Part 68 (1/2)

”About that bird--bird he shot. He said it was a kingfisher.”

”Well, so it is. You heard him explain about its habits?”

”Yes; and that's what bothers me. How can it be a kingfisher if it don't fish?”

”You might just as well say, how can it be a kingfisher if it don't fish for kings.”

”No, I mightn't, sir,” replied Ned, whose illness seemed to have developed a kind of argumentative obstinacy. ”n.o.body nor nothing does fish for kings, sir, so that's nonsense. But what I say is, how can that bird be a kingfisher if it don't fish?”

”But it does fish.”

”No, it don't, sir; it flits about and catches b.u.t.terflies, and moths, and beetles. Doctor said it never caught fish at all, and never dived down into the water. So what I say is, that it can't be a kingfisher.”

”Well, but Doctor Instow says that far away back in the past its ancestors must have lived on fish; and then the land where they were changed, till perhaps it was one like this, with plenty of beautiful little rivers in it, but few fish, and so they had to take to living upon insects, which they capture on the wing, and they have gone on doing so ever since.”

”Seems rum,” said Ned thoughtfully. ”Then I suppose if this island was to change, so that there were no more b.u.t.terflies, moths, or beadles, and more fish took to living in the rivers--they'd take to fis.h.i.+ng again?”

”Yes, I suppose so; all things adapt themselves to circ.u.mstances.”

”Do they now, sir?”

”Yes; but you don't know what I mean.”

”No, sir, I'm blessed if I do.”

”How stupid! why don't you ask then?”

”'Cause I don't want to bother you, sir, when you're getting tired.”

”What nonsense! Always ask if you don't understand me. I meant that I have read about plants and animals altering in time to suit the place where they are. If dogs are taken up into the arctic regions they get in time to have a very thick fur under the hair; and if they are taken into a hot country like this, they have a very fine silky coat.”

”Do they now, sir?” said Ned. ”Now I wouldn't have thought that a dog would have so much gumption. But I don't know, dogs are very knowing.”

”I don't think the dog has anything to do with it, Ned; it is a natural law. Now, if a fir tree is in a sheltered place, where the soil is deep and sandy, it grows to a tremendous size; but if the seed falls in a rocky place, where it has to get its roots down cracks to find food, and cling tightly against the cold freezing winds, it keeps down close to the ground, and gets to be a poor scrubby bush a few feet high, or less.”

”Then the trees have got gumption too, sir. That's better than being blown down.”

”I don't know about gumption, Ned; but it's the same with flowers. They grow thin and poor on rocks and stones, and rich and luxuriant on good moist soils, and--Hallo! where are the others? we mustn't be left behind.”

”Oh, we're all right, sir. They're only just ahead, and we can't lose ourselves, because all we've got to do is to go back along by the trickling water here. I'll shout if you like.”

”Oh no; I could blow my whistle, but I don't want to, because it would startle the doctor. He'd think there was something wrong.”

”Don't whistle him, sir. Here's a nice comfortable bit o' rock here; would you like to sit down?”

”You're tired, Ned,” said Jack quickly.

”Am I, sir? Well, I dunno--p'r'aps you're right. I s'pose I am a bit f.a.gged. Legs don't seem to go quite so well as they used. If you wouldn't mind, I think I should like just ten minutes' rest to freshen me up a bit.”

”Sit down then.”