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kaingin Philippine term for temporary agricultural plots cleared from the forest by native people. The soil of such plots is rapidly exhausted and new plots have to be cleared every few years.

kapok From the branches of the ceiba tree dangle pods filled with silky fibers called kapok. These fibers are fine, air-filled tubes, valuable for making mattresses, upholstery, lifesaving equipment, and insulation. Because kapok supports 30 times its own weight and is seven times more buoyant than cork it is often used in life preservers. Fiberglass, foam rubber, and other substitutes are replacing kapok in some uses. Highly flammable, kapok can be made reasonably fireproof by a simple chemical treatment.

The ceiba tree grows in all tropical and semitropical climates. It thrives best at altitudes of less than 1,000 feet (300 meters) and on porous volcanic soil. Almost all the kapok used in the United States is imported from Thailand. Other important producers are Indonesia, Vietnam, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Most kapok is obtained from wild trees. A mature tree yields about 7,000 pods, or 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of cleaned floss, and about 135 pounds (61 kilograms) of seeds. The seeds furnish oil for making soap. The down of milkweed can be used as a substitute for kapok

kingfisher . The kingfisher family, Alcedinidae, includes some 90 species, distributed over the greater part of the globe. They are known for their swift dives. From its perch the kingfisher can swoop like an arrow to seize a fish underwater or an insect on land. An ancient name for the kingfisher was halcyon.

krill Small crustaceans which occur in huge numbers in polar seas, particularly off of Antarctica. They comprise the main prey of baleen whales. The term can be used generally to apply to all such food organisms, but it is frequently used to refer specifically to shrimp-like animals of the group Euphausiacae, especially the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. This species is the most important food source for southern whales and other animals. It is about 2.5 cm (1") long, and has been observed in swarms as large as an estimated 2.5 million metric tons (2.8 million tons) (Bonner 1989).

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