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BIRDS.
THE
ILLUSTRATED
NATURAL HISTORY.
BY THE REV.
J. G. WOOD, M.A. ELS.
AUTHOR OF “ ANECDOTES OF ANIMAL LIFE,” “ COMMON OBJECTS OF THE SEA-SHORE AND COUNTRY,” ‘‘MY FEATHERED FRIENDS,” ETC. ETC.
WITH NEW DESIGNS BY WOLF, ZWECKER, WEIR, COLEMAN, WOOD, NEALE, HARVEY, ETC.
ENGRAVED BY THE BROTHERS DALZIEL.
Belek Ds.
LONDON : ROUTLEDGE, WARNE, AND ROUTLEDGE, FARRINGDON STREET. NEW YORK: 56, WALKER STREET. 1862.
> Zz - : a LONDON : PRINTED BY R. CLAY, SON, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL. : : * 7 - ij - ™ ; ‘ vee : ee Uy ¥ t : of a - 2OUM TAO Lay.) ) had ty ev) pi eh)
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PREFACE.
In this Work I have continued to carry out the same plan which has been employed in the previous volume descriptive of the Mammalia, giving to the body of the work a popular and anecdotal character, and reserving the more scientific portions for the Compendium of Generic Distinctions at the end of the volume. Much pains has been taken with that part of the work, for which I am in a great degree indebted to the invaluable “Genera of Birds” by Dr. Gray, a work which has long established itself as the standard of systematic Ornithology as at present accepted by the learned world.
The system employed,.and the names that are given in this work, are those which have been sanctioned by the usage of the national collection in the British Museum ; and any one who wishes to study the Birds in a systematic manner can accomplish his object by taking this volume to the Museum, and comparing the specimens with the history of the species in the body of the work, and the characteristic distinctions of the genera at its end. By means of this Table, also, any one can ascertain the approximate position which any bird holds in the system of the present day.
I must here take the opportunity of returning my best thanks to the numerous individuals who have most kindly given their aid to this work, many of whom are
even now personally unknown to me.
ERRATA,
10 lines from top, for “largest” read “longest.”
3 lines from bottom, for “ largest” read “longest.” 10 lines from bottom, for “Flesh-bearded ” read “ Flesh-beaked.”
For “ Macrodiptex” read “ Macrodipteryx.”
After “ Barprrs” add “ or Purr-Brrps.”
6 lines from top, read “The eggs are four in number, and the young birds resemble,” &c.
16 lines from bottom, for “ looped” read “lodged.” 15 lines from bottom, for “ conical” read “ suitable.”
26 lines from top, for “ three branches” read “ thorn branches.”
Transfer title “Scansorgs,” &c. together with first paragraph, to page 507, line 23 from top.
25 lines from bottom, for “obtained” read “attained.’”’ 14 lines from bottom, for “ covering” read “ wing.”
Transpose titles of birds thus, “ Brrrnrn, Eeret, Hpron.”
Transpose titles of Sandpipers ¢hus, “ComMON SANDPIPER, GREEN SANDPIPER.”
Transpose titles of Snipes thus, “ JacK-SNrpE, ComMMON SNIPE.”
11 lines from bottom, for “ entire” read “ cubic.”
all i ee i i
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O84 EE
GROUP OF VULTURES.
BIRDS.
THE most conspicuous external characteristic by which the Brrps are distinguished from all other inhabitants of earth, is the feathery robe which invests their bodies, and which serves the double purpose of clothing and progression. For the first of these two objects it is admirably adapted, as the long, slender filaments of the feathers are not only in
2. B
2 STRUCTURE OF THE EGG.
themselves indifferent conductors of heat, but entangle among their multitudinous fibres a considerable amount of air, which resists the ingress or the egress of external or internal heat, and thus preserves the bird in a moderate temperature through the icy blasts of winter or the burning rays of the summer sun. A similar function is discharged by the furry coats of many mammalia; but the feathers serve another office, which is not possessed by hair or fur. They aid the creature in progression, and enable it to raise and to sustain itself in the atmosphere. Towards the promotion of this latter function the entire structure of the body and limbs is obviously subservient, and even in the comparatively rare instances where the bird—such as the penguin, ostrich, or the kiwi-kiwi—is destitute of flying powers, the general idea of a flying creature is still preserved. ie,
The fuller and more technical description of the Birds runs as follows. They are vertebrate animals, but do not suckle their young, nourishing them in most instances with food which has been partially macerated in their own digestive organs, and which they are able to disgorge at will, after a manner somewhat similar to that of the ruminating quadrupeds. The young are not produced in an actively animated state, but inclosed in the egg, from which they do not emerge until they have been warmed into independent life by the effects of constant warmth. Generally, the eggs are hatched by means of the natural warmth which proceeds from the mother bird ; but in some instances, such as that of the tallegalla of Australia, the eggs are placed in a vast heap of dead leaves and grass, and developed by means of the heat which is exhaled from decaying vegetable substances, and which is generated to such an extent that in some cases, such as a wet haystack, it actually sets the seething mass on fire. Urged by alike instinct, our common English snake deposits its eggs in secret spots, such as dunghills and hotbeds, and there leaves them to be hatched by the constantly generated warmth. An analogous process has long been in vogue among the Egyptians for the hatching of young poultry by artificial heat, and has been, in comparatively recent years, introduced into this country.
When the egg is first produced, the future chicken is merely indicated by a little germ-spot, barely the size of a single oat-grain, and does not attain the power of breathing atmospheric air, and receiving nourishment into its mouth, until a period of many days has elapsed. To watch the gradual development of the young chick is a most interesting experiment, and one which is full of suggestive instruction. There is but little difficulty in the matter, even in the very earliest stages of incubation, for the structure of the egg is so wonderfully balanced, that in order to view the little germ-spot it is only necessary to lay the egg on its side and remove a portion of the shell, when the germ will be seen lying immediately under the aperture. In whatever way an egg may be turned, the germ-spot invariably presents itself at the highest point, provided only that the ege be laid on its side, and that the living principle has not been extinguished, for life, however undeveloped, seems always to aspire. As the chick increases in size, the manipulation becomes easier, but it 1s always better to immerse the egg in water or other transparent liquid before removing the shell, and to keep it submerged during examination.
There are few objects which will better repay investigation than the young bird in its various stages of development. It is so wonderful to see the manner in which a living creature is gradually evolved from the apparently lifeless substances that are contained within an egg. The being seems to grow under our very gaze, and we arise from the wondrous spectacle with an involuntary feeling that we have been present at a veritable act of creation. To describe fully the beautiful process in which a chick is elaborated out of the germ-spot would occupy very many pages, and cannot be attempted within the compass of the present work. Briefly, however, the order of events is as follows.
When a newly laid egg is opened, it is found to contain a mass of substance which is popularly divided simply into “white” and “yolk,” but when examined more closely, by placing it under water and carefully removing the shell, its contents are found to be very elaborately disposed, so as to meet the object for which it was formed. Immediately within the shell les a semi-transparent and tolerably strong membrane, composed of two
DSI
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK. 3
distinct layers, pressed closely to each other for the greater portion of its extent, but separated at the widest end of the egg, and containing between the layers a supply of - atmospheric air to satisfy the requirements of the young chick. This space gradually increases as the young bird becomes more developed. Within this membrane lies the “white,” a liquid, albuminous substance, which is also disposed in two distinct layers, that which is nearest to the shell being rather thin and fluid, while the inner layer is comparatively thick, tenacious, and very transparent. Within the white lies the yolk, surrounded by a slight membrane, which serves to guard it from mixing with the white. Tn order to prevent the yolk from shifting its place at every change of position in the ege, it is anchored, so to speak, in its proper place by two curious ligaments fastened to the yolk membrane. Upon the yolk, and immediately under the membrane, lies the little germ which in the space of three weeks will be developed into a bird.
After a few hours of warmth, the first idea of the chick is seen in a little whitish streak, barely one-tenth of an inch long, rather wider at one end, and always lying across the egg. By degrees, this streak enlarges, and forms a groove between two little ridges, and in a few hours later, a delicate thread is seen lying in the groove, being the first indication of the spinal cord. Presently a number of the tiniest imaginable square white plates make their appearance on each side of the thread, and are the commencement of the vertebra. It is most curious to see these gradual changes, for the different parts come into view as though they were crystallized from the substance of the egg. By the end of the first day the germ takes a curve, and looks something like a little maggot as it lies in the yolk. The little heart is just perceptible on the second day, and on the third a series of blood-vessels have been formed, and are supplied with blood by a very curious system of arteries and veins. By similar processes the various organs of the body are built up, the feathers beginning to make their appearance about the twelfth day, and on the nineteenth or twentieth day the chick pierces with its beak the air-sac which lies at the blunt end of the egg, and by means of the air which it thus obtains is often able to chirp before it chips the shell.
During this period of its existence the young bird is nourished by the yolk, which is connected with its abdomen, and which is not separated from the body until the chick has broken the shell, and is able to respire freely. When leaving the egg-shell, the chicken pecks in a circle, which nearly corresponds with the shape of the air vesicle, so that when it emerges it walks out of a circular trap-door which it has cut for itself, and which often remains suspended by a hinge formed from an uncut portion of the lining membrane. It is possible that the shell may be softened in this spot by the presence of internal air, and may therefore afford an easier passage to the inclosed chick. In order to enable the tender-billed little creature to penetrate so hard a substance as the egg-shell, the tip of its beak is furnished with a strong horny excrescence, which falls off shortly after the chicken has emerged from the egg, thus carrying out the principle that nature abhors a superfluity.
Having watched the little bird through its life-development, we wili now proceed to a short examination of the bird-skeleton, and will take for an example that of the eagle. Even in the mammalia the skeleton presents an appearance very different from that of the living creature, and in many instances the external structure and its bony framework are so unlike each other that an inexperienced observer would probably refer them to different animals. But in the birds the contrast is still more strongly marked, for the skeleton is not only deprived of its fleshy covering, but also of the feathery coat which surrounds the bird so thickly, and which in many cases, such as the owl, entirely masks the general outline of the bird. Taking the skeleton of the eagle as a good example of the bony scaffolding which supports the vital and locomotive organs of birds, we will begin with the head and proceed gradually to the tail.
The chief and most obvious distinctive feature in the skull of a bird and of a mammal lies in the jaw-bones, which in the bird are entirely toothless, and are covered at their extremities with a peculiar horny incrustment, termed the beak or bill. This bill is of very different shape in the various tribes of birds; being in some cases strong, sharp, and curved, as in the birds of prey ; in others long, slender, and delicate, as in the creepers
B2
4 SKELETON OF THE BIRD.
and humming-birds ; and in others flat, spoon-like, soft, and sensitive, as in the ducks The movement of a bird’s jaw is not precisely similar to that of a mammal, owing to the manner in which a certain little bone, termed from its squared shape the quadrate bone, is articulated to the bones of the skull. On reference to the accompanying illustration, this bone will be seen just at the junction of the lower jaw with the skull.
Passing from the head to the neck, we find a marked distinction from the mammals. In them, the vertebrae of the neck are never more than seven in number; the long neck of the giraffe and the short one of the elephant being obtained by the prolongation of the seven vertebra in the former and their compression in the latter. In the birds, however, there are never less than nine vertebrae in the neck, and in some cases the number is considerably greater ; the swan, for example, possessing no less than twenty-three of these bones. The neck is also much longer in the birds, bemg in many instances longer than the remainder of the body. The vertebrae of the neck are extremely flexible, as is needful for the peculiar habits of birds; but those of the back are immovably connected with each other, and in many cases are even fused together. The seven or eight short vertebrae which form the tail ~ are movable, and are generally terminated by a single bone of greater length than any of the others.
We now proceed to the breast and body. The ribs are chiefly remarkable for a flat appendage, which starts from the lower portion of the bone, and is directed backwards, so that it overlaps each succeeding rib. The breast bone is placed lower than might be supposed from the external aspect of a bird, and is of very great size. Its substance is much flattened, and it possesses a strong ridge or keel of bone, which varies in its depth according to the powers of flight possessed by the particular species to which it belongs. As the eagle is a strong-winged bird, the keel is very prominent, but in such non-flying birds as the ostrich and
SKELETON OF EAGLE. the apteryx, there is no keel at all. Between the breast bone and the neck lie four clavicles, or collar bones, differmg much in size and shape in
the various species of birds. One set of them, technically called the os furculare, from its forked shape, is sometimes absent, its place being supplied by a ligament; but the others, termed the clavicule coracoide, are invariably present. These two sets of bones are familiar to all who have carved a fowl, under the terms of “merry-thought” and “neck bones.”
The limbs now come before our notice, and we cannot but be struck with the curious fact, that in the birds the bipedal mode of walking again makes its appearance, having disappeared through all the mammalia, with the exception of man. There is, however, this analogy between the lower mammals and the birds, namely, that in both instances the anterior limbs are intended for progression, although in the one case these formations belong to earth, and in the other to the air. The bones of the wing present a considerable resemblance to those of a man’s arm, as may be seen by comparing the skeleton of the eagle with that of the man in VolumeI. The upper arm bone is of various lengths in the different birds, being of wonderful proportions in such long-winged birds as the albatross, but very short in the penguins, the cassowary, and many other birds. The two bones of the fore-arm, technically called the ulna and radius, are also long in the long-winged birds, and serve to carry a large expanse of feathers. Of these two, the ulna is the larger and more cylindrical. To the end of the ulna and radius are jointed the two little bones of the wrist, which bear a quasi hand, composed of a thumb and two fingers. The thumb 1s very small, consisting of either one or two bones; and the fingers, which are only
FEATHERS AND THEIR ARRANGEMENT. 5
needed for the purpose of bearing feathers, are also small. One of them is composed. of either two or three joints, but the other is a very little one, being but one single pointed bone.
The bones of the legs are very similar in their arrangement to those of the mammalian quadrupeds, although they are subject to certain modifications, especially at their extremities. The thigh-bone is tolerably strong and cylindrical, but of no very great length, in proportion to the size of the bird or the length of its limbs. Even in the curious stilt-plover, where the legs are of such extraordinary length, the thigh bone is comparatively short, and not visible outside the feathers. The leg bone, or “tibia,” is always the largest bone of the limb, and is accompanied by a very small and undeveloped “fibula,” which is only attached to its upper extremity, and tapers gradually to a point. The “instep,” as we should term it in a human foot, is merely a single bone, jointed at its upper extremity to the tibia, and its lower to the bones of the toes. In general, birds are furnished with four toes on each foot, but there are several exceptions to this rule, among which the ostrich is the most conspicuous.
Not only do the bones of a bird differ in external form from those of a mammal, but they are also considerably modified in their structure. In the mammals the bones are heavy, solid, and their centre is filled with marrow; but in the birds the bones are of a much lighter make, and many, such as the upper wing bone, the breast bone, and part of the skull, are, moreover, hollow throughout their centres, so as to combine great strength with the least possible weight. These hollow bones communicate with the legs through certain curious appendages called air-sacs, which open into the lungs, and apparently serve as reservoirs of respirable atmosphere, so that the bird is able to force the hot and rarefied air from its lungs into its bones. In some very rare instances even the bones of the feet and toes are hollow, and penetrable with air as far as the insertion of the claws. Some birds, however, especially those of small dimensions, do not possess these hollow bones, and in all cases the cavity is not developed until the creature has attained to maturity. In the apteryx, a non-flying bird, the only hollow bone is that of the lower jaw. So complete is the communication with the lungs through the bones of some birds, that if the bone should be broken they are enabled to breathe through the open extremity, even though the throat be compressed, or the head plunged under water.
Tas slight sketch of the skeleton is necessary as a prelude to the description of the FEATHERS, because several of the most important of these appendages derive their names from the portion of the structure on which they are set.
On a general view of a bird it will be seen that the feathers fall naturally into two orders, namely, those of progression and those of covering. But as in the description of a bird, especially of one that is unknown to science, and of which no figure is extant, it 1s needful to describe the form and colour of the different portions of the creature with great accuracy, this sweeping division of the feathers into two sets will be quite insufficient for the purpose. On a closer examination, however, it will be seen that the feathers possess a kind of natural arrangement, which, with a few unimportant and obvious additions, is amply sufficient for actual scientific purposes. The best mode of learning the name of the different parts of the plumage is to procure any bird, say a sparrow or pigeon, which may easily be obtained, and to investigate the formation and arrangement of the feathers from actual inspection. It is an interesting little study, and will save much time, as a lesson once so learned will never again be forgotten. We will suppose a dead sparrow to be laid on the table.
Let one of its wings be spread upon the table, and its plumage will be seen to consist of a row of long, flat, and stiff quill feathers, whose insertion is covered by a great number of smaller and softer feathers. The quill feathers are technically termed “ principals,” - and the others are called from their office, “coverts.” Before examining the principals, it needs that the coverts be first attacked, because they must be removed before the quill feathers can be properly traced to their sources. Along the upper surface of the wing run two or three rows of these short feathers, which are termed the “greater coverts,” and below these a single row of “lesser coverts,” the latter of which may be distinguished
6 NAMES OF THE FEATHERS.
by their slightly different shape and manner of lying. The under surface of the wing is clothed with a dense layer of small feathers termed the “under coverts.” we
Now let all the upper coverts be removed, and the quill feathers will be visible from their insertion to their extremity. On spreading out the wing it will be seen that ten of these feathers spring from that portion of the wing bone which corresponds to the hand and fingers of man. As these feathers come first in point of order, beginning at the extremity of the wing, they are termed the “primaries,” and indicate, by their shape and development, the mode of flight followed by the bird. If, for instance, they are comparatively short, rounded, and concave, as is the case with our example, the sparrow, the flight is slow and laborious, accompanied with much beating of the wing and dipping in the air between each stroke. If they are long, firm, and flat, as seen in the eagles, vultures, and other similar birds, the flight is easy and graceful, though capable of exceeding swiftness when needful. If they are large, concave, and edged with soft fringes, the flight is quiet and noiseless, as is seen in the owls. Some birds, such as the ostrich, the cassowary, and other running birds, possess short and pointed primaries, which can hardly be recognised as belonging to so large a bird, and the flight is in consequence reduced to zero.
Next to the primaries come a second set of quills, called for that reason “ secondaries.” They are often undistinguishable externally from the primaries, into which they imper- ceptibly merge, but may be at once detected by following them to their roots, which are inserted upon that part of the wing which corresponds to the wrist and elbow of man. They are very variable in number, shape, and size; and although they are in some birds hardly distinguishable from the primaries, are in others very prominent and conspicuous.
Next to the secondaries come the “tertiaries,” which take their root in that part of the wing which corresponds to the elbow and shoulder. In some birds, such as the plovers, the tertiaries are extremely long, giving a very peculiar character to the wing. In the crane they are developed into long, drooping plumes; but in most birds they are very much shorter than the primaries, and are merged into the little feathers that cover the upper surface of the wing. Upon the thumb is a little fan-like wing, quite distinct from the remainder of the feathers, and distinguished by the name of “ winglet.”
A second set of quill feathers is to be found upon the tail, where they assume different shapes and dimensions according to the species of bird, its sex, age, and the nature of its flight. As these feathers perform the office of a rudder in directing the flight of the bird as it passes through the atmosphere, they are technically termed “ rectrices,” or directors. The insertion of these quill feathers is concealed above and below by certain little feathers, named from their position the upper and under tail coverts. Generally, these feathers are of very small dimensions, but in some examples they attain to considerable length, and are very imposing in their appearance. The magnificent “train” of the peacock is composed, not of the tail quill feathers, which are short, stiff, and used chiefly for the proper displayal of the train, but of the greatly developed upper tail coverts; and from the under tail coverts of the marabout stork are taken those beautiful plumy ornaments that are so well known as articles of feminine decoration.
Lastly, there are some feathers on either side of the head, which shield the orifice of the ear from injury, and are therefore named the ear coverts; and the patch of feathers upon the shoulders is appropriately known by the name of “scapularies.” In the accompanying sketch of the swallow-tailed falcon, the position of the principal groups of feathers is indicated. A denotes the primaries, or first quill-feathers of the wing; B, the tertiaries ; C, D, E, the lesser and greater coverts; F, the scapularies ; G, the rectaries ; Jab, the upper tail coverts ; I, the ear coverts,
This array of plumage is not obtained until the bird has attained to some amount of ilevelopment, and the shape and colour of the feathers are so distinct from each other at the different epochs of a bird’s life, that in many instances an adult, a half-grown, and a Juvenile specimen have been taken for individuals of different species, and noted as such in systematic catalogues.
When the young bird is first hatched its feathers are hardly worthy of the name, being mostly restricted to a kind of soft down. In the course of a week or two the quill feathers ~
tEPRODUCTION AND PLUMAGE. 4
begin to make their appearance, like little yellow or black spikes projecting from the wings, but it is not until after the lapse of some time that they attain sufficient streneth to sustain the bird in the air. In a few months after the young bird has gained its first plumage, it loses the feathers with which it has only just peen clothed cand by goin through the process technically termed “ moulting,” indues an entirely new eae which is often very different from the former in its traits and general aspect In ae cases the bird spends three years of life before it is clothed with the full clory of its ult garments, and during the first and second years the two sexes are so similar as ment to be distinguished from each other without dissection. The moult takes place Sea even in adult birds, and is highly needful as a means of giving them a new set of aa to replace those which have been worn out by the service of a whole year’s wear. :
A similar phenomenon is observable in the fur-clad mammalia, who shed the worn and ragged hairs in the autumn, and obtain a new and warm coat in readiness for the colder months. Even in the human race the same principle is observed; but the change
SWALLOW-TAILED FALCON.—(Showing the Feathers.)
of hair is in them so gradual that it is scarcely perceptible, except to those who watch its progress. Indeed, a partial moult can be induced at any time upon a bird, and employed to restore a broken or damaged feather, irrespective of the time of year. If the injured feather be drawn from its socket—an operation which is always attended with some pain and loss of blood—it will soon be replaced by another and a perfect feather, springing from the same socket.
The rapidity of the process is really astonishing, and presents a curious analogy with the phenomenon of the rapid formation of the stag’s horns. A remarkable instance occurred lately within my own observation, in the person of a long-tailed Australian parrakeet. The bird contrived to get out of its cage, and in flying along a large room was chased by a man, who made a successful grasp at its tail, but failed in securing the bird, which flew screaming away, leaving its beautiful long tail in the hands of its would-be captor. At last the bird was replaced safely in its cage, but presented a very forlorn aspect in consequence of the loss of its tail. A very few days, however, showed the tips of some new feathers, that had already grown long enough to pass beyond the tail coverts, and in a month or so the long tail was even mere beautiful than ever.
8 STRUCTURE OF THE WING.
There seems, indeed, to be a very marked analogy between the feathers of birds and the tusks or horns of many mammals. Both depend greatly on the sex and age of the animal to which they belong, and their shape and dimensions are unfailing indications of the vigour or feebleness of their owners. cs
The expanse of the outstretched wings of every flying bird is so very great in comparison with the size of the body, that there is need of very great muscular development in order to give the powerful strokes by which the body of a bird is urged through the atmosphere. It is for this purpose that the breast bone is furnished with the deep keel which has already been mentioned, for its projecting edge and sides afford attachment to muscles of enormous size, which are devoted to the purpose of drawing the wing forcibly downwards. Although in the gallinaceous birds, of which the common barn-door fowl is a familiar example, the pectoral muscle, as it is called, is not so largely developed as in many of the swift-winged birds, it attains to considerable dimensions, as may be seen by every one in carving a common fowl, whether it be boiled or roasted. This muscle forms the solid and delicately flavoured meat which is attached to the wing when removed, and also constitutes the greater part of the “ breast.”
Strength, however, is not the only requisite in a bird’s wing. It is evident that if the stroke were only made upwards and downwards, the bird would never rise in the air, much less make any progress forwards. On gently moving the wing of a dead bird, we shall see how beautifully its opening and closing is managed, so that on the stroke the feathers beat the air with their flat sides, but present their sharp edges as they return for another stroke. This movement is copied by the oarsman as he throws back the blade of his oar for another stroke, and is called “feathering” on account of the source from which it is derived. The means by which this object is attained is through a most perfect and beautiful arrangement of the wing muscles, which are so fashioned as to give the wing a slight and involuntary turn just as it is thrown backwards after making its stroke.
The reader who desires to understand this curious structure, cannot do better than to denude the wing of some bird of its feathers, to remove the skin, and lay bare the muscles. If he then moves the wing as if in flight, he will see, by the play of the different muscles, the part which they take in the general movement, and the wonderful harmony in which every individual muscle works with its fellows. Next let him pass a smooth but blunt edge, such as a small paper-knife, or the flat handle of a scalpel, between the different muscles and separate them throughout their entire length. By pulling each muscle in turn with a pair of forceps, he will see its object, and will be able to form a very good idea of the manner in which all the muscles act while working simultaneously in moving the wing.
In the generality of birds, the senses of touch and taste seem to be but little developed, while those of sight, hearing, and smell are decidedly acute.
The sense of touch can be but very slight in a creature that is covered with feathers over the whole of its body ; whose limbs are either plume-clad or tipped with horn, and whose mouth is defended by a hard, horny beak. There are exceptions in the case of the ducks, and many similar birds, whose beaks are soft and evidently possessed of delicate tactile powers, but in the generality of birds this sense is decidedly dull. Taste, again, can have but little development, as the tongues of most birds are devoid of the soft and sensitive surface which is found in the tongue of man and the mammals in general. At the base of the tongue the nerve-bearing papille are found in some genera of birds, but ever in them these organs of taste occupy but a small portion of the tongue, and can give but little indication of savour. In many birds, indeed, such as the woodpecker and the humming-bird, the tongue is employed in a manner analogous to the same organ in the ant-eaters, being used to procure food and to draw it into the mouth. This structure will be described more at length when we come to treat of the birds where it is especially developed.
The sight of birds is almost invariably remarkable for its development and its adaptation for near or distant objects. The swallow, for example, when darting through the air with that swiftness which has become proverbial, is capable of accommodating its sight to the
EYE OF BIRDS. 9
insect which it pursues even in the short space of time which is occupied by its swoop at its victim. The same phenomenon may be noticed in the falcon, which is able to perceive a little bird or animal on the ground, and though sweeping downwards with such wonderful rapidity that it looks merely like a dark streak in the air, is able to calculate its distance so exactly, that it just avoids dashing itself to pieces on the ground, and snatches up its prey with the same lightning speed which characterises its descent.
It is very probable that a curious structure, named from its shape the “pecten,” or comb, which is found in the interior of the bird’s eye, may contribute to this peculiarity of vision. This comb is of a fan-like shape, and is situate upon the spot where the optic nerve enters the eye, projecting obliquely upwards, and evidently playing some very conspicuous part in the economy of the eye. The teeth, or folds of which this fan or comb is composed, are black in colour and very variable in number, being only six or seven in the owls, and twenty or thirty in the sparrow. There is a plentiful supply of blood-vessels in the comb, but no muscular tissues, and it 1s supposed by several anato- mists that its expansion or contraction, caused by the greater or less amount of blood which fills the vessels, may have some effect in the peculiarly delicate adjustment of the eye which has already been mentioned.
From the contact of external substances, as well as for the purpose of excluding unnecessary light, the eye of the bird is furnished with two ordinary eyelids, and a third, or supplementary eyelid, which plays within the others, and is technically called the nictitating membrane. This membrane is elastic, and by its own contractility is kept within the angle of the eye as long as its services are not needed. When, however, the bird wishes to cleanse its eyes from dust or other annoyances, it draws the membrane rapidly over the eye, letting it return to its place by its own powers of contraction. The eye of the bird is further remarkable for a series of bony plates which surround the eye, and are supposed to have a great influence in increasing or lessening the convexity of the eyeball. The number of these plates is nearly as various as the teeth of the comb, but upon an average their number is thirteen or fourteen. There are many other curious and interesting details in the anatomy and general structure of the birds, but as this publication is not intended as a work on comparative anatomy, we must proceed to the histories of the birds themselves.
LAMMERGEYER.—Gypdétos barbatus,
BIRDS OF PREY. VULTURES.
In the arrangement of the various species of living creatures which possess a visible organization, the greater or less perfection of the structure has formed the basis of systematic classification. In a certain sense, however, the development of all animals is equally perfect, inasmuch as it is most perfectly adapted to the necessities of the parti- cular species or individual ; so that the term perfection is necessarily rather a conventional one, and the systems of zoological arrangement are as various as their authors. By common consent, however, the VuLTURES take the first rank among birds, and in the catalogue of the British Museum, the LAMMERGEYER, or BEARDED VULTURE, stands first upon the list.
This magnificent bird is a native of Southern Europe and Western Asia, and often attains a very great size, the expanse of its wings being sometimes as much as ten feet, and its length nearly four feet.
Before describing this species it may be as well to give a few of the distinguishing points by which the Vultures may be separated from the eagles, hawks, and other
HABITS OF THE LAMMERGEYER. 11
diurnal birds of prey. All the birds of prey, called scientifically Raptatores, or Accipitres, are readily known by their compressed and hooked beaks, the powerful talons which arm their toes, and the twelve or fourteen quill feathers of the tail. The Vultures are distinguished by the shape of the beak, which is of moderate size, nearly straight above, curved suddenly and rounded at the tip, and without any “teeth” in the upper mandible. The middle toe of the foot is larger than the others, and the outer toes are connected with them at their base by a small membrane. In the greater number of species the head and upper part of the neck are nearly naked, and the eyes are unshaded by the feathery ridge which overhangs these organs in the eagles. As a general rule, the Vultures feed on dead carrion, and are therefore most beneficial to the countries which they inhabit. When pressed by hunger, however, they will make inroads upon the flocks and herds, and will not disdain to satisfy their wants with rats, mice, small birds, or insects.
The name of Bearded Vulture has been given to the Lammergeyer on account of the tufts of long and stiff bristle-hke hairs which take their rise at the nostrils and beneath the bill, and form a very prominent characteristic of the species. The “cere,” a soft naked skin which is placed on the base of the beak, is not very large, and the upper mandible is rather higher in front of the cere. The feet are not so large as in many of the birds of prey, and are not very well adapted for seizing or retaining prey. As, however, the Lammergeyer is not a bird of chase, like the eagle and falcon, but obtains its food by striking chamois, goats, and other animals over the precipices near which they are standing, the powerful claws of the eagle would be of little service to it. The claws are therefore comparatively feeble, short, and are covered with feathers down to the toes.
The colour of the Lammergeyer is a grey-brown, curiously dashed with white upon the upper surface, in consequence of a white streak which runs along the centre of each feather. The under surface of the body, together with the neck, are nearly white, tinged with a wash of reddish-brown, which is variable in depth in different individuals. In the earlier stages of its existence, the Lammergeyer is of a much darker hue, and the white dashes upon the back are not so purely white nor so clearly defined. The head and neck are dark brown, and the brown hue of the back is of so deep a tint that the young bird has been classed as a separate species, under the title of Vultur niger, or Black Vulture.
Like the true Vultures, the Lammergeyer is invaluable as a scavenger, and if an animal be killed and left exposed to view, the bird is sure to find out the spot in a very short time, and to make its appearance as if called by some magic spell from the empty air. But as there is not a sufficiency of dead animals for the food of this hungry and powerful bird, it makes prey of lambs, kids, hares, and such like animals, nor disdains to feed even on rats, mice, and other small quadrupeds. With the larger animals, such as the chamois, the Lammergeyer cannot successfully cope on level ground, but taking advantage of its wings, it hurls itself suddenly against some devoted animal which is standing heedlessly near a precipice, and by the force of its blow strikes the poor creature into the depths below, whither it is immediately followed by its destroyer. Even mankind is said to be endangered by these sudden attacks of a hungry Lammergeyer, and more than one chamois-hunter is reported as having been killed by an assault from one of these birds.
The Lamb-vulture, as is the import of its name, does not restrict itself solely to the snowy mountains on which it takes up its chief residence, but often makes considerable journeys into the cultivated portion of the country, for the sake of picking up the lambs and other valley-inhabiting animals.
The general aspect of the Lammergeyer is more like that of an eagle than a Vulture, but its carriage and demeanour are devoid of that fearless, regal grandeur which is so characteristic of the eagles of all lands. When flying, however, its appearance is truly magnificent, and on account of its great sweep of wing and powerful flight, the size of the Lammergeyer has been greatly exaggerated. Indeed, it is probable that the celebrated roc which plays so important a part in the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, and in other portions of the Arabian Nights, is merely the Lammergeyer viewed through the magnifying medium of Oriental exaggeration.
12 AUDACITY OF THE LAMMERGEYER.
A variety of this bird is found in many parts of Africa, where it is appropriately named Abou-Duch’n, or Daddy-long-beard. It seems to be as audacious as its European and Asiatic relation, and is possessed of even greater boldness. Bruce gives a graphic and amusing narrative of the cool audacity that was displayed by one of these birds. The author, with a number of his attendants, were seated on the summit of a moun- tain, engaged in cooking their dinner, when a Lammergeyer came slowly sailing over the ground, and boldly alighted close to the dish of boiled meat around which the men were sitting. Undismayed by their shouts of distress, he quietly proceeded to reconnoitre the spot, while the men were running for their spears and shields, and going up to the pot in which some goat’s flesh was boiling, he inserted his foot for the purpose of abstracting the meat. Not being prepared for the sudden scalding which ensued, he hastily withdrew his foot, and fastened on a leg and shoulder of goat’s flesh which were lying on the dish, carrying them away before he could be intercepted.
The attendants were quite afraid of the bird, and assured Mr. Bruce that it would return in a short time for more meat. Accordingly, in a very few minutes, back came the Lammergeyer, but was evidently rather suspicious at the look of Mr. Bruce, who had taken up his rifle, and was sitting close to the pan of meat. In spite of the shouts of the attendants, the bird, which evidently held in the greatest contempt the warlike capabilities of the natives, and was not prepared for European weapons and hands, settled on the ground about ten yards from the meat, and the next instant was lying dead on the earth, with a rifle-ball through its body. When brought to the scales, the dead bird was found to weigh twenty-two pounds, and the expanse of its wings was eight feet four inches, although it was undergoing its moult at the time.
When the bird was handled, a large amount of yellow dust was shaken from the feathers, and upon the breast was so plentiful that it “flew in full greater quantity than from a hairdresser’s powder puff.” Mr. Bruce at the time thought that this yellow dust was some extraordinary provision of nature for the purpose of defending the bird against the pecu- liarly wet climate of the country in which it was found. It is, however, merely a natural deposit of feathery substance, and in many birds, such as the common cockatoo, the heron, and birds of prey, is permanently formed. As this curious powder is produced from the feathers, and is a result of their reproduction, a few lines on the subject can well be spared in the present place.
Each feather is rooted in a socket, which is formed by a fold of the skin, and at the bottom of this tube or socket a peculiar formative fluid is secreted on the com- mencement of the new feather. By degrees this fluid is inclosed in a little conical vesicle, its closed point being directed outwards, and its open base being held within the cavity of the socket. As it increases in size, the conical point is pushed through the skin, and serves as a wedge by which the feather, which is gradually being developed in its interior, is thrust through the integuments. As the feather gains strength, this conical vesicle is of no service, dries up, and falls off in little plates or scales. In many feathers, however, the development proceeds no farther than the formation of a hollow shaft, the formative fluid drying into powder, and plentifully scattered on the surrounding plumage ; this is the yellow dust or powder noticed by Mr. Bruce. The object of its formation is not yet known, but it clearly must serve some important purpose, or it would not be produced in such abundance, as is found in many of the birds where it permanently exists. In the Lammergeyer, for example, it flew from the feathers in clouds, and in the cockatoo is so plentiful, that any one who handles a tame cockatoo for a few minutes will be covered with the particles of this curious production. On examining the feathers of a cockatoo’s head and neck, the imperfect and open quills from which the secretion is shaken are many in number, and conspicuous to the sight as the bird bends down its head to receive the caresses of which it is so fond.
The Lammergeyer, like other birds of prey, loves to build upon some elevated spot, and generally places its nest upon the summit of a lofty cliff. The nest is a very rude affair, being chiefly composed of sticks laid inartistically together, and serving merely as a platform, on which the eggs and young may be lifted from actual contact with the rock. Gesner relates an account of a Lammergeyer’s nest which was built upon
SS.
Wj /// 0 M/s Yi Y)/ IZ Z1E kf fe =
CONDOR.—Sarcorhamphus Gryphus.
three oaks, and was of such dimensions that a wagon might have taken refuge under its shelter. The eggs of this bird are two in number, and their ground colour is a dirty white, washed with irregular brown patches.
ON account of a curious fleshy appendage which decorates the base of the bill and the neighbouring portions of the head, a small group of Vultures has been separated from the remaining species, and gathered into a family under the appropriate title of Sarcorhamphide, or Flesh-bearded Vulture. This family is but a small one, comprising the ConDoR, the King Vulture, and the well-known American Vultures, or Zopilotes.
Although not exceeding the lammergeyer in dimensions, the Condor has been long celebrated as a Goliath among birds, the expanse of its wings being set down at eighteen or twenty feet, and its streneth exaggerated in the same proportion. In reality, the expanse of a large Condor’s wing will very seldom reach eleven feet, and the average extent is from eight to nine feet. In one specimen, where the measurement of the extended _ wings was only eight feet one inch, the largest quill feather of the wings was two feet two inches in length; the diameter of the body was nine inches, and the total length from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail, was three feet two inches.
14 STRENGTH OF THE CONDOR.
The general colour of the Condor is a greyish-black, variable in depth and glossiness in different individuals. The upper wing coverts are marked with white, which take a greyer tint in the female, and the exterior edges of the secondaries are also white. The adult male bird may easily be distinguished by the amount of white upon the feathers, so that the wings are marked with a large white patch. Around the neck is set a beautifully white downy collar of soft feathers, which does not entirely inclose the neck, but leaves asmall naked band in front. This featherless band is, however, so small, that it is not perceptible except by a close examination.
The crest of the male Condor is of considerable size, occupying the top of the head and extending over a fourth of the basal portion of the beak. The nostrils are intersected at the base of the beak, in a space which is created for them by means of the sudden sloping of the crest. Although the crest of the Condor presents an apparent analogy with the wattles of a turkey, it cannot be inflated at pleasure, as is the case with that bird, but is hard of substance and ccntains but few blood-vessels. As the Condor, when at rest, is in the habit of sinking its head upon its shoulders, and concealing the neck within the collar of white down by which it is surrounded, the aspect of the bird is very curious, as it sits with its large hooked beak and projecting crest lying on the shoulders as if it possessed no neck at all.
There are several curious details in the internal structure of the Condor, among which may be mentioned the remarkable fact that its “gizzard” is furnished with longitudinal rows of horny spikes, which are probably intended to aid the creature in the more rapid comminution and digestion of its food.
The Condor is an inhabitant of the mountain chain of the Andes, and is celebrated not only for its strength and dimensions, but for its love of elevated localities. When enjoying the unrestricted advantages of its native home, it is seldom found lower than the line of perpetual snow, and only seems to seek lower and more temperate regions when driven by hunger to make a raid on the flocks or the wild quadrupeds of its native country. Although preferring carrion to the flesh of recently killed animals, the Condor is a terrible pest to the cattle keeper, for it will frequently make a united attack upon a cow ora bull, and by dint of constant worrying, force the poor beast to succumb to its winged pursuers. Two of these birds will attack a vicugna, a deer, or even the formidable puma, and as they direct their assaults chiefly upon the eyes, they soon succeed in blinding their prey, who rapidly falls under the terrible blows which are delivered by the beaks of its assailants.
The strength of the Condor is really prodigious, a powerful man being no match even for a wounded and tethered bird; and its tenacity of life is such, that a combat of endurance is nearly certain to end in favour of the Condor. Humboldt relates a curious anecdote of a Condor that resisted a series of efforts that were made in order to deprive it of life. In vain was it strangled for many minutes, for as soon as the noose was removed from its neck the bird walked about as composedly as if nothing had happened to it. At last a pistol was brought to bear upon it, and three bullets were fired from a distance of four paces, all fairly entering the body. A fourth ball struck against the leg bone and rebounded without doing much apparent harm. In spite of all the wounds which it had received, this poor bird survived for nearly half an hour.
The Indians are possessed with a strange prejudice against the Condor, and whenever they catch one of these birds alive, they put it to death through the medium of the most cruel tortures. Their mode of capturing so powerful a bird is worthy of notice, as it is based upon the habits of the Condor. A cow ora horse is killed, and the body thrown negligently on one side, so as to be exposed to the open air. In a very short time the Condors begin to assemble, and soon are engaged in feeding voraciously upon the unexpected and welcome banquet. As soon, however, as they have gorged themselves to the full, the Indians dash in among them, armed with their lassos, and make easy captives of the finest birds. When they feel the noose around their necks, the Condors endeavour to eject the huge meal which they have swallowed, but are made hopeless prisoners before they can rid themselves of the enormous mass of food which they have contrived to pack into their interiors.
THE KING VULTURE. 15
On account of the exquisitely delicate scent of this bird, the native Mexicans have distinguished it by a name which bears allusion to its keen sense of smell, and has been modified into the more euphonious word Condor.
Although the Condor is not a very social bird, it is generally found in little assemblages of five or six in number, which are seen either seated motionless upon the summits of the rocks, their outlines cutting sharply against the sky, or sailing slowly in circles at an enormous elevation above the ground. The flight of these birds is peculiarly grand and beautiful, and seems to be achieved by the movement of the head and neck rather than by that of the wings. Mr. Darwin gives the following animated description of the flight of the Condor.
“ Except when rising from the ground, I do not recollect ever having seen one of these birds flap its wings. Near Lima I watched several for nearly half an hour without once taking off my eyes. They moved in large curves, sweeping in circles, descending and ascending without once flapping. As they glided close over my head I intently watched from an oblique position the outlines of the separate and terminal feathers of the wing : if there had been the least vibratory movement these would have blended together ; but they were seen distinct against the blue sky. The head and neck were moved frequently, and apparently with force, and it appeared as if the extended wines formed the fulerum on which the movements of the neck, body, and tail acted. If the bird wished to descend, the wings were for a moment collapsed, and then when again expanded with an altered inclination, the momentum gained by the rapid descent seemed to urge the bird upwards with the even and steady movements of a paper kite.
In case of any bird soaring, its motion must be sufficiently rapid, so that the action of the inclined surface of its body on the atmosphere may counterbalance its gravity. The force to keep up the momentum of a body moving in a horizontal plane in that fluid (in which there is so little friction) cannot be great, and this force is all that is wanted. The movement of the neck and body of the Condor we must suppose sufficient for this. However this may be, it is truly wonderful and beautiful to see so great a bird, hour after hour, without any apparent exertion, wheeling and gliding over mountain and river.”
The Condor deposits its eggs, for it makes no nest whatever, upon a bare shelf of some lofty rock. The eggs are two in number, greyish-white in colour, and are laid about November or December. When the young Condor is hatched it is nearly naked, but is furnished with a scanty covering of down, which in a short time becomes very plentiful, enveloping the body in a complete vestment of soft black plumage. The deep black grey of the adult bird is not attained until a lapse of three years, the colour of the plumage being a yellowish-brown.
The Kinc VULTURE has gained its regal title from a supposition which is prevalent among the natives of the country which it inhabits, that it wields royal sway over the aura, or zopilote Vultures, and that the,latter birds will not venture to touch a dead carcass until the King Vulture has taken his share. There is some truth for this supposition, for the King Vulture will not permit any other bird to begin its meal until his own hunger is satisfied. The same habit may be seen in many other creatures, the more powerful lording it over the weaker, and leaving them only the remains of the feast instead of permitting them to partake of it on equal terms. But if the King Vulture should not happen to be present when the dead animal has reached a state of decomposition which renders it palatable to vulturine tastes, the subject Vultures would pay but little regard to the privileges of their absent monarch, and would leave him but a slight prospect of getting a meal on the remains of the feast.
Waterton, who often mentions this species in his interesting works, gives several curious instances of the sway which the King Vulture exercises over the inferior birds. “When I had done with the carcass of the large snake, it was conveyed into the forest, as I expected that it would attract the king of the Vultures, as soon as time should have rendered it sufficiently savoury. In a few days it sent forth the odour which a carcass should send forth, and about twenty of the common Vultures came and perched on the
KING VULTURE. —Sarcorhamphus Papa,
neighbouring trees. The king of the Vultures came too, and I observed that none of the common ones seemed inclined to begin breakfast until his majesty had finished. When he had consumed as much snake as nature informed him would do him good, he retired _ to the top of a high mora-tree, and then all the common Vultures fell to and made a hearty meal.”
The King Vulture is a native of tropical America, and is most common near the equator, though it is found as far as the thirtieth degree of south latitude, and the thirty- second of north latitude. Peru, Brazil, Guiana, Paraguay, and Mexico are the chosen residences of this fine species. It is a forest-loving bird, caring nothing for the lofty home of the condor, but taking up its residence upon the low and heavily-wooded regions, in close proximity to swampy and marshy places, where it is most likely to find abundance of dead and putrefying animal substances. Its nest, or rather the spot on which it deposits its eggs, is within the hollow of some decaying tree. The eggs are two in number,
In its adult state the King Vulture is a most gorgeously decorated bird, though its general aspect and the whole expression of its demeanour are rather repulsive
THE BLACK VULTURE. 17
than otherwise. The greater part of the feathers upon the back are of a beautiful : satiny white, tinged more or less deeply with fawn, and the abdomen is of a pure white. On account of its colour, the bird is termed the White Crow by the Spaniards of Paraguay. The long pinions of the wing and tail are deep black, and the base of the neck is surrounded with a thick ruff or collar of downy grey feathers.
The most brilliant tints are, however, those of the naked skin of the head and neck. “The throat and back of the neck,” says Waterton, “are of a fine lemon colour; both sides of the neck, from the ears downwards, of a rich scarlet ; behind the corrugated part there is a white spot. The crown of the head is scarlet, betwixt the lower mandible and the eye, and close by the ear, there is a part which has a fine silvery-blue appearance. Just above the white spet a portion of the skin is blue, and the rest scarlet ; the skin which juts out behind the neck, and appears like an oblong caruncle, is blue in part, and part orange. The bill is orange and black, the caruncles on the forehead orange, and the cere orange, the orbits scarlet, and the irides white.”
These gorgeous tints belong only to the adult bird of four years old, and in the previous years of its life the colours are very obscure. Jn the first year, for example, the general colour is deep blue-grey, the abdomen white, and the crest hardly distinguish- able either for its colour or its size. In the second year of its age the plumage of the bird is nearly black, diversified with white spots, and the naked portions of the head and neck are violet-black, interspersed with a few dashes of yellow. The third year gives the bird a very near approach to the beautiful satin fawn of the adult plumage, the back being nearly of the same hue as that of the four-year-old bird, but marked with many of
_i4 the blue-black feathers of the second year. When full grown, the King Vulture is about the size of an ordinary goose.
Aut the Sarcorhamphide are natives of America, some of them, such as the condor and the king vulture, being comparatively scarce, while others are so common that they swarm like sparrows in our streets. One of the commonest of these useful but repulsive birds is the BLack VULTURE, ZOPILOTE, or UruBv, which together with the turkey buzzard and the Californian Vulture are placed in one genus, termed, characteristically of their habits, Catharista, or Cleanser.
The Black Vulture bears so close a resemblance to the turkey buzzard that it has often been confounded with that bird by superficial observers. It may, however, be readily distinguished by the shape of the feathers round its neck, which in the turkey buzzard form a circular ring completely round the throat, while in the Black Vulture they descend from the back of the head towards the throat in a sloping direction. The shape of the bill is more slender, and the nostrils not so rounded as in the turkey buzzard. The general colour of the Black Vulture is a dull black; the primaries are, however, rather white on the inside, and their shafts are also white. The head and part of the neck are devoid of feathers, and covered with a black wrinkled skin sparely furnished with short scattered black hairs in front, ‘and down behind. The throat has a wash of ochreous yellow. The length of the bird is rather more than two feet, and the expanse of its wings is about four feet four inches.
It is a high-flying bird, sweeping through the air with a beautifully easy flight, and often accompanied by the Mississippi kite, which seems to be drawn towards the Zopilote by some common feeling. After the bird has been gorging itself with the putrid meat which it so loves, it gives forth a most horrible stench. But after it has fasted for some time, the unpleasant odour nearly vanishes; and even when the body of the bird is laid open, the only scent which it exhales is a rather strong musky perfume.
The predaceous birds are, like the predaceous beasts, possessed of most powerful appetites, being capable of eating and digesting an amount of food which is perfectly astonishing. As, however, they cannot hope for a constant supply of nourishment, they are gifted with the capability of enduring hunger for a very long time without appearing to suffer very seyerely from their protracted fast. When in search of food, the Zopilote ascends to a vast height in the air, rising indeed to so great an elevation, that it can hardly be distinguished as a black speck, even when the attention of a spectator
Cc
BLACK VULTURE.—Catharista Iota. -
is drawn towards the bird, and is entirely invisible to those who are not intent upon distinguishing the gnat-like object as it floats about in the upper air.
Every one of these birds is, notwithstanding the enormous height at which it is poised, intently watching the ground in hopes of marking out some dying animal on which it may woop, and hasten its death by the injuries which it inflicts upon the unresisting creature. The movements of the hunters are carefully watched by the Black Vulture, which follows their course with eagerness, knowing how often they may wound an animal which may be able to escape them for a time, but is sure at last to fall a prey to its relentless winged pursuer. Oftentimes the hunters will kill a bison or a deer merely for the sake of the skin, the marrow-bones, or the hump, leaving the remainder on the ground for the benefit of the Zopilotes and the wolves, who soon strip the bones of every particle of the flesh.
According to Don Ulloa, the Zopilotes deserve the gratitude of mankind for the part which they play in destroying the eggs of the alligator, and assisting in keeping down the number of this prolific and dangerous reptile. During the summer, the Zopilote watches the female alligator as she comes to the sandy river-shore for the purpose of depositing her eggs, and permits the reptile to complete her task without any interruption. Scarcely, however, is the alligator fairly out of the way, than the Zopilote issues from its place of concealment, and throwing the sand aside with its bill, feet, and wings, disinters the eggs, breaks the shells, and swallows their contents.
Of the voracity of these birds, Wilson gives the following graphic account :—
« A horse had dropped down in the street in convulsions : and dying, it was dragged out to Hampstead and skinned. The ground for a hundred yards around it was
THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 19
black with carrion crows ; many sat on the tops of sheds, fences, and houses within . sight ; sixty or eighty on the opposite side of a small river. I counted at one time two hundred and thirty-seven, and I believe there were more, besides several in the air, over my head and at a distance. I ventured cautiously within thirty yards of the carcass, where three or four dogs and twenty or thirty Vultures were busy tearing and devouring.
Seeing them take no notice, Leventured nearer, till I was within ten yards, and sat down on the bank. Still they paid little attention to me. The dogs, being sometimes accidentally flapped by the wings of the Vultures, would growl and snap at them, which would occasion them to spring up for a moment, but they immediately gathered in again. I remarked the Vultures frequently attack each other, fighting with*their claws or heels, striking, hike a cock, with open wings, and fixing their claws into each other's heads. The females, and I believe the males likewise, made a hissing sound with open mouth, exactly resembling that produced by thrusting a red-hot poker into water ; and frequently a snufiling, like a dog clearing his nostrils, as I suppose they were theirs. On observing that they did not heed me, I stole so close that my feet were within one yard of the horse’s legs, and again sat down. They all slid aloof a few feet: but seeing me quiet, they soon returned as before. As they were often disturbed by the dogs, I ordered the latter home ; my voice gave no alarm to the Vultures.
As soon as the dogs departed, the Vultures crowded in such numbers that I counted at one time thirty-seven on and around the carcass, with several within ; so that scarcely an inch of it was visible. Sometimes one would come out with a large piece of the intestines, which in a moment was surrounded by several others, who tore it to fragments, and it soon disappeared. They kept up the hissing occasionally. Some of them, having their legs and heads covered with blood, presented a most savage aspect. Still as the dogs advanced, I would order them away, which seemed to gratify the Vultures ; and one would pursue another to within a foot or two of the spot where I was sitting. Sometimes I observed them stretching their necks along the ground, as if to press the food downwards.”
The Zopilote is rather a familiar bird, and may often be seen marching about the streets in the towns and villages of the Southern States, where it might be easily mistaken for a domestic turkey by a new arriver in the country. By the inhabitants it is popularly called the carrion crow, a confusion of nomenclature which has sometimes led to strange misapprehensions of corvine habits. As the birds, although personally disliked, are so useful to the community, they are protected by common consent, and permitted to roam the streets or prowl among the houses at will.
ANOTHER species of the genus Catharista is the TurKEY Buzzarp, more rightly termed the CARRION VULTURE. Its name of Turkey Buzzard is earned from the strange resemblance which a Carrion Vulture bears to a turkey, as it walks slowly and with a dignified air, stretching its long bare neck, and exhibiting the fleshy appendages which bear some likeness to the wattles of the turkey. Indeed, instances are not wanting, where recent visitors to the country have actually shot these birds, thinking that they had succeeded in killing a veritable edible turkey. This bird is chiefly found in North America, but is also an inhabitant of Jamaica, where it is popularly known as the John crow.
According to Waterton and Darwin, the Turkey Buzzard is not so sociable a bird as the zopilote ; for although a little flock of twenty or thirty may be seen together in a corn-field where the refuse stubble has been burned, engaged in feeding on the dead mice, lizards, moles, and other creatures which have perished in the conflagration, each bird comes separately and departs separately, no two individuals having any connexion with each other.
When gorged with food, an event which always takes place whenever there is the least opportunity, the Turkey Buzzard leaves reluctantly the scene of the banquet, and gaining with some difficulty a branch of a neighbouring tree, sits heavy and listless, its head sunk upon its breast, and its wings hanging half open, as if the bird were too lazy even to keep those members closed. The object of this curious attitude seems to be, that the bird may gain as much air as possible, for these feathered creatures are singularly
c2
FERRO
TURKEY BUZZARD.—Catharista Aura,
susceptible to atmospheric influence. It is not improbable that this air-bath may aid the bird in digesting the food which it has so ravenously consumed, as well as to cleanse its feathers from the fetid animal substance which cannot but cling to them after their strong-scented repasts. While engaged in eating they are not at all particular about soiling their feathers, for they will often tear a hole in the skin of a dead animal, and deliberately walk into its interior, for the purpose of getting at some favourite morsel. By this mode of proceeding they soon clear away the softer substance, leaving only the bare ribs standing out, in the midst of which the Vulture continues to move about like: a bird in a cage.
Between the Turkey Buzzard and the zopilote there is a certain external resemblance ; but these two birds are quite distinct in their movements as well as in their habits. The Turkey Buzzard does not even walk or fly in the same manner as the zopilote. The latter bird, when walking, is very awkward, and hops along in an awkward and lazy manner, while the former moves smoothly forward, even when oppressed with a surfeit of food. In the flight the difference is even more conspicuous: the Turkey Buzzard very seldom flaps its wings, but sails smoothly through the air, its wings being extended
ARABIAN VULTURE.—Vultwr Ménachus.
almost horizontally ; the zopilote, on the contrary, flaps its wings six or seven times in succession, and then sails on for a few hundred yards with its wings raised at a decided angle with the body. The two species never company with each other, nor is the Turkey Buzzard found so familiarly associated with man and his habitation as its darker relation.
The nest of the Turkey Buzzard is a very inartistical affair, consisting merely of some suitable hollow tree or decayed log, in which there may be a depression of sufficient depth to contain the eggs. In this simple cradle the female deposits from two to four eggs, which are of a dull cream-white, blotched with irregular chocolate splashes, which seem to congregate towards the largest end. The young birds are covered with a plentiful supply of white down, and look clean and inviting to the touch. Their motto may, however, be similar to that of the Scotch thistle, “Nemo me impune lacesserit,” for at the slightest aggressive touch they will disgorge over the offender the putrid animal substances with which they have been fed, and work sad woe to his hands ane garments. May is usually the month in which the young Turkey Buzzards are iatched.
SOCIABLE VULTURE.—O'togyps auriculdris.
The adult Turkey Buzzard is rather a large bird, measuring two feet six inches in length, and six feet ten inches across the expanded wings. The weight is about five pounds. The general colour of the plumage is black, mingled with brown, the secondaries being shehtly tipped with white, and a few of the coverts edged with the same tint. On the neck, the back, the shoulders, and the scapularies, the black hue is shot with bronze, green, and purple. Beneath the thick plumage is a light coating of soft white down, which apparently serves to preserve the creature at a proper temperature. The bare skin of the neck is not as wrinkled as in the zopilote, and the feathers make a complete ring round the neck. There is but little difference in the plumage of the two sexes, but the bill of the male is pure white.
WE now arrive at the true Vultures, the first of which is the common ARABIAN VULTURE, a bird which is spread over a very large portion of the globe, being found in various parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It is a large bird, measuring nearly four feet in length, and the expansion of its wings being proportionately wide. The general colour of this Species is a chocolate
PONDICHERRY VULTURE.—O’togyps calvus,
brown, the naked portions of the neck and head are of a bluish hue, and it is specially notable for a tuft of long soft feathers which spring from the insertion of the wings. In spite of its large size and great muscular powers, the Arabian Vulture is not a dangerous neighbour even to the farmer, for unless it is pressed by severe hunger, it seems rather to have a dread of living animals, and contents itself with feeding on any carrion which may come in its way. Sometimes, however, after a protracted fast, its fears are overruled by its hunger, and the bird makes a raid upon the sheepfolds or the goat-flocks, in the hope of carrying off a tender lamb or kid. In these illegal excursions the bird often pays the penalty of its transgression with its life, being too hungry to be watchful, and easily shot. Hares and other small animals also fall victims to the starving Vulture, and it is said that even deer are slain by the united efforts of a pair of these birds.
The usual haunts of this species are situated on the mountain tops, and the bird does not descend into the valleys except when pressed by hunger. The specific title of Monachus or Monk has been given to this species on account of the hood- like ruff around its neck, which is thought to bear a fanciful resemblance to the hood of a monk.
24 FULVOUS, OR GRIFFIN VULTURE.
THE name of SocIABLE VULTURE, which has been bestowed upon the bird which is represented in the illustration, is supposed to be founded upon an error of observation.
Le Vaillant, who has given a somewhat detailed description of this species, found several of the nests in close proximity, and supposed from that circumstance that this Vulture was a gregarious bird. It seems, however, from more recent observation, that the proximity of these nests was merely accidental, and that although several nests may have been found near each other, they were not all inhabited simultaneously. It is the habit of many birds to build a new nest close to a deserted one, and such seems
to have been the case with the Sociable Vulture. In their character they are anything ©
but social, for it is but seldom that more than three or four of these birds can be seen together, and even in that case, they are drawn together not by any feeling of community, but by the attraction of a dead animal on which they are glad to feed, whether in company or alone.
The Sociable Vulture is a handsome and a large bird. Its length is about four feet, and the measurement of its expanded wings is rather more than ten feet. The general colour of its feathers is black-brown, from which circumstance it is called by the colonists the Black Carrion Bird. The ruff is nearly black, and the feathers of the chest and abdomen are remarkable for their length and narrowness. The naked parts of the head and neck are red, and the skin of the sides of the face droops in folds down the neck. This bird is a native of Southern Africa, and by the Hottentots is called T’Ghaip, the “T” representing one of those strange clicking sounds which play so important a part in the Hottentot language.
A FINE example of the genus Otogyps is also found in the PONDICHERRY VULTURE, a bird which, as its name imports, is an inhabitant of India.
This is not quite so large a bird as the preceding, its length scarcely exceeding three feet. The generic term, Otogyps, which is given to this species and to the sociable Vultures, is of Greek origin, denoting Eared Vulture, and alludes to the folds of skin which arise below the ears and fall for some inches along the sides of the neck. The word “calvus” is Latin, and signifies bald, in allusion to the featherless condition of the flat and broad head of the Pondicherry Vulture. It is a tolerably common bird, but is never seen in great numbers together, as it is not at all sociable in its habits, and associates only in pairs.
"The general colour of the plumage is a blackish-brown, the naked portions of the head and neck are flesh-coloured, and the chest is remarkable for a bunch or tuft of white downy feathers, which marks the position of the crop. y
The FuLvous, or GRIFFIN VULTURE, is one of the most familiar of these useful birds, being spread widely over nearly the whole of the Old World, and found in very many portions of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It is one of the large Vultures, measuring four feet in length, and its expanse of wing being exceedingly wide. Like many of its relations, it is a high-roving bird, loving to rise out of the ken of ordinary eyes, and from that vast elevation to view the panorama which lies beneath its gaze; not, however, for the purpose of admiring the beauty of the prospect, but for the more sensual object of seeking for food. Whenever it has discovered a dead or dying animal, the Vulture takes its stand on some adjoining tree or rock, and there patiently awaits the time when decomposition shall render the skin sufficiently soft to permit the entrance of the eager beak. As soon as its olfactory organs tell of that desired change, the Vulture descends upon its prey, and will not retire until it is so gorged with food that it can hardly stir. If it be suddenly attacked while in this condition, it can easily be overtaken and killed; but if a pause of a few minutes only be allowed, the bird ejects by a spasmodic effort the load of food which it has taken into its interior, and is then ready for flight.
A controversy has long raged concerning the manner in which the Vulture obtains knowledge of the presence of food. Some naturalists assert that the wonderful powers of food-finding which are possessed by the Vulture are owing wholly to the eyes, while others as warmly attribute to the nose this curious capability. Others again, desirous of steering a
|
FULVOUS, OR GRIFFIN VULTURE.—Gyps fulvus,
middle course, believe that the eyes and the nostrils give equal aid in this never-ending duty of finding food, and many experiments have been made with a view to extracting the real truth of the matter. The following account has been kindly transmitted to me by Captain Drayson, R.A., who has already contributed much original information to the present work.
“ Having shot an ourebi early in the morning, and when about three miles from home, I was not desirous of carrying the animal behind my saddle during the day’s shooting, and I therefore sought for some method of concealment by which to preserve the dead quarry from jackals and Vultures. An ant-bear’s hole offered a very convenient hiding-place, into which the buck was pushed, and the carcass was covered over with some grass cut for the purpose. As usual in South Africa, there were some Vultures wheeling round at an enormous height above the horizon; these I believed would soon come down and push aside the grass and tear off the most assailable parts of the buck. There was, however, no better means of protection, so I left the animal and rode away. When at about a quarter of a mile from the ant-bear’s hole, I thought that it might be interesting to watch how the Vultures would approach and commence operations, so I ‘ off-saddled,’ and kept watch.
26 THE ALPINE, OR EGYPTIAN VULTURE,
After about half an hour, I saw a Vulture coming down from the sky, followed by two or three others. They came down to the spot where the buck had been killed, and flew past this. They then returned, and again overshot the mark. After circling several times within a radius of four hundred yards, they flew away. Other Vultures then came and performed similar manceuvres, but not one appeared to know where the buck was concealed. I then rode off to a greater distance, but the same results occurred.
In the evening I returned for my buck, which, however, was totally useless in consequence of the intense heat of the sun, but which had not been touched by the Vultures.”
Whatever may. be the general opinion of the scientific world upon this subject, I cannot but think that we shall not discern the true cause of this food-discovering power in the optic or nasal nerve, or indeed in any material structure whatever. It appears to be simply due to that wonderful intuitive teaching which we popularly call instinct, and which, if rightly examined, will most surely prove a key to many mysteries at present unsolved.
The colour of the Fulvous Vulture is a yellowish-brown over the greater part of the body. The quill feathers of the tail and wings are nearly black, the ruff surrounding the base of the neck is composed of long and delicately white slender feathers, and the head and neck are sparingly clothed with short white down.
In its native state the Fulvous Vulture assumes some very curious attitudes, and has the power of altering the contour of its body so completely that it would hardly be recognised as the same bird. At one time it sits upon the branch of a tree in a heavy, indolent manner, its neck hidden in the ruff, and the head just projecting from the feathers. At another time it will be full of life and animation, pacing round the carcass of some animal, tugging furiously at the skin, and snapping fiercely at its companions if they should approach too closely. One remarkable attitude which it is fond of assuming is rather difficult to describe, but has so strange and weird-like an aspect, that it is deserving of mention. While sitting on the ground the Vulture thrusts its legs well to the front, and instead of resting upon the feet, holds them up in the air and sustains the weight of its body upon the tail and ankle-bones. Thus supported, it seems quite at its ease, and reclines with half-spread wings, as if thoroughly enjoying its repose.
Like others of its tribe, the Fulvous Vulture, when satiated with food, will retire to a neighbouring tree-branch, and sit listlessly with hanging wings, as if to rid its feathers of the putrid animal substance on which it has been feeding. It is very probable that the bird may receive great aid from the yellow feather-dust which is so copiously poured from she short and open quills that are found so abundantly upon this and other similar birds, and that by means of quiet repose, aided by the fresh air and a few hearty shakes, the bird may be able to throw off the powder and the putrefaction together.
The ALPINE, or EGYPTIAN VULTURE, is, as its name imports, an inhabitant of Egypt and Southern Europe. It is also found in many parts of Asia, and as it has once been captured on our shores, has been placed among the list of British birds.
The general colour of the adult bird is nearly white, with the exception of the quill feathers of the wing, which are dark brown. The face, bill, and legs are bright yellow, so that the aspect of the bird is sufficiently curious. The sexes are clothed alike when adult. On account of the colour of its plumage, the Egyptian Vulture is popularly termed the WHITE Crow by the Dutch colonists, and AKBoBAS, or White Father, by the Turks. It is also familiarly known by the name of PHARAOH'S CHICKEN, because it is so frequently represented in the hieroglyphical inscriptions of Egypt. When young, the colour of its plumage is a chocolate brown, the neck and shoulders are covered with erey-tipped feathers, and the beak and feet are a very dull ochry yellow. The white plumage of the adult state is not attained until the bird has completed its third year.
As is the case with the Vultures in general, the Egyptian Vulture is protected from injury by the strictest laws, a heavy penalty being laid upon any one who should wilfully destroy one of these useful birds. Secure under its human protection, the bird walks
SS SS S&S WAN \
N
ALPINE, OR EGYPTIAN VULTURE.—Néophron percnopterus.
fearlessly about the streets of its native land, perches upon the houses, and, in common with the pariah dogs, soon clears away any refuse substances that are thrown into the open streets in those evil-smelling and undrained localities. This bird will eat almost anything which is not too hard for its beak, and renders great service to the husbandman by devouring myriads of lizards, rats, and mice, which would render all cultivation useless were not their numbers kept within limits by the exertion of this useful Vulture. It has been also seen to feed on the nara, a rough, water-bearing melon, in common with cats, leopards, mice, ostriches, and many other creatures. The eggs of the ostrich are said to be a favourite food with the Egyptian Vulture, who is unable to break their strong shells with his beak, but attains his object by carrying a great pebble into the air, and letting it drop upon the eggs.
The wings of this species are extremely long in proportion to the size of the bird, and the lofty soaring flight is peculiarly graceful. It is but a small bird in comparison with many of those which have already been mentioned, being not much larger than the common rook of Europe. The nest of the Egyptian Vulture is made upon the shelf or in the cleft of a lofty rock, and the grey-white eggs are three or four in number. It is a
238 EAGLES.
curious fact, that during the season of reproduction the male bird slightly changes his aspect, the yellow bill becoming orange, and retaining that tint until the breeding season is over. Like many rapacious animals and birds, the Egyptian Vulture does not disdain to feed on insects, and has been observed in the act of following a ploughman along his furrows, picking up the worms and grubs after the fashion of the common rook.
EAGLES.
Next in order to the vultures, are placed the splendid birds which are so familiar to us under the general title of EAGLES, and which form the first group of the great family Falconide, which includes the Eagles, falcons, and hawks. In common with the Vulturide, the whole of the Falconide are diurnal birds, and are therefore classed into one large order, termed Accipitres Diurni. All the Falconidee possess powerful hooked beaks, not running straight for some distance, and then suddenly curved, as in the vultures, but nearly always bent in a curve from the very base. The head and neck are covered with plumage, and above the eyes the feathers are so thick and projecting, that they form a kind of roof or shade, under which the eye is situated and effectually sheltered from the bright rays of the noontide sun. There is often a tooth-like projection in the upper mandible, and the nostrils are placed within the cere. The females are always larger and more powerful than their mates, and the colour of both sexes is very variable, according to the age of the individual.
The preceding characteristics are common to the entire family of Falconide, and the true Eagles may be distinguished by the following additional particulars. The beak is remarkably powerful, and for a short distance from the base is nearly straight ; when the mouth ig open, the edges of the upper mandible are seen to be slightly wavy, something like the cut edges of an indenture. The tail is of no very great length, but strong and rigid, and the legs are feathered down to the toes. Upwards of forty species have been placed in this genus; but as many of them present characteristics which admit of a further subdivision, they have been grouped together in certain sub-genera, for the purpose of attaining greater perspicuity.
The whole of the Falconidez are eminently destructive birds, gaining their subsistence chiefly by the chase, seldom feeding on carrion except when pressed by hunger, or when the dead animal has only recently been killed. Herein they form a complete contrast to the vultures, whose usual food is putrefying carrion, and fresh meat the exception. Destructive though they may be, they are by no means cruel, neither do they inflict needless pain on the object of their pursuit. Like the lion and other carnivorous animals, they certainly carry out the great principle for which they were made, and which has already been mentioned in Volume I. They are not cruel birds, for although they deprive many birds and beasts of life, they effect their purpose with a single blow, sweeping down upon the doomed creature with such lightning velocity, and striking it so fiercely with the death-dealing talons, that in the generality of instances the victim must be absolutely unconscious even of danger, and be suddenly killed while busily engaged in its ordinary pursuits, without suffering the terrors of anticipation, or even a single pang of bodily pain. There certainly are some instances where an animal, such as a lamb, has been carried while still living to the Eagle’s nest, and there slaughtered. But we must not judge the feelings of such a victim by our own, for the lamb can form no conception of the purpose for which it is conveyed through the air, and doubtlessly feels nothing but astonishment at the strange journey which it is making.
When the Eagle perceives a bird on the wing, the mere shock caused by the stroke of the Eagle’s body is almost invariably sufficient to cause death, and the bird, should it be a large one, such as a swan, for example, falls dead upon the earth without even a wound. Smaller birds are carried off in the talons of their pursuers, and
EEA
EEE
EAGLES AND NEST.
are killed by the grip of their tremendous claws, the Eagle in no case making use of its beak for the purpose of killing its prey. If the bird carries off a lamb or a hare, it grasps the body firmly with its claws, and then by a sudden exertion of its wonderful strength, drives the sharp talons deep into the vitals of its prey, and does not loosen its grasp until the breath of life has fled and all movement has ceased.
350 THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
The structure by means of which the Eagle is enabled to use its talons with such terrible effect is equally beautiful and simple, and as it is closely connected with many of the habits of birds, deserves separate mention.
Many observant persons have been struck with the curious fact, that a bird ean hold its position upon a branch or perch even whilst sleeping, and that in many instances the slumbering bird retains its hold of the perch by a single foot, the other limb being drawn up and buried in the feathers. As this grasp of the perch is clearly an involuntary one, it is evidently independent of the mere wiil of the bird, and due to some peculiar formation. On removing the skin from the leg of any bird, and separating the muscles from each other, the structure in question is easily seen, The muscles which move the leg and foot, and the tendons which form the attachment of the muscles to the bones, are so arranged, that whenever the bird bends its leg the foot is forcibly closed, and is relaxed as soon as the leg is straightened. A bird is totally unable to keep its foot open when its leg is bent, as may be seen by watching a common fowl as it walks along, closing its toes as it lifts the foot from the ground, and spreading them as they come to the ground again. It will be seen, therefore, that when a bird falls asleep upon a branch, the legs are not only bent but pressed downwards by the weight of the body, so that the claws hold the perch with an involuntary grasp, which is necessarily tightened according to the depth of the bird’s slumbers. When, therefore, an Eagle desires to drive his talons into the body of his prey, he needs only to sink downwards with his whole weight, and the forcible bending of the legs will effect his purpose without the necessity for any muscular exertion. Exertion, indeed, is never needlessly used by the Eagle, for it is very chary of exercising its great muscular powers, and unless roused by the sight of prey, or pressed to fly abroad in search of food, will sit upon a tree or a point of rock for hours together, as motionless as a stutfed figure.
Voracious though it be, and capable of gorging itself to the full like any vulture, the Eagle can sustain a prolonged fast from meat or drink ; and on one occasion, when wounded, made voluntary abstinence for a fortnight before it would touch the food with which it was liberally provided.
Tue first, and one of the finest, of these grand birds is the well-known GOLDEN EAGLE. This magnificent bird is spread over a large portion of the world, being found in the British Islands, and in various parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The colour of this bird is a rich blackish-brown on the greater part of the body, the head and neck being covered with feathers of a rich golden red, which have earned for the bird its popular name. The legs and sides of the thighs are grey-brown, and the tail is a deep erey, diversified with several regular, dark-brown bars. The cere and the feet are yellow. In its immature state the plumage of the Golden Eagle is differently tinged, the whole of the feathers being reddish-brown, the legs and sides of the thighs nearly white, and the tail white for the first three quarters of its length. So different an aspect does the immature bird present, that it has been often reckoned as a separate species, and named accordingly. It is a truly magnificent bird in point of size, for an adult female measures about three feet six inches in length, and the expanse of her wings is nine feet. The male is less by nearly six inches.
In England the Golden Eagle has long been extinct; but it is still found in some plenty in the highlands of Scotland and Iveland, where it is observed to frequent certain favourite haunts, and to breed regularly in the same spot for a long series of years. Their nest is always made upon some elevated spot, generally upon a ledge of rock, and is most inartistically constructed of sticks, which are thrown apparently at random, and rudely arranged for the purpose of containing the eggs and young. A neighbouring ledge of rock is generally reserved for a larder, where the parent Eagles store up the food which they bring from the plains below. The contents of this larder are generally of a most miscellaneous description, consisting of hares, partridges, and game of all kinds, lambs, rabbits, young pigs, fish, and other similar articles of food. An Eagle’s nest might there- fore be supposed to be an unpleasant neighbour to the farmers, but it is said that the birds
GOLDEN EAGLE. —A’quila chrysdctos.
respect the laws of hospitality, and, provided that they are left unmolested, will spare the flocks of their immediate neighbours, and forage for food at a considerable distance.
In hunting for their prey, the Eagle and his mate mutually assist each other. It may here be mentioned, that the Eagles are all monogamous, keeping themselves to a single mate, and living together in perfect harmony through their lives. Should, however, one of them die or be killed, the survivor is not long left in a state of widowhood, but vanishes from the spot for a few days, and then returns with a new mate. As the rabbits and hares are generally under cover during the day, the Eagle is forced to drive them from their place of concealment, and manages the matter in a very clever and sportsman- like manner. One of the Eagles conceals itself near the cover which is to be beaten, and its companion then dashes among the bushes, screaming and making such a disturbance, that the terrified inmates rush out in hopes of escape, and are immediately pounced upon by the watchful confederate.
The prey is immediately taken to the nest, and distributed to the young, if there should be any eaglets in the lofty cradle. It is a rather remarkable fact, that whereas the vultures feed their young by disgorging the food which they have taken into their crops,
32 CLEMENCY OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
the Eagles carry the prey to their nests, and there tear it to pieces, and feed the eaglets with the morsels.
When in pursuit of its prey it is a most audacious bird, having been seen to carry off a hare from before the noses of the hounds. It is a keen fisherman, catching and securing salmon and various sea-fish with singular skill. Sometimes it has met with more than its match, and has seized upon a “fish that was too heavy for its powers, thus falling a victim to its sporting propensities. Mr. Lloyd mentions several instances where Eagles have been drowned by pouncing upon large pike, which carried their assailants under water, and fairly drowned them. In more than one instance the feet of an Eagle have been seen firmly clenched in the pike’s back, the body of the bird having decayed and fallen away.
It is a terrible fighter when wounded or attacked, as may be seen by the following anecdote, which is related by Mr. Watters in his “ Natural History of the Birds of Treland.”
“ An Eagle was at one time captured in the county Meath, by a gamekeeper, who, surprising the bird sleeping, after a surfeit on a dead sheep in the neighbourhood, conceived the idea of taking him alive, and for that purpose approached noiselessly, and clasped the bird in his arms. The Eagle recovering, and unable to use his wings, clutched with his talons, one of which entered the man’s chest, the hind claw meeting the others underneath the flesh. The man, unable to disengage the claw, strangled the bird, but the talons were yet too firmly clutched to open. Taking out his knife, he severed the leg from the body, and walked with the penetrating member to the village dispensary to have it removed.”
The same writer was acquainted with a tame Eagle which displayed a great fondness for the flesh of cats, a taste which seems inherent in the Eagle nature, and to have been noticed in every specimen of tame Eagles. In every case, as soon as an irritated cat came within reach, the Eagle would pounce upon it, seize it in his talons, and with one gripe destroy its life so effectually that the poor animal never had time even to cry out. The bird indulged this cat-eating taste to such an extent that he caused sad havoc among the feline tribe, and was forced at last to go into exile.
Many anecdotes of tame Golden Eagles are on record, but as they are already familiar to the public, I shall make no mention of them. The following account, however, has never before been written, and as it displays a curious trait of character in the Eagle, is worthy of insertion.
A Golden Eagle had been captured in Scotland, and being very tame, always accompanied the family to which it belonged in all their journeys. For some time it lived near Clifton, where it passed its existence fastened to a post by a tolerably long chain, that allowed it a reasonable freedom of motion. Like other tame Eagles, she—for it was of the feminine sex—would persist in killing cats if they came within reach, although her ordinary food was fowls, rabbits, and similar articles of diet. On one occasion, a sickly, pining chicken, which seemed in avery bad state of health, was given to the Eagle. The royal bird, howev er, refused to eat it, but seemed to be struck with pity at its miserable state, and took it under her protection. She even made it sit under her wing, which she extended as a shield,and once when a man unkindly endeavoured to take her protégée away, she attacked him fiercely, injuring his leg severely, and drove him fairly off her premises. She several times built a rude nest, but never laid an ege.
There is no doubt but that this beautiful bird might be tamed as readily as the falcon, and trained in a similar manner to fly at game. Indeed, such instances are not wanting, both in ancient and modern times. The old hawking authorities did not place much value on the services of the Eagle, for its weight is so great that it could not be conveyed to and from the field of action without considerable inconvenience. In more modern times the Golden Eagle has been successfully trained to catch game. A gentleman in Huntingdonshire succeeded in taming a Golden Eagle, which he taught to chase hares and rabbits ; ; and several other examples are on record.
Owing to the expanse of the wings and the great power of the muscles, the flight of this bird is peculiarly bold, striking, and gracetul. It sweeps through the air in a succession of spiral curves, rising with every spire, and making no perceptible motion
THE BOLD EAGLE. 393
with its wings, until it has attained an altitude at which it is hardly visible. From that post of vantage the Eagle marks the ground below, and sweeps down with lightning rapidity upon bird or beast that may happen to take its fancy. It is not, however, SO active at rising from the ground as might be imagined, and can be disabled by a comparatively slight injury on the wing. One of these birds, that was detected by a young shepherd boy i in the act of devouring some dead sheep, was disabled by a pebble hurled at it from a shng, and was at last ignominiously stoned to death.
When gorged with food the Eagle dislikes the exertion of flying, and generally runs forward a few 7 paces before taking to flight. The Scotch shepherds ‘have discovered this propensity, and have invented a very ingenious trap, which is made so as to take advantage of this habit.
A circular inclosure is built of stone, about four feet in height, without any roof, and with a small door on one of its sides. A dead sheep is then thrown into the centre of the inclosure, and a noose adjusted round the door. The Eagle soon discerns the sheep, and after making a few circles in the air, alights upon the dead animal, and feeds to his heart’s content. After eating until he can eat no more, he thinks of moving, but as he does not choose to take the trouble of flying perpendicularly i in so narrow a space, he prefers to walk out through the door, and is straightway strangled by the ready noose.
The Eagle is supposed to be a very long-lived bird, and is thought to compass a century of existence when it is living wild and unrestrained in its native land. Even in captivity it has been known to attain a good old age, one of these birds which lived at Vienna being rather more than a hundred years old when it died.
So splendid and suggestive a bird as the Eagle could not escape the notice of any human inhabitant of the same land, and we accordingly find that in all nations, even the most civilized of the present day, an almost superstitious regard has attached itself to this bird. The Eagles of ancient Rome and of modern monarchies and empires are familiar to all, and it is hardly possible to pay a higher compliment to a poet or a warrior than to liken him to the royal Eagle.
The IMPERIAL EAGLE is an inhabitant of Asia and Southern Europe, and bears a rather close resemblance to the golden Eagle, from which bird, however, it may be readily distinguished by several notable peculiarities.
The head and neck of this species are covered with lancet-shaped feathers of a deep fawn colour, each feather being edged with brown. The back and the whole of the upper parts are black-brown, deeper on the back, and warming towards a chestnut tint on the shoulders. Several of the scapularies are pure white, and the tail is ash- coloured, bordered and tipped with black. The cere and legs are yellow. The surest mark by which the Imperial may be distinguished from the golden Eagle, is the white patch on the scapularies. This is most distinct in the adult bird ; for in the plumage of the young, the scapulary feathers are only tipped with white, instead of being wholly of that hue.
The Imperial Eagle is seldom seen sweeping over the plains, as it is a forest-loving bird, preferring the densest woods to the open country. As far as is known, it never builds its nest on the rocks, but always chooses a spreading and lofty tree for that purpose. In habits it resembles the preceding species, and in disposition is fierce and destructive. No specimen of this bird has yet been taken in England, although it is not at all uncommon in the warmer parts of Europe.
AUSTRALIA possesses a fine example of the aquiline birds in the Botp EAGLE, so called from the extreme audacity which it displayed on first coming in contact with mankind.
This handsome bird is found in the whole of Southern Australia and Van Diemen’s Land, but Mr. Gould believes that it does not inhabit the intertropical regions. The colour of the Bold Eagle is a blackish-brown, becoming paler on the edges of the wings. The back of the neck takes a decided reddish hue, which forms a very conspicuous characteristic in the colouring of the plumage. When young, the edge of each feather is
2. D
IMPERIAL EAGLE.—Aquila Mogiinik,
.
tinged with red, and the tail is slightly barred. The eyes of this bird are hazel, and the beak is yellowish except at the tip, which is black.
The food of this bird consists naturally of kangaroos, bustards, and other beasts and birds of its own country. Since sheep have been so plentifully bred in Australia, the Bold Eagle has derived considerable advantage from the enterprise of the agriculturists, and has become a perfect pest to the shepherds, from its fondness for mutton. In consequence of its marauding propensities, it is hunted and persecuted in every way by the colonists, but without much apparent result, as the bird is only driven farther inland, and seems in a fair way to hold its own for many years to come. The young cannot be taken, nor the eggs destroyed, as the bird always builds its nest on the summit of some lofty tree, which is inaccessible to any human being except the native Australian. These trees often rise for a hundred feet without a branch, thus presenting an insurmountable obstacle to the efforts of any white man.
It will not disdain to feed upon carrion, a flock of thirty or forty having been observed by Mr. Gould seated round the carcass of an ox, and gorged with food like so many vultures. Like the vultures, it will follow the white kangaroo hunters day
BOLD EAGLE£.—A’quila audaz.
after day, in order to avail itself of the offal which they throw aside. Of the black hunters it takes no heed, knowing well that the black man has no idea of leaving any portion whatever of his prey for any creature except himself, and that if any part of the slain animal should be distasteful to his palate it is handed over to his wives, who wait round him at a respectful distance, receiving humbly any morsels that he may be pleased to throw to them.
A rather amusing account of the discomfiture of a pair of these Eagles is given by Captain Flinders in his “ Voyage to Terra Australis.” In company with a friend, he had landed on an uninhabited island, and had captured a snake, which he was taking to the ship for the benefit of the naturalist. While so engaged, an Eagle “with fierce aspect and outspread wing came bounding towards us, but stopping short at twenty yards off, he flew up into a tree. Another bird of the same kind discovered himself by making a motion to pounce down upon us as we passed underneath ; and it seemed evident they took us for kangaroos, having probably never before seen an upright animal of any other species in the island. These birds sit watching in the trees, and should a kangaroo come out to feed in the daytime, it is seized and torn to pieces by these voracious creatures.”
D2
MARTIAL EAGLE.—Spizéélus vellicosus.
THERE are many other examples of the genus Aquila, the smallest of which is the BoorepD EacLe (Aguila penndta).
This little bird is not larger than an ordinary falcon, for which, indeed, it might be mistaken but for the lancet-shaped feathers in the head and neck, which plainly speak of the Eagle. The general colour of this bird is dark brown; a light yellowish-brown stripe runs across the wings; the abdomen is white, and the chest is also white, each feather having a brown dash down its centre. The legs are thickly clothed or “booted ” with white feathers. The Booted Eagle is spread over aconsiderable portion of the world, being found in many parts of Europe, as well as in Asia, which seems to be its natural residence. It has, however, been known to build in Hungary, near the Carpathian mouu- tains, and makes annual migrations. It is not a very destructive bird, its food consisting generally of small birds, rats and mice, bats, insects, and similar articles of diet.
Or the genus Spizaetus, the Martian Eacie forms an excellent example. This handsome bird is a native of Southern Africa, where it was discovered by Le Vaillant. The colour of this bird is dark brown, the feathers being paler at their edges ; the
LAUGHING FALCON.—Herpetétheres cachinnans.
under surface is whitish, the quills being black ; the legs are paler and feathered to the toes. The name Spizaetus signifies “piping Eagle,” and has been given to this and several other species on account of their very peculiar cry. Mixed with the rough, barking scream of the ordinary Eagles, there is a piercingly shrill cry which can be heard at a very great distance, even though the bird be out of sight. The nest of the Martial Eagle, or GRIFFARD, as it is sometimes called, is rather peculiar in its structure, beg composed of three distinct layers of building materials. The first layer is made with sticks, as is usual among Eagles, andis of considerable dimensions. Upon this foundation is placed a second layer of wood, moss, and roots, to the depth of twenty inches or two feet, and upon this again is laid a quantity of little dry sticks, on which the eggs are laid. The eggs are two in number, white, and very globular.
The Martial Eagle is a bold, powerful, and rapacious bird, feeding mostly upon gazelles and smaller African animals. In the particular locality which it frequents it reigns supreme, and will not permit any other bird of prey to come within a considerable distance of the tree or rock whereon its nest is built. Whilst flying, it permits its legs to hang downward.
38 JEAN LE BLANC EAGLE.
THE curious bird which is called from its strange ery the LAvGHING FALCON, is a native of Southern America, where it is found inhabiting the vicinity of marshes and swamps, in which localities it finds the reptile food on which it chiefly subsists. It is also a keen fisher, and haunts rivers and lakes for the sake of the finny prey which they contain. The colour of this bird is nearly white, diversified with a broad band of brown that passes over the back, wings, and the space round the eyes, and is prolonged into a belt that surrounds the neck, so that the bird looks as if it had been wrapped in a brown mantle fastened under the throat. The tail is banded alternately with brown and white. The wings of this species are not very long, and the beak is short. The tarsus is also short, and is covered in part with net-like markings. The head is surmounted with a crest, composed of long, narrow feathers, which pass over the head and droop
eracefully until they reach the back of the neck.
A SMALL number of the Falconidee are remarkable for their long tarsi, feathered below the heel, their long, even tail, and the union of the outer claws by a membranous skin, The JEAN LE BLANC EAGLE, so called on account of the generally white colour of its plumage, is a good example of this genus, which in- cludes the bacha, the cheela, and other so-called Eagles.
The colour of the Jean le Blane Eagle is white, speckled with brown spots, and diversified on the back with brown. The white, however, predominates largely, and even in the back and wings, the bases of the feathers are white. The tail is darker than the rest of the plumage, being of a light grey-brown, barred with dark brown. The long tarsi and toes are blue, and the claws are black. The length of the bird is about thirty inches, but the expanse of its wings is not so proportionally great as in the osprey. As the birds of this genus possess several characteris- tics of the Eagles, and others of the ospreys, they are supposed with justice to form a connecting link between the genera Aquila and Pandion. The Jean le Blanc is
JEAN LE BLANC EAGLE.—Circaétus Gdllicus. spread over considerable portions of Asia and Europe, but has never yet been discovered in England.
The food of this bird consists chiefly of snakes, frogs, rats, mice, and insects, and it is generally found haunting the low forest lands where such creatures most abound. Its nest is of considerable dimensions, and is generally built on the summit of some lofty tree. The eggs are either two or three in number, and are of a pure, spotless grey,
CRESTED, OR HARPY EAGULE.— Thrasdétus Harpyia.
AFTER many attempts to associate the CRESTED, or HARPY EAGLE, with any other bird in some acknowledged genus, systematic zoologists have at last been obliged to consider it a family or single genus in itself, under the appropriate title of Thrasaetus, or Courageous Eagle.
The most obvious external characteristic which serves to distinguish this species is the manner in which the feathers of the head and neck are arranged, so as to form a bold ruff or fan-like crest when erect. As long as this crest lies flatly on the head and neck, the bird might be taken for a common Eagle ; but as soon as the fierce temper is roused, the crest is raised, and the bird assumes an indescribably bold and courageous aspect. The colour of this noble bird is very variable, differing greatly in the several epochs of an Eagle’s life. When adult, the general colour is blackish-slate, the head is grey, and the chest and abdomen white, with a band of a darker hue across the chest. The tops of the feathers which compose the crest are black, and the tail is barred alternately with black and grey. The beak and claws are black.
This bird is a native of various parts of Southern America, and prefers the deepest forests to the plains or the rocks as its place of residence.
4.0) THE BRAZILIAN EAGLE, OR URUBITINGA.
The Harpy Eagle is a most powerful bird, exceeding even the golden Eagle in ths extent of its muscular development. The bones of the Harpy are enormously thick in _ proportion to the size of the bird, and the claws are nearly twice the size of those which belong to the golden Eagle. The wings, however, are not largely developed, being rather short and rounded, so that the bird is not fitted so much for a swift and active flight as for the power of grasping with considerable force, and using its talons with the greatest effect. This formation is easily accounted for by the fact that the Harpy Eagle is not intended as an aerial hunter, chasing its prey through the air and overcoming it by means of superior activity and strength, but feeds mostly on various mammalia, and is a sad enemy to the sloth. Young deer fall victims to this voracious bird, which also destroys vast quantities of cavies, opossums, and other animals. Even the large parrots and aras are slain and eaten by the Crested Eagle. As soon as the Harpy Eagle pounces upon a sloth, a fawn, or an opossum, the fate of its victim is sealed, for the long curved claws are driven so forcibly into its vitals, that it speedily sinks dead beneath the fatal grasp.
From the thickly wooded nature of the localities in which this Eagle dwells, a lengthened chase would be impossible, as the dense foliage and tangled boughs would enable the intended victim to place itself in security if it were only able to receive intimation of its pursuer’s presence. The great object of the Harpy Eagle is, therefore, to steal quietly upon its prey, by gliding on noiseless wing over the tops of the trees, and to swoop suddenly and unexpectedly on the unfortunate sloth or fawn that it may chance to discover. When successful in its chase, and standing exultingly on the body of its quarry, its talons firmly holding the prey which it has gained by its own quickness and strength, and its fierce eyes looking jealously around lest any intruder should endeavour to despoil it of the fruits of its victory, the Harpy Eagle presents a truly magnificent sight. Its crest is raised and con- BRAZILIAN EAGLE, OR URUBITINGA.—Morphius Urubitinga. tinually in motion, and its eyes
seem to flame with mingled fury and triumph.
THERE is rather a curious bird found in Brazil, Cayenne, and various parts of the West Indies, named the BRAZILIAN EAGLE, or URUBITINGA.
This bird is a great contrast in dimensions to that which has just been mentioned, being only about the size of an ordinary raven, whereas the harpy Eagle is among the largest of
N
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a vit)
l
OSPREY.—Pandton halidétus.
the diurnal birds of prey. The colour of the Urubitinga is nearly black, diversified with some greyish marks upon the wings, and the white tail-coverts and base of the tail. The beak is powerfully made, and very convex above, and the claws are very sharply pointed. The colour of the legs and cere is yellow, and the tarsus is marked in front with a series of shield-like scales. When young, the plumage of the Urubitinga is very different from that of the adult bird, being largely mixed with yellow and dark brown. It is always to be found near rivers, lakes, and swamps, as it feeds upon the aquatic reptiles which are found so plentifully in such localities, and also upon the smaller mammalia which also inhabit wet and marshy situations.
ONE of the most interesting of the predaceous birds which belong to Great Britain is the celebrated OspREY, or FisHinc Hawk. ‘This fine bird was formerly very common in England, but is now but rarely seen within the confines of the British Isles, although isolated species are now and then seen.
As the bird is a fish-eater, it is generally observed on the sea-coast or on the banks of some large river, but has occasionally been observed in some comparatively waterless situa- tion, where it has probably been driven by stress of weather. In some parts of Scotland
42 HABITS OF THE OSPREY.
the Osprey still holds its own, and breeds year after year on the same spot, generally choosing the summit of an old ruined building or the top of a large tree for that purpose. The nest is a very large one, composed almost wholly of sticks, and contains two or three whitish eggs, largely blotched with reddish brown, the dark patches being collected towards the large end of the egg. As is the case with the Eagles, the Osprey is monogamous; but on the death of either of the pair, the survivor soon finds another mate, and is straightway consoled by a new alliance. From all accounts it is an affectionate and domestic bird, paying the greatest attention to its mate and home, and displaying a constancy which is not to be surpassed by that of the turtle-dove, so celebrated for matrimonial felicity.
Wilson, in his well-known work on the birds of America, gives a very interesting account of the proceedings of a pair of Ospreys. The female had unfortunately lost one of her legs, and was in consequence disabled from catching fish. Her mate, however, redoubled his efforts on her behalf, and, leaving her in the nest, used to set himself to work with such perseverance that he kept the nest well supplied with food by his sole endeavours, so that his mate never was obliged to leave her charge in search of sustenance. Even after the young had been fledged, this model husband continued his efforts, and relieved his wife of the necessity for hunting,
The flight of the Osprey is peculiarly easy and elegant, as might be expected from a bird the length of whose hody is only twenty-two inches, and the expanse of wing nearly five feet and a half. Living almost wholly on fish, the Osprey sails in wide undulating circles, hovering over the water and intently watching for its prey. No sooner does a fish come into view than the Osprey shoots through the air like a meteor, descends upon the luckless fish with such force that it drives a shower of spray in every direction, and soon emerging, flies away to its nest, bearing its prey in its grasp. In order to enable it to seize and retain so slippery a creature as a fish, the claws of the Osprey are long, curved, and very sharp, the soles of the feet are rough, and the outer toe is capable of great versatility. When the bird has settled wpon its “nest, or upon any spot where it intends to eat its prey, it does not relinquish its hold, but, as if fearful that the fish should escape, continues its grasp, and daintily picks away the flesh from between its toes.
Sometimes in making its swoop it arrests itself for a second or two, as if to watch some change of position on the part of its intended prey
The singular beauty of the Osprey’s flight attracted the attention of M. de Quatrefages, who remarked, that the bird was able with outstretched and immovable wings, not only to withstand the power of a “squall” that would have flung a man to the ground, but even to work its way against the wind. How this feat was performed he confesses to be a mystery to him, and that the so-called scientific theories of “ acquired velocity” or “tremu- lous movement” of the wings could not at all account for the phenomenon which he observed.
When unmolested by human foes, the Osprey is a bold bird, as may be seen from the following little anecdote, related by Mr. D’Ewes in his “Sporting in both Hemispheres.” “TI observed an Osprey, or fishing Eagle, hovering about the river some distance down stream, as if he were regarding my ‘movements with much curiosity. Having caught a small barbel, perhaps a little ‘less than a pound in weight, and extricated the hook with some difficulty, something induced me to throw him back again, as not worth taking, which I did with a sharp jerk, sending him some distance into the middle of the stream. In the space of a few moments, and a hundred yards downwards, I saw the Osprey make a sudden swoop, a dive, and soar aloft with the fish in his mouth—no doubt my identical barbel, which, puzzled with his sudden change of circumstances, and not having regained vigour and instinct sufficient to seek his usual haunts, had floated down stream, and became an easy victim to his destroyer.”
In Southern America it is very common, and has been well described by Wilson, Audubon, and other well-known writers, to whom we can but refer for the present. The bird is held in great.favour, and protected by common consent, so that any one who shot a fish-hawk would draw down upon himself the anger of the person who constituted him- self its protector. The bird is in the habit of building its nest upon the roofs of houses, and is thought to bring good luck to the household which it selects as its protectors.
THE OSPREY. 45
There is a good reason for the love which the fishermen bear towards the Osprey, as it is the harbinger of their best seasons, and by its headlong sweeps after the basse and other fish intimates that their nets may be successfully employed.
Harmless though the Osprey be—except to the fish—it is a most persecuted bird, being not only annoyed by rooks and crows, but robbed by the more powerful white- headed Eagle. Mr. Thompson records an instance where an Osprey, which had been fishing in Loch Ruthven, was greatly harassed by an impertinent Royston crow, which attacked the nobler bird as soon as it had caught a fish, and, as if knowing that it was incapable of retaliation, actually struck it while on the wing. The Osprey kept quietly on its way, but was so wearied by the repeated attacks of the crow, that when pursued and pursuer had vanished out of sight, the poor Osprey had not been able to commence his repast.
How this species is robbed by the white-headed Eagle, who strikes the Osprey on the wing, and snatches from the poor bird the results of its morning’s labours, is well known through the graphic descriptions of Wilson and Audubon. The passages in which this thievish habit is recounted are so familiarly known, and have been so frequently quoted, that I prefer merely to mention them, and to insert in the present pages another account of the same proceedings, written also by an eye-witness. The author is Mr. Webber, well known for his “Wild Scenes and Wild Hunters,” and other works of a similar character. eae alrasting Uarcoclehetue
“The bald Eagle, who is a sort of omnipresent predator wherever the primeval nature holds her own upon the continent, makes his appearance sometimes suddenly on his wide- visiting wings amidst these solitudes, that seem rightly to belong to the fish-hawk alone. His hoarse bark startles the deep silence from afar, and every natural sound is mute. Wheeling grandly amidst the dim blue cliffs, he subsides on slow and royal spread upon some blasted pine beside the lake-river, and with quick short screamine—while he smooths his ruffled plumes—announces to awed nature that its winged monarch has come down to rest. The friendly fish-hawks, in silent consternation, dart hither and yon in vexed uncertain flight, the tiny songsters dive into deep thickets, and the very cricket, underneath dead leaves, pauses for a moment in its cheerful trill, while the shadow of that drear sound passes over all. But now the kingly bird grows quiet, and with many a shift of feet and restless lift of wing—while fierce, far-darting eyes are taking in all the capabilities of his new perch—he sinks into an attitude of deep repose, one yellow-heated eye upturned, watching the evolutions of the startled fish-hawks, whose movement, becoming less and less irregular as they wheel to and fro, gradually subsides into the measured windings of their habitual flight in seeking prey, while the buzz, the hum, the chirp, the chatter, and the carol creep up once again, and nature becomes voiceful in her happy silence.
Now, to witness, as I have done, from the mountain tops, the Osprey sweep down from the dizzy height, almost level with my feet, and hear the faint whirr of arrowy-falling plumes, and see the cloud-spray dimly flash through the blue steep of distance—ah, that was a sight! And then the strong bird’s scream of exultation faintly heard, and the far flash of scales glittering as he drags his spoil to sunlight from its dark slumberous home, and on strong vans goes beating up towards the clouds; ah, that too was a sight! But then to see deep down, that couchant tyrant deep down below, ‘levelling his neck for flight’ (as the ‘glorious weaver’ has it), his war crest raised, his wings half-spread, pausing for the moment on his stoop, and then one clamorous shriek of confident power, and see him vault away, up, up, with a swift cleave, conquering gravitation, and go lifted on the spell of wings! Wonderful sight—that upward strugele! The fish-hawk has taken warning from the exulting cry of his old enemy, and with yet louder cries, as if for help, goes up and upward, swifter still, with vain beatings that scatter the fleece-forms of cloud above me, and stir them in whirling gyrations. But no; the conqueror with overcoming wings is upon him, with fierce buffetings the stirred chaos cannot hide from me, and the fisher drops its prey with a despairing shriek, while it goes gleaming headlong towards its ravished home. Now but an instant’s poise while the sunlight can flash off a ray from
44 THE CINEREOUS, WHITE-TAILED, OR SEA EAGLE.
steadied plumes, and the Eagle goes, dimmed with swiftness, roaring down to catch the falling prey before it reach the wave.
But the fish-hawk, although the mildest, the most generous and social of all the Falconide, still recognises that point bey ond which forbearance is no virtue, When the plundering outrages ‘of the bald Eagle have been at length carried to an intolerable extreme in any particular locality, the “fish-hawks in. the neighbourhood combine in a common assault upon the tyrannical robber. I have frequently ‘witnessed such scenes along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They abound in great numbers along the estuaries of its great rivers. I remember particularly to have noted the ereatest collection of them at the mouth of the Brazos River, at Texas. Twenty or thirty of them are constantly congregated at this place during the spring months, to feed upon the great shoals of the luscious red fish which then make their appearance here ; though otherwise a barren and uncouth spot, it is constantly enlivened by the aerial cambols of these powerful and graceful flighted birds, and many’s the battle between them and the bald Eagle that I have witnessed among the clouds at this place. They seemed to have formed a sort of colony for mutual pr otection, and the moment their foe, the Eagle, made his appearance among them, the cry of alarm was raised, and the vigilant colonists, hurrying from all quarters, attacked the robber without hesitation, and always succeeded in driving him away.
There was always a desperate battle first before the savage monarch could be routed, and I have seen them gathered about him in such numbers, whirling and tumbling amidst a chaos of floating feathers through the air, that it was impossible for a time to distinguish which was the Eagle, until, having got enough of it amidst such fearful odds, he would fain turn tail, and with most undienified acceleration of flight would dart toward the covert of the heavy forest to hide his baffled royalty and shake off his pertinacious foes amidst the boughs, as do the smaller hawks when teased by the little king-birds. I was told by the residents of Valasco, at the mouth, who from sympathy with “the fish-hawks seemed to greatly relish the scenes, that year after year the Eagles made persevering attempts to attain a lodgment in the neighbourhood of this colony, but were always promptly repulsed and finally driven off.”
There is but one species of Osprey, although it has been thought that the American bird ought to be reckoned as a different species. The general colour of the Osprey is dark brown, but it is pleasingly variegated with various shades of black, grey, and white. The crown of the head and the nape of the neck are covered with long, grey-white feathers, streaked with dark brown. The under surface of the body is white, with the exception of a light brown band which extends across the chest. The primaries are brown tipped with black, and the tail is barred above with a light and a deep brown, and below with brown and white. The legs, toes, and cere are blue, the eyes golden yellow, and the beak and claws black.
The CrnergEous, or SEA Eacin, is by far the most common of the larger British Falconidie, being much more frequently seen than the golden Eagle. On account of the peculiar w hite rounded tail the bird is sometimes called the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE,
This species is found in all parts of Europe, but is not known to visit America. As it is a fish-loving bird, and is nearly as great an adept at angling as the osprey, it is generally found on the sea-coast. It possesses, however, a very accommodating appetite, and often makes considerable inland journeys in search of food. Young fawns, lambs, hares, aud other animals then fall victims to its hunger, and it is. said to watch for disabled or dying deer, and to hasten their end by the injuries which it inflicts upon them. On the shores, the Sea Eagle seems to have regular hunting-grounds, and to make its rounds with perfect regularity, appearing at a certain spot at the same hour daily, keeping an anxious eye on the multitude of sea fowl as they hover about the rock ledges in attendance upon their mates and fanulies.
One of these birds that was domesticated at Oxford for some years, and was vey generally known throughout the neighbourhood, contrived, on one occasion, to eat ¢ hedgehog that had stray ved too near his quarters. It might naturally have been canna
CINERWOUS, WHITH-TAILED, OR SEA EAGLE.—Halicétus albicilla.
that the prickly skin of the animal would have caused some discomfort in the Eagle's interior. Nothing of the kind, however, happened; for the Eagle, as is universal among rapacious birds, ejected the skin and indigestible portions of the hedgehog, and seemed to have felt no inconvenience whatever from the array of prickly spines. _The same bird used to spend much of its time in trying to eat a tortoise, a proceeding which the tortoise treated with perfect equanimity. The whole story of this bird is rather a curious one, but would occupy too much space in a work of this character.
It is a fierce and determined bird, having a strange look of lowering self-will in its eyes. When wounded, it fights most fiercely; and even when disabled by a broken wing, it has been known to strike so sharply with the sound wing, that the utmost exertions of two men were required before it could be subdued and bound.
As it is rather an unpleasant neighbour to the farmer, the poultry-keeper, or the sheep-owner, it is much persecuted, and many ingenious traps are constructed for its destruction. In Norway a small conical hut is built, having the roof open, and a piece of stick, to which is attached a bait, laid across the aperture. Inside the little hut sits a man, looking out for the Eagle. As soon as the bird sees the bait, which is generally a rabbit,
46 THE BALD, OR WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.
or some such dead animal, it sweeps down and alights upon the stick. The moment that it settles, it is grasped by the concealed inhabitant of the hut, who jerks it through the opening into the little edifice. Owing to the conical shape of the hut, the bird is unable to use its wings, which are its best weapons, and is, therefore, soon mastered and destroyed.
The nest of this species is constructed after the fashion of the Eagle tribe, and is made of a large mass of sticks, put together in a very inartificial manner. Unlike the generality of the Eagles, it does not return year after year to the same spot, but is of a more roving nature, leaving its young in possession of the dwelling-places, and going farther afield in search of some new hunting-ground. The golden Eagle acts in a pre- cisely opposite manner; for as soon as the young Eagles are able to shift for themselves, their parents drive them from the locality, and will not permit them to come within a considerable distance of the spot where they were hatched.
Although it is not as common in the British Islands as was formerly the case, it still breeds regularly in some parts of Scotland, in Shetland, the Hebrides, and many other localities where it is permitted to spend its life in peace. Even now, it is sometimes observed inland; it is quite recently that a notice appeared in the Meld newspaper of a Sea Eagle that was shot at Livermere Park, near Bury St. Edmunds. The bird measured three feet in length, and seven feet one inch across the wings. It had been observed for some days hovering about, and apparently taking fish from the water in the park.
The head of the Sea Eagle is covered with long drooping feathers, each feather being ashy brown, and darker at its centre than at the edges. The rest of the body is dark brown, with here and there a lighter spot or streak, the primaries being nearly black. The tail is rounded, and of a pure white colour in the adult Eagle, and brown in the immature bird. The legs, toes, beak, and cere are yellow, and the claws black. The generic name, Haliaétus, is of Greek origin, and signifies Sea Eagles.
THE noble bird which is represented in the accompanying illustration is celebrated as being the type which has been chosen by the Americans as the emblem of their nation.
The name of BALD, or WHITE-HEADED EAGLE, has been applied to this bird on account of the snowy white colour of the head and neck, a peculiarity which renders it a most conspicuous bird when at large in its native land. The remainder of the body is a deep chocolate brown, inclining to black along the back. ‘The tail and upper tail coverts are of the same white hue as the head and neck. In its earlier stages of existence the creature is of more sombre tints, not obtaining the beautifully white head and tail until it is four full years of age.
The nest of the Bald Eagle is generally made upon some lofty tree, and in the course of years becomes of very great size, as the bird is in the habit of laying her eggs year after year in the same nest, and making additions of fresh building materials at every fresh breeding season. She commences this task at a very early period of the year, depositing her eggs in January, and hatching her young by the middle of February. This statement is made by Wilson, and is corroborated by the following incident, which is narrated in a note to Thompson’s Birds of Ireland :—“ During a tour made by Richard Langtrey, Esq., of Fort William, near Belfast, through the United States, in 1836, he, in the middle of January, observed a pair of these birds flying about a nest in the top of a gigantic pitch pine, which stood a little remote from other trees, on the bank of the Fish River, Mobile Bay. On the 6th of February he returned to the place, in the hope of procuring a young bird alive. The nest being inaccessible, the tree was cut down, and with it one young bird (unfortunately killed by the fall) came to the ground. The eaglet was covered with down, interspersed with a few feathers. The nest was rather flat, and composed of sticks; it contained the heads and bones of mullet, and two heads of the grey pelican. The parent birds were in great consternation during the felling of the pine, and to the last moment continued flying clamorously about the nest. Mr. Langtrey was told that two or three pair of Bald Eagles build annually about Mobile Bay, and had their nests pointed out to him.”
It is always a very affectionate bird, tends its young as long as they are helpless and
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BALD, OR WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.—Halidétus Leucocéphalus,
unfledged, and will not forsake them, even if the tree on which they rest be enveloped in flames.
How the Bald Eagle takes advantage of the fishing talents of the osprey has already been duly related. The Eagle is, in truth, no very great fisher, but is very fond of fish, and finds that the easiest mode of obtaining the desired dainty is to rob them who are better qualified than himself for the sport. He is capable of catching fish, it is true, but he does it ina very awkward manner, wading into the shallows like a heron, and snatching suddenly at any of the finny tribe that may be passing in his direction. This predatory propensity aroused the wrath of Benjamin Franklin, who objected strongly to the employment of the Bald Eagle as the type of the American nation, urging, as his grounds for opposition, that it is “a bird of bad moral character, and does not get his living honestly.”
The Bald Eagle is very accommodating in his appetite, and will eat almost anything that has ever possessed animal life. He is by no means averse to carrion, and has been seen seated regally upon a dead horse, keeping at a distance a horde of vultures which were collected round ‘the carcass, and not permitting them to approach until he had gorged himself to the full, Another-individual was seen by Wilson in a similar state of things.
48 HABITS OF THE WHITE-HEADPD EAGLE.
He had taken possession of a heap of dead squirrels that had been accidentally drowned, and prevented any other bird, or beast of prey, from approaching his treasure. He is especially fond of lambs, and is more than suspected of aiding the death of many. a sickly sheep by the dexterous use of his beak and claws. Sometimes he pays the penalty of his voracity, as was very recently the case. A Bald Eagle had caught a wild duck, and carrying it to a large piece of ice, tore his prey in pieces, and began - to eat it. When he had finished his repast, he spread his wings for flight, but found himself unaPle to stir, his feet having been firmly frozen to the ice. Several persons who witnessei the scene endeavoured a reach the bird, but were unable, owing to the masses of loose ice that intervened between the Eagle and the land. At last the poor bird perished, as was supposed, having been seen to flap his useless wings in vain endeavours to escape until night drew on and darkness hid him from view.
The manner in which the Bald Eagle hunts for, procures, and kills his prey, is so admirably told by Mr. Audubon, that it would be impossible to do justice to the subject without quoting his own words :—
“ The Eagle is seen perched, in an erect attitude, on the summit of the tallest tree by the margin of the broad stream. His glistening, but stern eye, looks over the vast expanse. He listens attentively to every sound that comes to his quick ear from afar, glancing every now and then on the earth beneath, lest even the light tread of the fawn may pass unheard. His mate is perched on the opposite side, and should all be tranquil and quiet, warns him, by a cry, to continue patient. At this well-known call he partly opens his broad wings, inclines his body a little downwards, and answers to her voice in tones not unlike the: laugh of a maniac. The next moment he resumes his erect attitude, and again all eu TE is silent. Ducks of many species—the teal, the widgeon, the mallard, e seen passing with great rapidity, and following the course of the cur rent, but the Eagle ee them not; they are at that time beneath his attention.
The next moment, however, the wild, trumpet-lke sound of a yet distant, but approaching swan is heard. A shriek from the female Eagle comes across the stream, for she is fully as alert as her mate. The latter suddenly shakes the whole of his body, and, with a few touches of his bill, aided by the action of his cuticular muscles, arranges his plumes in an instant. The snow-white bird is now in sight; her long neck is stretched forward ; her eye is on the watch, vigilant as that of her enemy ; her large wings seem with difficulty to support the weight of her body, although they flap incessantly ; so irksome do her exertions seem, that her very legs are spread beneath her tail to aid her in her flight. She approaches, however. The Eagle has marked her for his prey.
As the swan is passing the dreaded pair, starts from his perch the male bird, preparation for the chase, with an awful scream, that to the swan’s ear brings more aaa than the report of the large duck-gun. Now is the moment to witness the “display of the Eagle’s powers. He glides through the air like a falling star, and, like a flash of lightning, comes upon the timorous quarry, which now, in agony and despair, seeks by various manceuvres to elude the grasp of his cruel talons. It mounts, doubles, and willingly would plunge into the stream, were it not prevented by the Eagle, which, possessed of the knowledge that by such a stratagem the swan might escape him, forces it to remain in the air, by attempting to strike it with his talons from beneath.
The hope of escape is soon given up by the swan. It has already become much weakened, and its strength fails at the sight of the courage and swiftness of its antagonist. Its last gasp is about to escape, when the ferocious Eagle strikes with its talons the under- side of its wing, and, with unresisted power, forces the bird to fall in a slanting direction upon the nearest shore.
It is then that you may see the cruel spirit of this dreaded enemy of the feathered race, whilst exulting over his prey, he for the first time breathes at his ease. _ He presses down his powerful feet, and drives his sharp claws deep into the heart of the dying swan ; he shrieks with delight as he feels the last convulsions of his prey, which has now sunk under his efforts to render death as painful as it possibly can be. The female has watched every movement of her mate, and, if she did not assist him in capturing the swan, it was
THE BLACK CARACARA. 49
not from want of will, but merely that she felt full assurance that the power and courage of her lord were quite sufficient for the deed. She now sails to the spot where he eagerly awaits her, and when she has arrived, they together turn the breast of the luckless swan upwards, and gorge themselves with gore.”
The Bald Eagle is found throughout the whole of North America, and may be seen haunting the greater part of the sea-coasts, as well as the mouths of the large rivers.
The RED-THROATED Fatcon, which affords a good example of the genus Ibycter, is a native of South America.
The birds comprising this genus are remarkable for the convexity of the upper mandible, and the semi-blunt, notched lower mandible. The claws are sharp, and the cheeks, the throat, and part of the crop are naked. ‘This species is a very handsome one, the gene- ral tint of the plumage being a very deep blue on the back and the upper surface, and reddish- white below. The neck has a pur- plish-red hue, from which the bird derives its popular name, the claws are black, the feet and cere yellow, and the beak a deep blue. This bird has been known under a variety of names, such as the Little American Eagle, the Bare-necked Falcon, the White-billed Ibycter, the Bare-necked Polyborus, to- gether with many similar appel- lations. The habits of the bird are not known.
CLOSELY related to the preced- ing Bird is the Black CARACARA, also a native of South America. This is a much darker bird than the Red-throated Falcon, the back and upper parts being blue-black, and the rounded tail white only at its base. The feet are yellow, the beak and claws black, the cere a erey-brown, and the space round the eyes devoid of feathers, and flesh-coloured. On account of the short and stout beak, and the large tarsus, this species was formerly placed in a separate genus, with the title of Daptrius.
The CARRION Hawks, as the CARACARAS are popularly termed, RED-THROATED FALCON.—xbycter Americdnus are natives of Southern America, and from their great numbers, their boldness, and their unpleasant habits, are sufficiently familiar to any one who has had occasion to travel in the country where they teem. There are several species of Caracaras, which are placed in one genus, and are very similar in their habits to the vultures, but on a smaller scale.
2. E
SOUTHERN CARACARA.—Milvdgo Australis.
The SOUTHERN CARACARA is not quite so large as some of its brethren, but is quite as useful and as repulsive a bird. Its length is about eighteen inches, and its colour a grey- brown upon the. back and upper surface, and paler beneath, diversified with reddish bands. The thighs are of a banded rusty-red, and the tail is yellowish-grey. The cere and feet are yellow, and the bill blue-grey. It is an omnivorous bird, eating vegetable or animal substances with equal willingness, and is said to do damage to the potato crop by digging into the cuttings before they have time to sprout. It may be that the bird is urged by the desire of eating, not the potatoes, but the grubs which have taken up their residence therein, and so confers a favour on the planter instead of doing him an injury. This opinion is strengthened by an observation of Mr. Darwin, who says that he has seen them by scores following the plough, like English rooks, and picking the worms and grubs out of the furrows.
The ordinary food of the Southern Caracara is vermin and putrid meat, and it is believed never to kill either birds or quadrupeds. ‘The flight is very different from that of the vulture, being slow, heavy, and laborious, and the bird is never known to soar in the vulturine fashion, neither does it generally perch on trees, but prefers to seat itself upon stones, walls, and similar resting-places.
The Southern Caracara is a most impudent and mischievous bird, as may be seen from Mr. Darwin’s admirable account :—“ They actually made an attack on a dog that was lying asleep close to one of the party, and the sportsmen had difficulty in preventing the wounded deer from being seized before their eyes. It is said that several together wait at the mouth of a rabbit-hole, and seize on the animal as it comes out. They were con- stantly flying on board the vessel when in the harbour, and it was necessary to keep a good look-out to prevent the leather from being torn from the rigging, and the meat and game from the stern. These birds are very mischievous, and most acquisitive ; they will pick up almost anything from the ground ; a large-sized glazed hat was carried nearly a mile, as was a pair of heavy balls (bolas) used in catching cattle. Mr. Wilson experienced during the summer a more severe loss in their stealing a small Kater’s compass in a red morocco case, which was never recovered. These birds are, moreover, quarrelsome, and very passionate, tearing up the grass with their bills in rage. They build on the rocky cliffs of the sea-coast, but only in the small islets, and not in the twomain lands. Thisisa
THE BRAZILIAN KITE. 51
singular precaution in so tame and familiar a bird. The dealers say that the flesh of these birds, when cooked, is quite white and very good eating.”
The BRAZILIAN KiTE, CARRANCHA, or BRAZILIAN CARACARA, is also a native of the southern portions of America, and is found inhabiting the same localities as the Southern Caracara, to which bird it bears a considerable resemblance in general appearance and in its general colour.
The Brazilian Kite is blackish- brown, deepening to dull black from the top of the head, and varied across the neck and shoul- ders with wavy bands of dark brown on a greyish ground. The tip of the tail is black, and the re- mainderis greyish-white, traversed by many narrow -wavy bands of dusky brown. The bill is tinged with blue at the base, the claws are black, and the legs yellow. This bird is essentially a carrion eater, following the lne of road in order to feed on the poor worn- out animals that sink exhausted on the journey, and are left to perish by their — hard-hearted drivers. It will watch the course pursued by hunters, and in hopes of obtaining the rejected portions of the slain animals, will follow them in their expeditions with as much perseverance and con- fidence as is exhibited by the American wolf under the same circumstances. It also frequents
the slaughter-houses, and is of great service in devouring the offal, which would otherwise be left to sink into putrefaction, and to taint the air with its deadly odour. Fortunately forthe country, there is but little chance of any such catastrophe, as long as there BRAZILIAN KITE.—Polyborus Braziliensis. is a Carrancha within a radius of many miles, for the keen sense of the bird wall enable it to distinguish ‘a feeble animal, or a ‘dead carcass, ata wonderful distance, and its insatiable appetite is never appeased as long as there is a particle of flesh remaining on the bones.
The Carrancha is often seen feeding in company with several closely-allied birds, such
as the Chimango Caracara, but is not on friendly terms with them, although the two birds
may be seated in close: proximity, engaged in their common banquet, and being employed
in picking the same bone. Sometimes the Carrancha is subject to a kind of small
persecution on the part of its temporary companion, but seems to heed its proceedings with
great stolidity. “When the Carrancha,” says Mr. Darwin, “is quietly seated on the
branch cf a tree, or on the ground, the Chimango often continues for a long time flying E 2
52 THE BUZZARD.
backwards and forwards, up and down, in a semicircle, trying each time at the bottom of the curve to strike its large relative. The Carrancha takes little notice, except by bobbing its head.” The cry of the Carrancha is very peculiar, and is thought to resemble the popular name which has consequently been given to the bird. While uttering the strange, rough sounds, the Carrancha gradually raises its head, bending it farther and farther backwards, until at last the top of its head almost touches the back of its neck. This habit is observed in other Caracaras. By sailors, and other imaginative persons, the cry of the Carrancha is thought to resemble that of the English rook, and the bird is in consequence denominated by them the Mexican Crow. The similitude is increased by the dark colour of the plumage and the character of the flight, which bears a considerable resemblance to that of the crows and rooks.
The Carrancha, although persecuted by the Chimango, is in its turn a persecutor, chasing the Zopilote for the same reason that the Bald Eagle chases the Osprey, and forcing it to disgorge the food which it had swallowed. Besides carrion, the Carrancha eats young lambs, many of the smaller mammalia, reptiles, and various insects, and is indeed a very general feeder. Sometimes it will pursue and devour the smaller birds, and has been observed to secure a partridge on the wing, after urging a rather lengthened chase on the ground. It is also in the habit of frequenting the sea-shore, and feeding on the fish, crabs, molluscs, and other edible substances that are found between high and low water, or are flung upon the beach by the waves. JBesides all these articles of diet, it feeds much on eggs during the breeding season, taking them from the nests with great audacity and cunning.
Although seen in considerable numbers when attracted by a dead animal, or other prey, the Carrancha is not a gregarious bird, being seen solitary or in pairs in desert places. Under the name of the Mexican Eagle, this bird is embroidered on the banners of the Mexican Government.
THE common BuzzARD is one of our handsomest Falconide, and is one which, although banished from the greater part of England, is still found plentifully in many parts of Scotland and Ireland.
The plumage of this bird is looser and more downy than is seen in the generality of the hawk-tribe, and bears a certain resemblance to that of the owl. ‘This peculiarity is explained by the habits of the bird, which will presently be narrated. The average length of a Buzzard is from twenty to twenty-two inches, and the tinting of its plumage is extremely variable, even in adult birds. The usual colouring is as follows. The back and whole of the upper surface is a rich brown, becoming lighter on the head and neck, and diversified with longitudinal streaks of the darker hue. The tail is also dark-brown, but is varied with stripes of a lighter colour, and the primary feathers of the wings are nearly black. The under portions of the body are grey-white, marked on the neck, and chest, and abdomen, with spots and streaks of brown. The claws are black, the bill is a deep blue-black, and the legs, toes, and ears are yellow.
In its habits the Buzzard is a very sluggish bird, never engaging in open chase like the true falcons, but pouncing suddenly and unexpectedly on its prey. The use of the soft downy plumage is now apparent. The Buzzard, in seeking its food, sails slowly over the ground at no great elevation, surveying every spot in search of some living object. At the sight of any eatable being, whether it be rat, mouse, bird, or reptile, down comes the Buzzard, and bears off the doomed creature in its claws, before its victim has taken the least alarm at the presence of its destroyer. The noiseless passage through the air is caused by the down-edged feathers, by which the Buzzard is clothed. Sometimes it sits upon a branch, keeping a vigilant watch, and keenly eyeing every passing creature. Whenever a desirable bird or animal passes within easy reach, the Buzzard darts from its post, and after seizing its prey, returns to the same spot, and recommences its watch. This custom is singularly like the well-known habits of the common fly-catcher.
As, from its comparatively short wings and inactive temperament, the Buzzard is
HABITS OF THE BUZZARD. 53
incapable of chasing the swift-winged game birds, it is never trained for the sport of falconry, and among the ancient sportsmen was reviled as a useless and cowardly bird. Like many large birds of prey, it is exceedingly liable to persecution from the vulture, hawks, the rook and crow; and the grey or Royston crow is a notable and constant antagonist. When wounded or disabled from flying, the Buzzard can still maintain a stout, fight, and by laying itself on its back, and striking fiercely with its sharp and crooked talons, ean drive off an apparently superior foe. ;
It is easily tamed, and is rather an amusing bird in its new state of domestic life.
One of these birds, that was captured in Ireland, and whose history is related by Mr. Thompson, displayed some very curious peculiarities, and afforded some insight into the Buzzard nature. It was fond of catching mice in a barn, ee darting at them as they traversed the floor, and striking at them through the straw. In many in- stances, the bird missed its stroke, but was never discomfited, and was always ready to make a fresh attack. It would also catch and kill rats, but preferred mice, probably because they gave it less trouble. It detested strangers, and used to fly fiercely at them and knock their hats over their ears, or fairly off their heads. A rather remarkable amusement in which this bird indulged, was to jump on its master’s feet and untie his shoestrings. It would eat magpies and jackdaws, but did not seem to care very much for such diet, magpies being even more distasteful than jackdaws. On one occasion a jackdaw had been shot, and fell into a mill dam. The Buzzard pounced on the dyimg bird, and grasping it in his talons, held it beneath the water until it was dead. Whether the act was intentional or not is not certain, but as the bird re- mained in so awkward a position with its legs wholly immersed in the water until the jackdaw was
quite dead, the act does not seem Ti - 4
to have been without some de- MN Gs on
finite motive. The same bird was fh i very fond of worms and grubs, and BUZZARD.—Biiteo vulgaris,
-used to attend upon the potato- diggers, for the purpose of eating the subterranean insects and other creatures which are thrown up in the operation.
The nest of the Buzzard is made either in some suitable tree, or upon the rocks, according to the locality, and is generally composed of grass and heather stems, inter- mingled with long soft roots, and lined with wool, heather leaves, and other substances. One curious instance is known, where the Buzzards took a liking to a nest which had been tenanted by a pair of crows for a series of years, and, after a severe contest,
54 THE ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.
succeeded in ejecting the original inhabitants, and establishing themselves in the ill- gotten premises. The intruders seemed to have been dissatisfied with the internal arrangements of the nest, and relined it with the fur of hares and rabbits. The eggs are from two to five in number, and their colour .is greyish-white diversified with afew spots of pale brown. In the stolen crows’ nest, four young were hatched, and were taken from their parents just before they were fairly fledged.
The flight of the Buzzard is rather variable. At times the bird seems inspired with the very soul of laziness, and contents itself with pouncing leisurely upon its prey, and returning to the branch on which it has been perched. Sometimes, however, and especially in the breeding season, it rises high in the air, and displays a power of wing and an easy grace of flight which would hardly be anticipated from its formerly sluggish movements.
The Buzzard seems to be a most affectionate mate and parent, attending closely upon its home duties, and watching the safety of its young with anxious care. When this natural living instinct.can find no vent in its proper direction, it sometimes exhibits itself in a very curious manner, as was the case with a captive Buzzard whose conduct ~ has been rightly immortalized by Mr. Yarrell, in his history of the British Birds, by the aid of pen and pencil.
“A few years back a female Buzzard, kept in the garden of the Chequers Inn, at Uxbridge, showed an inclination to sit, by collecting and bending all the loose sticks she could obtain possession of. Her owners, noticing these actions, supplied her with materials ; she completed her nest and sat on two hen’s eggs, which she hatched, and afterwards reared the young. Since then she has hatched and brought up a brood of chicken every year. She intimates her desire to sit, by scratching holes in the ground, and breaking and tearing everything within her reach. One summer, in order to save her the fatigue of sitting, some young chickens, just hatched, were put down to her, but she destroyed the whole. Her family in June, 1831, consisted of nine ; the original number was ten, but one had been lost. When flesh was given to her she was very assiduous in tearing and offering it-as food to her nurslings, and appeared uneasy if, after taking small portions from her, they turned away to pick up grain.”
This curious anecdote is suggestive of the many instances recorded where a predaceous animal has taken to the young of some creature, which would, under other circumstances, have been killed and eaten as soon as it was seen, but which, under the influence of the loving instinct which warms alike the heart of the tiger and the ewe, the hawk and the dove, has been cherished and protected. The interesting anecdote of the protectrix Eagle, which has been already recorded, is another example of the instinctive exhibition of kindly feelings, and finds a parallel in the well-known case of the lion, which, instead of eating a little dog that had been placed in his cage, took it under his care, and would suffer no one to approach his new friend.
The British Islands possess another species of Buzzard, closely allied to the bird which has just been described. This is the RougH-LecceD Fatcon, so called from the manner in which its legs are covered with feathers as far as the margin of the toes.
It is rather a larger Bird than the common Buzzard, and the colouring of the feathers is rather different. The beak and upper surface is like that of the Buzzard, but the head and upper part of the neck are of a pale yellow hue, each feather having a streak of the darker colour down its centre. The chin, throat, and breast are of a rusty fawn, and the abdomen nearly of the same tint as the back. The whole of the plumy legs are light fawn, spotted with brown, and the pinions of the wing are brownish-black. The beak and claws are black, and the cere yellow. The habits of this bird are very like those of the common Buzzard, excepting that it is even more sluggish and lazy in its move- ments. Like the preceding bird, it feeds on various birds and animals, which it seizes as they pass near the spot on which it is standing, or pounces upon them as they sit on the ground. Its flight is very owl-like, and the more so as this species is in the habit of searching for its food by night as well as by day, and especially favours the hours of dusk for its peregrinations. Sometimes it sits upon a tree-branch, after the fashion of
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.—Archibiiteo Lagopus.
the common Buzzard, watching for its prey, seizing it, and retiring to the same spot; but it also makes circling flights at a low elevation from the ground, and darts suddenly upon any bird, animal, or reptile that may take its fancy. All these movements are per- formed with great deliberation, and the bird is so slow in all its proceedings that Audubon, who had enjoyed many opportunities of watching its habits, says that “the greatest feat he had seen them performing was scrambling at the edge of the water to secure a lethargic frog.” He also frequently shot them long after sunset, as they sat patiently waiting for their prey at the edge of a ditch.
Despite of its laziness, the Rough-Legged Falcon is a powerful bird, and is in no wise deficient in strength whenever it chooses to exert itself’ When roused by hunger it will not be content merely with frogs and mice, but addresses itself to the capture of larger game, such as wild-ducks and rabbits, the latter of which creatures seem to be a favourite article of diet for this bird, and are almost unfailing in their operation when used to bait a trap.
Although scarcer than the common Buzzard, the Rough-Legged Falcon still holds its place as an inhabitant of the British Isles, and is occasionally taken throughout Great Britain. Several specimens have been killed in Iveland, one of which, recorded by Mr. Thompson, was knocked on the head with a stick, as it sat gorged and sleepy after its meal. In its stomach were found the remains of several birds and of a full-grown ‘rat which had been torn into four pieces. This bird was killed near Dundonald, in the county of Down. ‘Two other specimens were seen in Killinchy, in the same neighbour- hood, and one of them was shot. It is also seen near Scarborough, and used to build annually in a rocky dell near Hackness.
The localities in which the Rough-Legged Falcon are most’ commonly found, are Northern Europe and North America, where it is quite a common bird. Specimens have been seen on the shores of the Mediterranean, and it is also noted as inhabiting many portions of Africa. The nest of the Rough-Legged Falcon is built on lofty trees, and contains from two to four eggs of a brownish-white, covered towards the large end with brown blotches.
In the Honry Buzzarp we find a singular instance of a predaceous bird, endowed with many capabilities of catching and destroying the ordinary kinds of game, yet preferring to feast upon insect food in preference to the flesh of quadrupeds or birds.
56 FOOD AND HABITS OF THE HONEY BUZZARD.
Whenever a Honey Buzzard has been killed, and the stomach opened, it has always been found to contain insects of some kind. In one case, when a Honey Buzzard was shot in Ireland, and examined by Mr. Thompson, the stomach contained some larve of small beetles, as well as the perfect insects, which it had evidently obtained by grubbing in cow-dung, as its bill and forehead were covered with that substance in a perfectly fresh state. Some white hairy caterpillars, the pupe of a butterfly, and three of the common six-spot Burnet moth (Zygena jilipendula), were also discovered in the stomach, together with some short lengths of grass stems, which had probably been swallowed together with the pupa-case of the Burnet moth, as that insect always suspends itself upon a stalk of grass when it is about to change into the perfect state.
Another specimen, which was captured in Northumberland, was observed by Mr. Selby, who makes the following remarks.
“The district around Twizel appears to have something attractive to this species, for within these few years several specimens have been procured both in the adult and immature plumage. The bird in question was observed to rise from the situation of a wasp’s nest, which it had been attempting to excavate, as, in fact, to a certain extent, it had accomplished ; and the large hole which had been scooped showed that a much greater power could be employed, and the bird possessed organs much better fitted to remove the obstacles which generally concealed its prey than a superficial examination of the feet and legs would warrant us in ascribing to it. A few hours afterwards, the task was found to be entirely completed, the comb torn out and cleaned from the immature young; and after dissection proved that at this season (autumn), at least, birds or mammalia formed one part of the food. A steel trap, baited with the comb, secured the aggressor in the course of the next day, when he had returned to view the scene of his previous havoe.”
This bird seems to be specially defended by nature against the attacks of the irritated wasps, who would constantly use their stings very freely against the invader of their premises. The only vulnerable parts which they could find in a well-feathered bird, would be the naked skin round the eyes and at the base of the beak. In the genus Pernis, however, this skin is thickly covered with feathers, so that the bird can bid defiance to the poisoned lances of its irritated foes.
The Honey Buzzard does not, however, restrict itself solely to insect food, for it has often been observed to catch and devour birds and various quadrupeds. An instance of its predatorial propensities is given by Mr. Watters, in his “Birds of Ireland.” The Honey Buzzard had been seen for several successive summers haunting the same locality, and killing the coots that frequented a piece of water. A coot was therefore shot, poisoned with strychnine, and laid out as a bait for the Honey Buzzard, and on the next day the bird was found dead at some distance from the spot. When in confinement this bird will eat mice, rats, birds, meat, and similar articles of diet.
The nest of the Honey Buzzard is made in some lofty tree, and is generally composed of little twigs as a foundation upon which are laid leaves, wool, and other soft materials. The eggs are generally two in number, and are very variable in colouring, some having a dark red band round the middle, and others being covered with dark red blotches. A curious description of a Honey Buzzard’s nest is given by Willoughby. “We saw one that had made use of an old kite’s nest to breed in, and that fed its young with nymphe of wasps, for in the nests were found the combs of wasp’s nests, and in the stomachs of the young the limbs and fragments of wasp maggots. There were in the nest but two young ones, covered with a white down, spotted with black. Their feet were of a pale yellow ; their bills, between the nostrils and head, white ; their craws large, in which were lizards, frogs, &c. In the crop of one of them we found two lizards entire, with their heads lying towards the bird’s mouth, as if they sought to creep out.”
The colouring of the Honey Buzzard is very variable, but is generally as follows. The back and upper portions are brownish-black, the primaries being chiefly black. The top of the head and back of the neck are yellowish-white marked with brown dashes and streaks; the under portions are yellowish-brown, each feather being marked with a stripe of brown down its middle, and a number of narrow bands run irregularly across the abdomen.
HONEY BUZZARD.—Pernts Apitorus.
The whole of the legs are mottled with white and yellowish-brown, and the tail is barred with light and deep brown alternately. The claws and beak are black, and the space between the beak and the eyes is thickly covered with little round feathers. The length of the Bird is twenty-two or twenty-four inches, the female being always the
larger.
The Krrgz may be known, even on the wing, from all other British birds of prey, by its beautifully easy flight, and the long forked tail. Indeed, while flying, the Kite bears no small resemblance to a very large swallow, excepting that the flight is more gliding, and the wings are seldom flapped.
Despite the ill savour into which the name of the Kite has fallen, it is really a magnificent specimen of the falconide, and deserves its specific title of “regalis,” or regal, quite as much for its own merits as from the fact that it had once the very great honour to be chased by royalty. It seems that the later kings of France were in the habit of marking the Kite as the quarry which was specially suitable to their regal state, and
_ were accustomed to fly their hawks at Kites, instead of herons, as was usually the mode of procedure in the noble sport of falconry. The Kite is therefore termed regal, not on account of any innate royalty in the bird, but simply because royal personages chose to pursue it.
The Kite was in former days one of the commonest of the British birds, swarming in every forest, building its nest near every village, and being the greatest pest of the farmer and poultry-keeper, on account of its voracity, craft, and swiftness. Even the metropolis was filled with these birds, who acted the same part that is played by vultures in more eastern lands, and were accustomed to haunt the streets for the purpose of eating the offal which was so liberally flung out of doors in the good old times, and which, but for the providential instincts of the Kites, would have been permitted to decompose in the open streets of our obtusely-scented ancestors. In consequence of the services which they rendered, the Kites were protected by common consent, and were therefore extremely familiar, not to say importunate, in their habits, settling on the butcher's blocks, and
58 FOOD AND HABITS OF THE KITE.
bearing off pieces of meat almost within reach of his hand. In the northern parts. of Africa, where they absolutely swarm, the Kite bears the same character for cool audacity, having been often known to sweep suddenly down, snatch a piece of meat from a man’s hand, and disappear with its booty before he could recover from his surprise. .
In the present day, however,.the Kite is comparatively seldom seen in England, and when observed, is of sufficient rarity to be mentioned in the floating records of natural history. A correspondent of the “ Zoologist” states that one of these birds was seen flying over London on June 24th, 1859. The bird passed over Piccadilly at a supposed elevation of a hundred yards, and flew with perfect steadiness over the vast expanse of smoke and chimney-pots, which must have presented a strange contrast with the green fields and leafy forests of its country home.
Advancing civilization has done its work with the Kite, as with all other destructive animals, and driven it far away from human habitations. Man chooses to be the only destructive animal within his own domains, and, eagle-like, permits no inferior to poach on his territory. The trap of the farmer, and the ready gun of the gamekeeper, have gradually expelled the Kite from farm and preserve, and it is now to be found only in the wide wooded district where it can remain comparatively free from persecution.
The flight of this bird is peculiarly easy and graceful, as the wings are seldom flapped, and the Kite sails through the air as by the mere power of volition. From the gliding movements of the Kite when on the wing, it has derived the name of Gled, from the old Saxon word glida. When in pursuit of prey, the Kite sails in circles at a considerable height from the ground, watching with its penetrating gaze the ground beneath, and sweeping with unerring aim upon any bird, quadruped, or reptile that may take its fancy. ) Should it pass over a farm-yard, the whole establishment is in an uproar, quite inexplicable to any one who did not observe a certain little black speck sailing about in’ the heights of air. As soon as one of the smaller birds sees a Kite, it crouches to the ground and lies there motionless, as if transformed into a stone or a clod of earth. This instinctive movement is of great service, as it affords the only means of escaping the keen eye of the rapacious foe, who hovers above the spot, and is sure to notice any object that gives the least sign of life. Taking advantage of this habit, the fowlers make use of trained Kites or falcons to aid them in securing their prey. When they have marked down a covey of birds, they loose one of their trained hawks, who flies over the spot where the birds are lying, and causes them to crouch to the earth, heedless of anything but the foe above. While their attention is thus occupied, the fowlers come up with their nets, and easily secure the whole covey. Even in ordinary sporting, where the birds are very wild, a common paper kite is employed with great success, and in a very simple manner. The kite is raised in the air, and allowed to take out one or two hundred yards of string; a boy then takes charge of the kite, and walks over the land where the partridges are known to be. The birds mistake the paper kite for some soaring bird of prey, and permit the sportsmen to come within gun-shot before they rise.
Sometimes in making its stoop upon the poultry, it avoids their gaze by making a detour close to the ground, gliding suddenly over the wall or hedge, pouncing upon a chicken, and disappearing almost before its presence has been discovered. These raids, however, are not invariably successful, for the Kite has been often foiled in his stoop by the watchful care of the mother bird, who has seen the enemy coming, and valiantly waged successful battle in defence of her young family.
The food of the Kite is rather general in its nature, consisting of various quadrupeds, young rabbits, hares, rats, mice, and moles, of which latter animals no less than twenty- two were discovered in the nest of a single Kite, showing how rapid and noiseless must be its movements when it can secure so wary and keen-eared an animal as a mole. It does not chase the swift-winged birds through the air, but pounces on many a partridge as it sits on the ground, and is remarkably fond of taking young and unfledged birds from their nests ; reptiles of different kinds, such as snakes, frogs, lizards, and newts also form part of its food, and it will not disdain to pick up a bee or a grasshopper when it can find no larger prey. The Kite is also a good fisher, waging nearly as successful war against the
NEST OF THE KITE. 59
finny inhabitants of the rivers or ponds as the osprey itself; sweeping suddenly down upon the fish as they rise to the surface in search of food, or in their accustomed gambollings, and bearing them away to the shore, where it settles down and eats them in peace.
The nest of the Kite is chiefly built with sticks as a foundation, upon which is placed a layer of moss, wool, hair, and other soft and warm articles. The locality which is chosen for the nest is generally in some thick wood, and the bird prefers a strong, forked branch for the resting-place. The eges are generally two in number, and sometimes three, of a greyish or light brownish-white colour, speckled with reddish chestnut blotches, which, as is the case with so many hawk’s eggs, are gathered towards the larger end.
The Kite still breeds in several parts of Great Britain, a recent instance being mentioned by the Hon. G. Berkeley in a commu nication to the ield newspaper, which, as it illustrates something of the disposition of the bird, shall be given in his own words. “ T discovered the fact of a Kite’s nest in one of the woods in my possession, while at Harrold Hall in Bedfordshire, near which I could not secrete myself suffi- ciently to witness the return to it of the old bird, because she soared above the wood, and did not con- sider the cover safe until I had taken my departure. One day I took my keeper with me to the nest, when the Kite, as usual, took to the skies. I then concealed myself, and sent my keeper away. The Kite soared over him, or ‘watched’ him safe away, and being unable to count even two, she boldly, and without further precaution, came back to her eggs, and I killed her.”
A curious incident connected with the Kite is mentioned in the “Journal of a Naturalist.” KITE.—Milvus regdlis.
On a winter’s evening a heavy fog
came on, succeeded by a severe
frost, and actually froze the feet of a number of birds to the boughs on which they were roosting. Among them were several Kites, which were thus fastened into the icy stocks, and no less than fifteen of these