Laughing Jackass,

Laughing Jackass, or GREAT KINGFISHER (Dacelo gigas), a bird belonging to the Alcedinidæ (see KINGFISHER), but in some respects an aberrant form. It has the general build of a kingfisher, but is not a fisher. It feeds upon insects, reptiles, and even small mammals. The peculiar hoot which it utters has, of course, given to it its name. It lays its pearl-white eggs in a hole in a gum-tree. There is another closely allied species (D. teachii), of identical habits; both birds inhabit Australia.