“The gods at length taking compassion
The pair are transformed into birds; tried by one destiny
Their love remained firm; nor is the conjugal bond
Loosened although they are birds; parents they become,
And through a seven days’ quietness in midwinter
In nests upborne by the sea the King-fishers breed.
Safe then is the sea-road; the winds Æolus guards,
Debarring from egress; and ocean’s plain favours his children.”
According to Aristotle’s description (Hist. Anim. ix. 14),—
“The nest of the Alcyon is globular, with a very narrow entrance, so that if it should be upset the water would not enter. A blow from iron has no effect upon it, but the human hand soon crushes it and reduces it to powder. The eggs are five.”