berrying.

Sure enough the bushes proved to be loaded with beautiful ripe berries.
Soon the little fingers were stained quite purple and the little basket
was half filled with berries.

As she started to return to her brother, Phyllis passed along the foot
of a high bank. She was singing softly to herself when she heard the
rattling cry of the kingfisher quite near.

He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings. He bore another
fish in his strong bill.

When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still
in the air while he looked at her.

At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little
girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.

"Why!" said Phyllis. "I wonder why he has gone in there. I shall wait
for him to return."

So Phyllis waited until the bird came out. Then she held out her
basket of berries.

"Will you have some of my berries?" she said. "I'm sure that your
throat must be sore from the scratching of those fish-scales. You had
to try so many times before you got it down. Tell me, did this last
fish also stick in your throat?"

The kingfisher "chuckled" deep down in his throat.

"I do not eat berries," he said. "I usually eat fish. I sometimes eat
large insects or shrimps, but I love to fish."

"So does my brother," said Phyllis, politely, glancing at Jack sitting
motionless on a rock in the sunshine.

"Why did you go into that hole to eat?"

The kingfisher chuckled again.

"That is my nest," he said. "My wif