(4) A fish of the genus Menticirrhus, of the family Scianidæ ('croakers'), specifically the 'hake,' 'sea-mink,' or 'Northern whiting' (Menticirrhus saxatilis), one of the most highly esteemed food-fishes in the Northern markets. It is especially numerous and well known in the neighbor

NEW YORK KINGFISH (Menticirrhus Americanus).

hood of New York, where it appears early in the spring, along with the squeteague, and is likely to keep in company with it, for both seem fond of running up rivers to a point where the water is decidedly freshened between tides. Thus they ascend the Hudson as far, at least, as Ossining. They are apt to run in schools, and they seem to prefer a hard, sandy bottom, the edge of channels, and the neighborhood of sand-bars. They gather about oyster-beds, and may be seen fighting for the worms and crustaceans dislodged in taking up the oysters. The kingfish takes a bait of pieces of clam or soft fish readily, and affords excellent sport. The numbers seen and taken vary greatly, however, from year to year. A closely related species, the whiting (Menticirrhus alburnus), is the one more usually called 'king fish' in the Carolinas and southward. See WHITING.

KING FISHER. A city and the county-seat of Kingfisher County, Okla., 34 miles west of Guthrie; on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Map: Oklahoma, E 3). It has considerable trade as a distributing and export centre for a productive farming and stock-raising district. Population, in 1890, 1134; in 1900,

2301.

KINGFISHER. A widely used name for the non-passerine birds of the family Alcedinidæ, characterized by the curious syndactyl feet, the outer and middle toes being coherent for half their length. In addition to this peculiarity, the kingfishers have large, straight bills, with deep gape; the tongue is very small or rudimentary; the nostrils are basal; the tarsi are very short and the tibia are naked below. The family is very well defined and is related to the hornbills (Bucerotida). In their manners and breeding habits, there is a remarkable uniformity among the kingfishers. All are rather solitary birds. They sit motionless while watching for prey, and seize it, when discovered, by a quick, vigorous rush, and then return to their post to swallow it at leisure. All breed in holes and lay smooth, white, more or less spherical eggs. The family includes something like 150 species, the geographical distribution of which is unusually peculiar and interesting. Only six, or perhaps eight, species occur in all of America, and these all belong to a single genus (Ceryle), which also occurs in the warmer parts of the Old World. The Papuan region is the centre of abundance for the family, having thirteen genera, of which eight

are endemic. From that centre, the family fades away in all directions, Australia having four genera, the Oriental region six, and the Ethiopian region six. The kingfishers fall very naturally into two subfamilies, though the differences between them are more in habits than in structure; the Daceloninæ are insectivorous and reptileeating birds with a depressed bill, and the Alcedininæ are the true kingfishers, living very largely on fish and having a compressed bill.

DACELONINE. The Daceloninæ are all OldWorld birds, often found far from water, to which they seldom resort; they breed in holes in trees and pick their insect and reptile food from the ground by darting down on it from above. About 80 species are known, the most interesting of which belong to the genera Dacelo, Halcyon, Tanysiptera, and Ceyx. The first of these includes the famous laughing-jackass (q.v.) of Australia, renowned not only for its discordant, laughing cry, but for being a kingfisher which never fishes nor goes near the water. For this latter reason, all the Dacelonina are sometimes called (at least in books) 'kinghunters,' in distinction from true 'kingfishers.' The genus Halcyon, or Alcyone, is specially characteristic of the Ethiopian region, and the subfamily is sometimes called Halcyoninæ from them. They are called 'wood kingfishers,' and feed chiefly on insects, but eat lizards, and when hard pressed will resort to streams and catch fish. The inner front toe is short and rudimentary. The kingfishers of the genus Tanysiptera are peculiar to New Guinea and neighboring islands and are remarkable for having only ten rectrices, instead of twelve, the middle pair of which are lengthened and deprived of barbs for a part of their length, so that they are racquet-shaped, like those of some motmots. The genus Ceyx is notable for the absence of the second toe, so that the feet are only three-toed; they are small kingfishers of the Indian region.

ALCEDININE. In the 'true' kingfishers, of the subfamily Alcedininæ, we have to deal with birds of moderate or small size and great beauty of plumage. They feed primarily on fish and are therefore found about ponds, lakes, or rivers, or by the borders of the sea. They breed in holes in banks, which they themselves dig, sometimes to a depth of six or eight feet; it is slow work and occupies a pair of birds a week or more. The common European kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) and the belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) of America are familiar and typical examples of this group. The former is an exquisite little bird, not much larger than a big sparrow, with the upper parts of the head, the scapulars, and the wing-coverts dark green, the last two with light greenish-blue spots and markings; the middle of the back is bright beryl blue and the short tail is azure blue; the throat is white and the rest of the under parts are deep cinnamon. It is a widely distributed bird in Europe, and prefers the smaller streams and little ponds in parks, and besides fish, eats insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. It is probable that this bird is the halcyon of the ancients, about which many wonderful fables were current as to its power to quell storms, its floating nest, and the stillness of the winds during its breeding season, which was thought to be in winter.

Our American 'belted' kingfisher is a much

larger bird than the European species. It is as much as 13 inches in length, but its colors are not nearly so brilliant, although they are handsome. The upper parts are bluish-gray, more or less spotted, and marked with white, especially on the wings and tail; the under parts are white, with a band across the breast and the sides bluish-gray; in young birds the pectoral band and sides are tinged with rufous, while in the female they are distinctly rufous. The belted kingfisher is found breeding throughout North America. Its cry is similar to a watchman's rattle, or to the fisherman's click-reel, as John Burroughs happily observes. The only other kingfisher occurring in North America is the Texan green kingfisher (Ceryle Cabanasi), which is only about eight inches long, and is glossygreen above and white beneath, the lower parts spotted with green. It is found in the valleys of the Lower Rio Grande and Colorado, where it is said to be common.

Consult: Newton, Dictionary of Birds (London and New York, 1893-96), and standard authorities on European and American ornithology. See Plate of KINGFISHERS, MOTMOTS, ETC.

KING GEORGE'S WAR. The name commonly given to that part of the struggle known in European history as the War of the Austrian Succession which was fought in America. In Europe hostilities began with the invasion in 1740 of the Austrian Province of Silesia by Frederick II. of Prussia. France, Bavaria, Spain, and Saxony soon joined in a league against Austria; while hostility to France, and the anxiety of George II. for the safety of his Electorate of Hanover, early drew England into the struggle on the side of Austria. (See SUCCESSION WARS.) In America the war was begun by the capture in May, 1744, of Canso, in Nova Scotia, by a French expedition from Louisburg. Fearing that the French would follow up this success by an attempt to conquer all of Nova Scotia, Governor Shirley of Massachusetts advised that an attack should be made against Louisburg. The Massachusetts General Court agreed to the plan, and appealed to the other colonies for assistance. In response Pennsylvania sent provisions, and New York some artillery, but the men were furnished by the New England colonies alone. William Pepperell, a merchant of Maine, was placed in command; and on the last day of April, 1745, the expedition, consisting of about 100 colonial vessels, 4000 colonial troops, and a small English squadron under Commodore Warren, appeared before Louisburg. The place was so strongly fortified that it had been regarded by the French as impregnable, and the colonial troops were so poorly equipped and had so little knowledge of the art of war that an attack upon it seemed almost hopeless, yet after a siege of seven weeks the fortress surrendered. In the three following years there were some conflicts at sea, and there was considerable border fighting, but no very important operations took place, and a much discussed plan for reducing the whole of Canada was not carried out. The struggle was brought to a close in 1748 by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which provided, so far as England and France were concerned, for a return to the status existing before the war was begun. Louisburg was given back to France in return for Madras, much to the dissatisfaction

of New England, and the boundaries between the French and English colonial possessions were left unsettled. Consult: Parkman, A Half-Century of Conflict (Boston, 1892); S. A. Drake, The Taking of Louisburg, 1745 (Boston, 1891); and S. G. Drake, Particular History of the Five Years' French and Indian War, 1744-49 (Albany, 1870).

KINGHUNTER. The great Australian kingfisher. See LAUGHING-JACKASS.

KINGLAKE, ALEXANDER WILLIAM (180991). An English historian. He was the eldest son of William Kinglake, lawyer and banker, and was born at Taunton, Somersetshire, August 5, 1809. He studied at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a friend and contemporary of Thackeray and Tennyson, and graduated M.A. in 1836. He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1832, was called to the bar in 1837, and soon acquired a large practice. About 1835 he made a tour in the Orient of some length, the result of which was a book entitled Eothen, descriptive of his adventures and impressions. It was not published until 1844, but at once attained an astonishing popularity, passing through many editions in England and America, and being extensively translated on the Continent. He joined Saint Armand's flying column in Algiers in 1845, and in 1854 followed the British expedition to the Crimea, minutely studying the campaign. In 1863 vols. i. and ii. of his magnum opus, The Invasion of the Crimea, appeared, and fully sustained his literary reputation. Volumes iii. and iv. were published in 1868, vols. v. and vi. in 1875-80. The last and eighth volume appeared in 1887. His antipathy to Napoleon III. and the actors in the coup d'état was marked. From 1857 to 1868 he sat in Parliament as member for Bridgewater, and in 1860 was a determined opponent of the annexation of Savoy and Nice. He died January 2, 1891.

KING LEAR. A famous tragedy by Shakespeare, written in 1604 or 1605, and produced before King James at Whitehall on December 26, 1606. The story on which the play is founded is told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Layamon, Robert of Gloucester, Holinshed, and others. A dramatization was made in 1593 or 1594, under the title of the Chronicle Historie of King Leir, and was reprinted in 1605, probably because of the success of Shakespeare's play. Percy's Reliques preserves the ballad of King Leir and His Three Daughters. Lear, King of Britain, desiring to be freed from the cares of ruling, divides his kingdom between his daughters Goneril and Regan, who profess great love for him, and disowns his youngest daughter Cordelia, who loves him most, but does not satisfy him in the expression of her affection. His elder daughters, having secured his possessions, appear in their true character, and by their perfidy and heartlessness drive the aged King to madness. Cordelia, married to the

King of France, comes to his rescue, but fails and is put to death, and the broken-hearted King dies by her body.

KINGLET. A very diminutive bird of the thrush family and genus Regulus, sometimes called a golden-crowned, or ruby-crowned, or firecrested warbler or wren. The color above is light olive-green; below, yellowish-gray, while the crest is orange-yellow, ruby-red, or fire-orange,

bordered with black. The female has a paler crest or none. They have a soft and pleasing song, frequent evergreens, and build beautiful cup-like nests, which hang on the twigs of trees. The eggs are numerous (5 to 10), whitish, spotted and marked with pale brown. Ten species are known, inhabitants of Northern Europe, Asia, and America. Two species are common in the United States, the golden-crested kinglet (Regulus satrapa), which is the smaller, only 4 inches long, and the ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula), which is 41⁄2 inches in length. Both are either migrants or winter visitors in most parts of the United States, but the gold-crest breeds in various mountainous regions, as far south as the Carolinas. The ruby-crown is a famous songster, and one of the most notable of our spring migrants. See Plate of WRENS, WARBLERS,

ETC.

KING LOG. In a fable of Æsop, a log sent by Jupiter in response to the petition of the frogs for a king. Their contempt for their new ruler, when they discovered his character, led them to ask for another king, whereupon Jupiter sent a stork, who began to devour his subjects. The request for a third king was refused by Jupiter, and the frogs were left to the results of their folly. As a popular term, King Log signifies a do-nothing ruler.

KING LORY.

A bird-dealer's name for an Australian parrot of the genus Aprosmictus-not a true lory (q.v.).

KINGMAKER, THE. A title frequently given to the powerful Richard Neville, Earl of War wick. See WARWICK.

KING MONKEY. A semnopithecine African monkey, or guereza, of the genus Colobus. This genus has excited much interest because of its approach in some characters to the American division of monkeys. These characters are the practical absence of the thumb and the wideness of the nostrils. They are slender monkeys, with well-marked callosities, and have a large,

complex, sacculated stomach and small cheekpouches. There are about 10 species, all of Equatorial Africa, and all have beautiful skins, much in demand, whence some species are nearly

exterminated.

KING OF BEGGARS. A title given to Bampfylde Moore Carew, a noted English vagabond of the early eighteenth century.

black specks; fins and tail red tipped with black. The genus is a large one with species scattered throughout the tropical world; all are of brilliant cardinal, scarlet or carmine hues.

KING PENGUIN. The largest of the penguins (Aptenodytes Pennanti), a native of the Falkland and other Antarctic islands. See Plate of AUKS.

KING PHILIP'S WAR. See PHILIP, KING. elegans) of the Eastern United States, often KING RAIL. One of the large rails (Rallus the larger, grayer clapper-rail or 'salt-water called 'fresh-water marsh-hen,' in distinction from marsh-hen.' It is 18 inches long, brownish black with bright chestnut below and on the wing-coverts. It has the habits of the family. See RAIL.

KINGS, BOOKS OF (Heb. mělakim, Gk. Bißlo Baoiλev, bibloi basileiōn, Lat. libri regnorum). The name given to two of the canonical books of the Old Testament. Originally they were but one, but are separated in the Septuagint, in which they are designated 'the third and fourth of the kingdoms'-the books of Samuel forming the first and second. This division was copied by the Vulgate and passed thence into the general usage of Christendom. The exact titles of these books in the English Authorized Version are, The First Book of the Kings, Commonly Called the Third Book of the Kings, and the Second Book of the Kings, Commonly Called the Fourth Book of the Kings. They embrace: (1) The reign of Solomon (I. Kings i.-xi.); (2) the history of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel to the downfall of the latter (I. Kings xii.-II. Kings xvii.); (3) the history of the Kingdom of Judah after the destruction of the northern kingdom until the Babylonian captivity (II. Kings xviii.-xxv.).

The division of Kings into two books is not warranted by the contents any more than the separation of Kings from the two preceding Books of Samuel. The four books constitute in designating them all by a single name, obeys a a continuous historical series, and the Septuagint, correct instinct as to their nature. They are also closely attached to all the preceding books, viz. Joshua, and Judges, so that it has become custhe Pentateuch (again divided into five parts), tomary among scholars to designate by the name Octateuch the eight-book group represented by the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, and Kings. As a matter of fact, this Octateuch is a single work,

KING OF THE HERRINGS. The moonfish (Lampris luna). See KINGFISH; MOONFISH. The name is also applied to various other fishes, such as the chimæra and the earfish.

KING OF THE MACKERELS. A pelagic fish (Ranzania truncata) of very brilliant colors, closely allied to and shaped like a sunfish (Mola), which is occasionally taken off the eastern coast of the United States. Jordan remarks that a similar species is regarded about the Sandwich Islands with veneration as the 'king of the tunnies and mackerels.'

KING OF THE MULLETS. A small fish of the Mediterranean (Apogon imberbis), renowned for its beauty. It is bright scarlet, with minute

of the Hebrews from the beginning of time down to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. in B.C. 586. In this Octateuch, however, which is believed by critics not to have been put together in final shape till 400 B.C., a number of separate works may be distinguished. The Pentateuch and Joshua (with perhaps the addition of Judges) constituted each a separate compilation, again based upon the combination of numerous independent productions, and the books of Samuel and Kings another, though we must be careful not to be led astray into the assumption of a single author for these two books. What we have in Samuel and Kings is a compilation, from various sources, made by a series of editors whose aim it was to carry the history of the Hebrews on from the point where it was left by the compiler of Judges. The first