UC-NRLF 
 
 MO 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^ 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
MY 
 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 EEV. J. a. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S.. 
 
 AUTHOB OP 
 
 :HH ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY, SKETCHES AND ANECDOTES OB 
 ANIMAL LIFE, COMMON OBJECTS OP THE SEA-SHORE, ETC. 
 
 illustrations tg garrison 
 
 LONDON: 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, 
 
 THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE. 
 
 NEW YORK: 416, BROOME STREET. 
 
 ivi366675 
 
W2 
 
 PKEFACE. 
 
 IN the following pages various birds are described ; 
 but I have not restricted myself to those birds 
 whose names appear in the index, nor in point o! 
 fact to birds alone. 
 
 There are so many analogies throughout the 
 whole animal kingdom, and so many branchlets 
 arising from one single stem, that justice could 
 not bo done to each creature without mention of 
 several others in connection with it. 
 
 If the descriptions were merely of external details, 
 or of scientific facts, each bird would very properly 
 be isolated. But, in this work, I pass lightly over 
 the external form, in order to bring forward more 
 strongly that which I conceive to be the true object 
 of Natural History, namely, the character or life 
 of the creature, which is, in fact, its essential 
 being. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Apteryx 393 
 
 Bullfinch . . . .199,317 
 Canary . , , . . 286 
 
 Cassowary 382 
 
 Condor 68 
 
 Crow ...... 264 
 
 Eagles 1 
 
 Emu 390 
 
 Falcons . . . . 79, 89 
 
 Goldfinch 327 
 
 Goshawk . . . .101,123 
 
 Hawks 70 
 
 Hen-Harrier .... 125 
 
 Heron 80,231 
 
 Humming- Birds . 41, 329 
 
 Jackdaw 238 
 
 Jer-Falcon ... 95 
 
 Page 
 
 Kestrel 111,124 
 
 Kite 109 
 
 Magpie . . 99,139,181 
 
 Osprey 42 
 
 Ostrich 352 
 
 Owls 128 
 
 Parrakeet. . . .174,179 
 
 Parrots 158 
 
 Peregrine Falcon . 80,87 
 
 Kaven 227 
 
 Ehea 384 
 
 Rook 248 
 
 Shrikes 267 
 
 Skua-Gull .... 40 
 Sparrow-Hawk . . . 115 
 
 Starling 256 
 
 Vultures 50 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I., 
 
 'EAGLES. 
 
 TAOP 
 
 The Destroyer and the Benefactor. Fable of the Fox and 
 the Bear. Effect of Accessories. Eagle's Tenacity of 
 Life. Its Ferocity when Wounded. Bird formed for 
 Aerial Progress. Analogy with Insects. Tubular Form 
 of Bone. Eagles trained for Falconry. Mode of De- 
 stroying Prey. Eagle captured by a Peasant. Tame 
 Eagle killing a Cat 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IA GLES continued. 
 
 Structure of Feathers. Various Descriptions of Wing, 
 ^Nomenclature of Feathers. Changes of Plumage. Dr. 
 Watts on Natural History. Muscles of Wings. Man 
 formerly a Winged Animal. Nest of the Eagle. Fero- 
 city of Parent Bird. Story of Lakdar . 1S> 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 EAGLES continued. 
 
 The Eagle emblematized by various Nations. Ferocity of 
 Bird descending to its Feathers. Eagle tormented 
 by Humming-birds. Skua-Gulls attack Eagles. The 
 Biter bit. Combat between Ospreys and Eagle. The 
 Wings used as Weapons. Eagle's Skeleton. Eagle-traps. 
 Eagle ignominiously killed. Its Power of resisting 
 Hunger. "Odd" Eagle. Eagle used as Food. Voice 
 
 of the Eagle 37 
 
 b 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 
 VULTURES. 
 
 PA HE 
 
 Pseudo-British Birds. Frauds on Naturalists. The Re- 
 presentative System of Nature. Ghoules and Vultures. 
 Battle between Eye and Nose. Structure of Eye. 
 Kestrel. Experiment with Vultures. Instinct. Vora- 
 city of Vulture. A " Game Flavour." Useful Property 
 
 of 'Charcoal. Wing of Vulture Its graceful Flight. 
 
 The Condor 50 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HAWKS. 
 
 Subjugating Power of Man. Falcon-training among the 
 Arabs. Spirited Description of a Hawking Day by 
 Gerard. Falconry in Persia Falconry in England. 
 Rank of Hawks. Technical Terms in Falconry. Battle 
 between Peregrine Falcon and Heron. Shortening 
 Arms. The Horse a Boxer. The Mantis a Swordsman. 
 The Chsetodon a Rifleman. The Ant a Wrestler. 
 Lobsters and Knights. Electricity. Recent Disco- 
 veries. Rapidity of Falcon's Flight. Peregrine Falcon 
 captured on board Ship 70 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 HAWKS continued. 
 
 Chaucer among the Birds. Scientific Nomenclature. The 
 Jer-Falcon. Its Powers of Flight. Goat caught by Fal- 
 cons. Russian Falcons. Falconry in India. Markwick 
 a bad Shot. Magpie Hawking. The Goshawk. Wood 
 Life. Bosjesman and Lion. Bird of Yggdrasil. The 
 .Shah and his Falcon. The Kite. Its Love for its 
 Young 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 HAWKS continued. 
 
 The Kestrel, or Windhover. A calumniated Hawk. The 
 Field-mouse. Moths and Housekeepers. Nest of the 
 Kestrel. The Sparrow-Hawk. Hawk and Hens. 
 Hawk- traps. Ensnared Boy. Tame Sparrow-Hawk. 
 Audubon's Hawk. Nero. Sparrow-Hawk and Martins. 
 John lays a "hegg." John and Rosey. Young of the 
 Hawks. Their Mode of Eating. Deformed Kestrel. 
 .The Hen-Harrier. Strephon and his Crook . . , . i 
 
CONTENTS. Vi 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 ow&s. 
 
 FAQS 
 
 Wizards and Owls. Pallas Athene. Barn Owl. Why 
 called Jonathan. Oxford Owls. Peculiar Flight of the 
 Owl. The Pellets. Mode of eating Mice. Mobbed by 
 little Birds. Gilbert White on the Barn Owl. Captive 
 Owl. Mode of Fighting. Owl and Cat. Structure of 
 Eye. Eough Surface of Egg. Owls and Pigeons. Owls 
 and Magpies. Respectability of the Owl. Duck-hunt- 
 ing. The baffled Rustic. Owls used as Decoys . . 128 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 OWLS continued. 
 
 Capital Punishment. Strong-minded Swallow. The 
 Brown Owl. Its Ears. American Mode of killing 
 Owls. 'OwAa? onipos. Note of the Hoot. Great Ame- 
 rican Owl. Its Discomfiture. Its uncanny Cry. The 
 Snowy Owl caught on board Ship. Sailors' Pets. The 
 Owl and the Crows. Real Size of Owl. The Owl a 
 Fisherman. Hoot versus Screech. Luminous Eye of 
 Owl. Davy Jones aloft 146 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PAKROTS. 
 
 Construction of Beak, and its Uses. Representative Lan- 
 guage. Powers of Imitation. Street Cries. Polly a 
 Practical Joker. Polly Intoxicated. Polly cross. Col. 
 Kelly's famous Parrot. The Parrot who had seen the 
 World. Polly in the School-room. Crisp Bits and But- 
 tery Touches. Why called Polly 1 Vanity Fair. Par- 
 rots at Sea 159 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 _ 
 
 MAGPIES. 
 
 Beauty of Plumage. Juvenile Magpie. Mag of the 
 Seven Dials. Mag and the Dressing-case. The Mag- 
 pie's Treasury. A Happy Family. Feud between Mag 
 and the Hawk. A Magpie's Revenge. The Bell hanger 
 and the Magpie. The hidden Halfpenny. A cool 
 Promenade. Objection to clean Floors. Dissection of 
 Cushion. Hawk in the Stocks. Mag at Drill. What 's 
 o'clock] Imitation of Pigeons. Predilection for Cheese 
 and Milk. Hawk in the Stocks 181 
 
V1U CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Anti-Teetotalism. Human Magpie. Offended Dignity. 
 Cold Bathing. Ankle-biting Propensities. Bird-pre- 
 ceptors. Mag Gardening. Hawk Persecution. A Rob- 
 ber and his sad End. The Laundress's Friend. An 
 aristocratic Thief. Nest of Magpie. A narrow Escape. 
 Egg-robbing. A Thief caught in his own Trap. Car- 
 nivorous Propensities of Magpies. The Magpie and the 
 Birds. Professor Pica's Lecture and its Results. Choice 
 of Trees 196 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 Superstition respecting Magpies. The "odd" Magpie. 
 Derivation of Name. Representative Names. The 
 Battle of the Frogs and Mice. The Pie used in He- 
 raldry. Quarrel between Courtenay and Dalzell. Set a 
 Thief to catch a Thief. Watchful over Sportsmen. 
 Trial of Temper. Mag curtailed. An arithmetical 
 Magpie. Parental Love and its Modifications . .210 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 Our Friend again. Cold and warm Baths. Dialogue from 
 Lucian. The Allegory explained. Story of the Goat, 
 the Lion, and the Fox. Force of Intellect. Waiting on 
 an Invalid. Mag turned Gardener. Green Peas. 
 Birds understand human Language. The Magpie in the 
 Cellar. Mag beaten at last. Cruel Custom . . .218 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HAVENS. 
 
 L'Estrange. "Honi soit qui mal y pense." A practical 
 Joker. Food of Raven. Its Beak. How to see Ravens. 
 Ravens in a Heronry. How a Raven fights. Poets 
 and Ravens. Mythology. Story of Apollo and his 
 Raven. Force of Flattery. Expanse of Wing and Mode 
 of Flight. The King of the Menagerie. A bad Post- 
 man." When Greek meets Greek." Raven's Nest . 227 
 
CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 JACKDAW. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A' Bird of low Tastes. Making sure. Muzzling a Jack- 
 daw. Different Modes of destroying Prey. The con- 
 templative Man's Recreation. A sociable Jackdaw. 
 Thrice slaying the Slain. How to shell Oats Jack 
 travelling by Rail. His Love of Bathing. Nests of 
 Jackdaw. Bird-nesting. Materials of Daw's Nests. 
 Alliance between Daws and Rooks. Jackdaw and Cat 238 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 BOOKS. 
 
 Distinction between Jackdaws, Crows, and Rooks Scien- 
 tific Controversies. Conflicting Testimonies. Discre- 
 pancies reconciled. Wariness of the Rook. Rook- 
 shooting. Sword-practice. Phenomena produced by 
 instantaneous Death. Air-guns and Cross-bows. Rooks 
 subject to Epilepsy. A Servant's Revenge. Rook- 
 pies. A roasted Starling. Scarecrows. Rooks half- 
 seas-over. Curious Mode of catching Rooks. Services 
 weighed against Injuries. Curious Instinct. White 
 Rooks 248 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CROWS. 
 
 Crows and Rooks generally confounded together. Crows' 
 Eggs. Position of Nest. A Crafty Crow. The Eggs 
 of the Crow edible. Egg-feasts. " The Crow! the 
 Crow!' 264 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SHBTKES. 
 
 Analogies. The Shrike-Man. The Cinereous Shrike. Its 
 similarity to the Mocking-Bird. Curious Habit. The 
 Law of Retaliation. The Cinereous Shrike employed in 
 catching Falcons. Its Powers of Imitation. Its Mode 
 of destroying its Prey. Used in Falconry. The Mata- 
 gasse. Nest found in England. Systems of Ornitho- 
 logy. Ferocity of a Shrike. Red-backed Shrike. Its 
 Nest and Food 267 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CANARIES. 
 
 PA OB 
 
 Why a Coat was hung up. Introduction of the Canary into 
 England. History of my Canaries. Antiqua and Nova. 
 Their Cage and its Construction. My wicked Cat. 
 Sad Fate of Antiqua, and danger of Nova. How to pre- 
 vent a Cat from killing Birds. Pussy's Memory. His 
 Dignity. Nova injured. Her Recovery. Nova on a 
 Journey ........ .286 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 History of Canaria. Net-door. The Court Journal. 
 Melancholy Event. Unprincely and unpaternal Con- 
 duct. Importance of Ventilation. Eric and his Cha- 
 racter. His Benevolence and eccentric Habits. Ze- 
 phyrus. Her Arrivals. Illness and Cure of Cicindela. 
 Recipe for the Surfeit. Fits. Arrival of Osmond. 
 His pugnacious Character. His Marriage with Cicin- 
 dela. Conjugal Quarrels, and Reconciliation . . 294 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 Xeranthemus becomes jealous. Revenge. Importance of 
 the Morning Sun, and of Quiet. The Birds dislike the 
 Lamp. Osmond perplexed. Observant Character of 
 Canaries. Their Squabbles at Roosting- time. Fighting 
 for Food. Clever Management. Mischievous Habits. 
 Bath put to a wrong Use. Nest Building. Picking a 
 Bone. Their Fear of a Ball. How to tame Canaries. 
 Trained Birds Bird-Hawkers to be avoided. Masque- 
 rading Sparrow. A.D.L.L 304 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 Young Canaries. Juvenile Impertinence. Necessity of 
 Lime for the Birds. Soft Food. Various Bird-seeds. 
 Self-starvation. Curious Accidents. Feather Eaters, and 
 Feather Stealers. Canarian Curiosity. Playfulness of 
 Young Birds. Character of Xeranthemus. His Dis- 
 comfiture. Ungrateful Children. Love of " Make- 
 believe." Various Modes of Bathing. Singular Mis- 
 take Nova's last Failure. Her change of Temper. 
 
 The Swing Perch. Various Breeds of Canaries. Mule 
 Birds .312 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Contrasts of Structure. Correspondences of Nature. 
 Feather-pictures. Change of Tints. Simulated Death. 
 
 Acclimatization. Humming-birds domesticated in 
 America. Audubon's Account. Webber and his Pets. 
 Curious Discovery. The two Descriptions reconciled. 
 Spider-robbing. Do Spiders eat Humming-birds] 
 Madame Merian. Pugnacity of the Humming-bird. 
 Beauty of its Nest. A curious Example of Nest-making. 
 
 . How Humming-birds reach their Nests. Their Voice. 
 Drab and Mud 329 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 OSTRICHES. 
 
 Contrasts of Structure. Legs of the Ostrich. Its Means 
 of Defence. Wings of the Ostrich. Running against 
 Wind. The Camel-bird. Ostrich Plumes. How pro- 
 cured. Cunning of the Bosjesman. Ostrich-Stalking. 
 
 Arrow-poison. Latet Anguis in Arena. Brains 
 versus Legs. Practical Mathematics. Getting the 
 "Wind" of the Birds. Speed of the Ostrich. Fury of 
 the wounded Ostrich. Singular Use of Ostrich Plumes. 
 Mobbing to Death. Knob-kerries. Curious Treat- 
 ment of the slain Ostrich. How to preserve Ostrich 
 Plumes. Spur-quills of the Wing. Use of the preserved 
 Skin . 352 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 OSTRICHES continued. 
 
 u Salmagundi." Contents of an Ostrich's Stomach. Bul- 
 let-eating. Ducklings devoured. Ostriches destructive 
 to Corn. Ostrich Eggs. How to make an Omelet. 
 Egg-pebbles. The Eggs easily preserved. Egg-shells 
 used as Water-jars. Singular Stratagem. Number of 
 Eggs in a Nest. Jealousy of the Parents. Their Care 
 of the Eggs. Arabic Fable. Decoy Ostrich. Medicinal 
 Properties of Ostrich Egg. Medical Science. Voice 
 of the Ostrich. Winged Horses. The Spine of the 
 Ostrich. Wholesale Destruction. Curious Resem- 
 blances of Structure. Internal Water-vessel. An 
 Ostrich Chase 367 
 
Xli CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 OSTRICHES continued. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Ostriches of both Worlds. Asia. The Cassowary. 
 Its Plumage and Colour. The Wing-spurs. Structure 
 of the Head. Its Food. Irritated by the Colour red. 
 America. The llhea. Its Yoracity. How destroyed. 
 Its Power of swimming. Structure of Nest, and Descrip- 
 tion of Eggs. The " Huachos." Ferocity of the Rhea 
 when sitting. The "Bolas." The Petise. Australia. 
 The Emu. Its Sanctity. Curious Custom. Emu Oil. 
 Young Emus. Voice of the Emu. Its Size. 
 Arrangement of its Feathers. New Zealand. The 
 Apteryx. Why so called. Its native Name. Uses of 
 its Plumage. How obtained. Discretion and Valour. 
 Warning to Taxidermists. Curious Habits. Beak of 
 the Apteryx. Its Mode of obtaining Food. Its pro- 
 bable Extinction 3&2 
 
MY FEATHERED FRIENDS. 
 
 CHAPTEB I. 
 
 EAGLES. 
 
 The Destroyer and the Benefactor. Fable of the Fox and the 
 Bear. --Effect of Accessories. Eagle's Tenacity of Life. 
 Its Ferocity when Wounded. Bird formed for Aerial Pro- 
 gress. Analogy with Insects. Tubular Form of Bone. 
 Eagles trained for Falconry. Mode of destroying Prey. 
 Eagle captured by a Peasant. Tame Eagle killing a 
 Cat. 
 
 AT the head of the birds, the Accipitres or Hawk 
 tribes are placed, probably because they are rapacious 
 birds, gaining their living by destroying life, and do 
 little direct good to the community. 
 
 There seems to be a general inclination to exalt 
 destruction, and this idea peeps out in science, as 
 well as in the ordinary affairs of life. Among man- 
 kind, the propensity to worship the destructive 
 powers appears innate, and is exhibited in its strong- 
 est form among uncivilised heathens, whose first idea 
 of any object to worship is that of a destructive 
 power, and who consequently give their adoration, 
 such as it is, to the unknown Being who can injure. 
 A higher degree of cultivation is required before 
 there is a capability of contemplating a Being who 
 can benefit. 
 
 Even in the very highest stage of civilisation, the 
 
 B 
 
2 EAGLES. 
 
 Destroyer is set abcve the Preserver, and for one 
 person who would care to see a philanthropist like 
 Howard, thousands rush to catch a glimpse of a 
 murderer like any. one of those whose crimes almost 
 daily defile our newspapers. 
 
 So it is in science. Chemistry is a calm and quiet 
 science enough ;' but put a boy into a chemist's labo- 
 ratory, and let him hear a lecture. If he is asked to 
 give an account of what he has heard, he is mightily 
 accurate and vivid in his description of everything 
 that flashed, banged, or exploded ; but he generally 
 forgets the substances that dissolved quietly. It is a 
 very natural feeling, from which no one is free, and 
 has influenced, perhaps unconsciously, the arrange- 
 ment of animated beings. 
 
 Until very lately, the lion was placed at the head of 
 the brute creation, because it could leap further, claw 
 more fiercely, and bite harder than any animal, and 
 because, if it were to spring upon a man, it would 
 probably tear him to pieces sooner than other animals 
 could, and eat more of him afterwards. 
 
 So in gratitude for these favours, the quadruped 
 was exalted to the kingdom of beasts, just as in re- 
 turn for similar favours bipeds are exalted to the 
 kingdom of men. Even those who suffer seem to 
 prefer king Stork to king Log, and are proud of their 
 monarch because he has such a good appetite. 
 
 It is the same with insects. At their head is placed 
 the tiger beetle, whose name is indicative of its cha- 
 racter. Indeed, if the most ferocious Bengal tiger of 
 the present day were endowed with wings, he could 
 not be compared with the tiger beetle in ferocity, 
 strength, or voracity, if their sizes were proportionate. 
 
 One reason for this propensity* for preferring the 
 power of injury to the power of benefit is, that the 
 former is more prominent than the latter, and forces 
 itself more on the notice. The honey-bag lies hidden, 
 but the sting is shown. Therefore, by common con- 
 sent the rapacious birds are considered as the aristo- 
 
THE FOX AND THE BEAR. 3 
 
 cracy of the feathered tribes, and the eagle reigns as 
 their king. Certainly, if strength, swiftness, and 
 energy are titles to the crown, the eagle holds it 
 worthily. There is a German fable in rhyme much 
 to the point. 
 
 Early one morning, a fox was creeping out of a 
 village farm-yard, carrying a fat hen in his mouth, 
 when he ran against a bear. "Ah!" said the fox, 
 putting down the fowl, and bowing politely, " I 
 have the honour to wish your lordship a very good 
 morning. I have taken the liberty to bring your grace 
 a hen. Your highness is graciously pleased to 
 walk earlier than usual. Permit me to ask if your 
 royal highness is about to extend your promenade ? " 
 
 "Ugh!" growled the bear, "why do you call me 
 royal highness ? Who told you that I was a royal 
 highness?" 
 
 " If I may venture to say so, I was told by your 
 royal highness' fangs." 
 
 So the eagle grounds its pretensions to majesty on 
 the sharpness of its claws, the swiftness of its wings, 
 " the terror of its beak, and lightning of its eye." It 
 is certainly a grand and majestic bird, even when seen 
 under the most unfavourable circumstances. Take 
 it away from its native rocks and glens, separate it 
 from its mate, immure it in a cage that hardly permits 
 it to expand its wings, feed it on offal or cooked meat 
 instead of giving it the living and bleeding prey to 
 which it has been accustomed ; in short, treat it as 
 tyrants of old treated captive monarchs ; and it looks 
 the monarch still. Although it may sit on its perch, 
 cami and unheeding, it only requires to be roused, for 
 its old fiery nature to flash out, and for a moment it 
 forgets its captivity. Its eyes sparkle, its whole body 
 dilates, its crest rises, it paces its prison with stately 
 steps, and deafens the ear with its piercing cries. 
 Those who value their persons would do well to keep 
 out of its reach when in this state of furious excite- 
 ment. 
 
 B g 
 
4 EAGLES. 
 
 Such being the aspect of the captive eagle, its de* 
 mean our must indeed be majestic when it is free 
 among its accustomed haunts. 
 
 All the birds of prey are endowed with certain 
 characteristics, which mark them out clearly and de- 
 cidedly, the two principal of which are the beak and 
 the claws or talons. Both beak and talons are sharp 
 and strongly curved, the edge of the beak being also 
 sharp like a knife blade. Sometimes, as in the owl, 
 the beak is curved throughout its entire length, but 
 usually the curve begins at some little distance from 
 the base of the beak. The beak of the eagle is nearly 
 straight, until within a short distance from the tip, 
 when it suddenly and sharply curves downwards. 
 
 There are many species of eagles, some of which 
 are found in Great Britain. It is a very rare circum- 
 stance to find one in England, but eagles still exist 
 in some numbers in the more uncultivated parts of 
 Scotland. The eagle is also found in Ireland, nearly 
 invariably in the craggy portions of the island, and in 
 some places the eagles always build in the same spot 
 year after year. Eagles always prefer crags if they 
 can be found, and upon the loftiest and most inacces- 
 sible ledges of rock their nest is placed. 
 
 An eagle always seems to require a rock before it can 
 look as an eagle ought to look, and it is for that reason 
 that the birds who are confined in cages, or stuffed 
 and put into square boxes with glass fronts, give such 
 very mean ideas of the real appearance of the bird. 
 Every one who has visited the Zoological Gardens in 
 the Regent's Park will remember how the rocks and 
 eagle seem to belong to each other, and how different 
 is the aspect of one of these birds perched on the 
 rough crag, from that of the same bird when on the 
 ground or sitting on a mere wooden bar. 
 
 I have seen one most miserable example of a captive 
 eagle. The poor bird had by long confinement lost 
 tin greater part of its spirits, and nearly the whole of 
 its royal demeanour. It sat crouching on a perch, 
 
TENACITY OF LIFE. 5 
 
 looking thoroughly cowed down and ashamed of itself. 
 Its plumage was torn and ragged, its tail was worn 
 by friction against the bars of the cage, until it looked 
 as disreputable as a second-hand dress-coat in Holy- 
 well Street ; the fire of its eye was gone, and its beak 
 had been so softened by constant feeding on wet food, 
 that its colour had become a dingy yellow, and it had 
 grown into a deformed, powerless excrescence. No- 
 thing of the eagle was left except the talons, but they 
 seemed to clasp the perch with full aquiline energy. 
 
 It was really a pitiable sight, and if the bird had 
 been mine, I should have tried to restore it to its 
 natural activity and brightness by proper food and 
 sufficient exercise ; or if the endeavour tailed, should 
 have put an end to its life in pure mercy. 
 
 I may as well mention that to kill an eagle without 
 disfiguring it is not very easy. The bird does not seem 
 to care very much for poisons, either mineral or vege- 
 table, the noxious smell of sulphur or the suffocating 
 waves of carbonic acid gas seem to be endured with 
 as much impunity as ordinary air. The experiment 
 has been actually tried, and found unavailing. The 
 proprietor of the bird was anxious to destroy it with- 
 out injuring the plumage, so that its skin might be 
 preserved. For this purpose he placed the eagle in 
 a cage, and gave it several poisons without producing 
 any perceptible effect. He then placed a pan of 
 lighted charcoal by the cage, enveloped cage arid pan 
 in blankets, stopped the crevices of the doors and 
 windows, and left the room closed. 
 
 In vain did he listen for the sound of the bird fall- 
 ing on the floor, and, after waiting for several hours, 
 he entered the room, supposing that the bird must 
 have died on the perch. The room was so filled with 
 the noxious gas, that it was hardly possible to breathe 
 even at the height of a man's head, so that the lower 
 portions of the room must have been quite filled with 
 the gas to the exclusion of atmospheric air. Besides, 
 the coverings that enveloped the cage and brazier 
 
6 EAGLES. 
 
 would have concentrated the noxious vapour, and en- 
 hanced its injurious effect. 
 
 But on the withdrawal of the blankets, the eagle 
 was seen sitting calmly on its perch, its bright eye 
 undimmed, glancing proudly at its intended murderer. 
 
 The same process was then repeated, lighted sul- 
 phur being substituted for carbonic acid gas, and with 
 the same result. At last the eagle was destroyed 
 with a long and sharp needle, which was passed into 
 its heart, and caused instantaneous death. 
 
 It is worth noticing that such a mode of death is 
 the capital punishment among the Malays, and is 
 called " krissing," from the kris, or dagger, which is 
 the instrument of death. The left arm of the cul- 
 prit is elevated, the point of the kris is placed under 
 the arm, a sharp thrust is made obliquely downwards, 
 and the criminal falls dead without a struggle. 
 
 This mode of destruction, by passing a sharp 
 point into the heart, is very convenient where it is re- 
 quisite to preserve the skin of a bird or quadruped 
 entire. If a bird is the subject, the weapon can be 
 directed downwards from the upper portion of the 
 thorax, or from the side under the wing if more 
 convenient. If one of the mammalia must die, the 
 best spot for the puncture is between the ribs, just 
 behind the shoulder. A small bird, however, may 
 be killed by compressing the thorax smartly. 
 
 The tenacity of life possessed by the eagle is well 
 shown when the bird is wounded. Nearly all power- 
 ful animals, whether men, quadrupeds, birds or rep- 
 tiles, are peculiarly savage when wounded. It is said 
 of the lion that he is never so dangerous as when at 
 the point of death, and the same trait of character is 
 related of many other creatures. Falconers know 
 well that when their birds have brought down a 
 heron, it is a service of some danger to seize the 
 wounded bird, for its lance of a beak seems to be pe- 
 culiarly attracted by eyes, and unless the captor has 
 a quick hand, as well as a wary eye, the latter organ 
 
FEKOCITY OF A WOUNDED EAGLE. 7 
 
 is in some danger. Indeed, only a few months ago, 
 a wounded heron pecked out the eye of a poor boy 
 who uncautiously approached the dying bird, and 
 the brain itself had an almost miraculous escape. 
 
 As the eagle is, among birds, precisely the analogue 
 of the lion among beasts, it may well be imagined 
 that its dying struggles are terrific. For, just as the 
 lion rips and tears with his claws, as well as bites with 
 his teeth, so can the eagle rip and tear with his 
 talons, while his beak is ready to peck; the claws 
 being, in both cases, the more fearful weapons of the 
 two. 
 
 It is no easy matter to get at a wounded eagle, or, 
 indeed, at any bird of prey who means to fight ; for if 
 it cannot fly, it throws itself on its back, spreads out 
 its wings to act as levers for support, and strikes 
 furiously with the claws. I know from experience 
 that some practice is required even to capture a com- 
 mon owl, and in the case of an eagle, which is ten 
 times more ferocious, and twenty times as strong, the 
 difficulty may be imagined. 
 
 In an amusing work, " Two Years in Africa," by 
 M. Marcotte de Quivieres, there is an example in 
 point. 
 
 M. Quivieres was wandering over some rocks, 
 when a magnificent eagle passed so close, that he 
 could distinguish its brilliant eye and hooked beak. 
 He fired at the royal bird, which received the charge 
 in its wing, turned over two or three times in the air, 
 and fell to the ground. When fallen, it acted as such 
 birds do threw itself on its back, and struck so 
 fiercely with its talons, that its conqueror dared not 
 approach. He did not wish to kill the bird, as he 
 had a desire to carry it home alive as a trophy. But 
 how was he to do it ? 
 
 Had not help come just when it was wanted, there 
 would have been no other course open but to kill the 
 bird. However, the required assistance arrived in 
 the person of a young Moor, who secured the bird in 
 
8 2A.GLES. 
 
 rather a clever manner. He unwound a cord that 
 held up his dress, made a slip noose at one end, and 
 threw it over the eagle's feet. Having thus made 
 himself master of those terrible claws, he held down 
 one of its wings with his foot, while he bent the 
 other over its back, and so secured them both. He 
 then hoisted the bird on his shoulders, and carried it 
 off in triumph. 
 
 With one exception, the whole of the mammalia 
 are terrestrial, being unable to support themselves 
 in the region of the air. There are certainly some 
 few mammals, such as the whale, dolphin, and other 
 cetacea, which pass their lives in the sea, but even 
 these must be reckoned among the inhabitants of 
 the earth, as they are not capable of raising their 
 bodies into the thin substance of the atmosphere. 
 Only the bats can support themselves above the 
 earth by the use of wings, or rather of wing-like 
 arms, for the flying squirrel can merely expand itself 
 so as to float through a very limited space, just as a 
 flat piece of wood or a tile will be supported by the 
 atmosphere as long as the original impulse exists. 
 The squirrel is no more able to give itself a fresh 
 impulse in the air than is the tile. 
 
 But when we come to the birds, the exception 
 becomes the rule, nearly all birds being able to sup- 
 port themselves in the air, and to direct their flight. 
 It is true that some birds are much more gifted with 
 this power than others, but still the power exists in 
 nearly all. 
 
 It is evident, then, that the whole form a'lid con- 
 struction of a bird must be directly opposed to that 
 of a quadruped, and that the framework on which 
 the living flesh is supported, must be modified in 
 order to suit the intended habits of the creature. * 
 
 From the earliest ages, men have been so envious 
 of the flight of birds, that they have tried to imitate 
 their feathered friends, and endeavoured, like them, 
 to skim at their ease through the a.tmosphere. But 
 
STRUCTURE OF BONE. 
 
 every effort has proved unavailing, from the time of 
 Icarus, up to the " Flying Man," and every man-bird 
 has ignominiously failed in his attempt, some adven- 
 turers having lost their courage, some their limbs, 
 and some their lives. And the reason of the failure 
 may be easily ascertained. 
 
 In the first place, the wings of birds are very much 
 longer in proportion to their bodies than are the arms 
 of man. This is seen even in short-winged birds, 
 such as the partridge or the sparrow, while the wings 
 of the frigate bird or the albatross are so long, that at 
 a distance the bird appears to be all wing. Then 
 again, these enormous wings must require corre- 
 sponding muscles to work them, so that even if we 
 could make wings of proportionate size, and fix them 
 on our arms, we should still be as much tied to the 
 earth as before, for want of the power to move them. 
 Again, even if we had the requisite limbs and mus- 
 cles, and had been furnished with a goodly array of 
 feathers, our efforts at flight would be unavailing. 
 We might possibly be able to descend from a height 
 without injury, but we should not be able to ascend, 
 and so should lose one of the principal objects of 
 flight, while it would be perfectly impossible to trans- 
 port ourselves through the air. The reason of our 
 failure would lie principally in the structure of our 
 skeleton, together with the comparative imperfection 
 of our organs of respiration. 
 
 The bone of a bird is of a very different texture 
 from that of man. It is hollow, contains air instead 
 of marrow, and is throughout of a far more porous 
 and spongy texture than the bone of man or of quad- 
 rupeds ; and this texture is retained even when the 
 bird is not intended to fly. It is well known that as 
 the bone becomes older, its substance solidifies ; and 
 therefore we might be led to imagine that if a section 
 of the leg-bone of an adult ostrich, a wingless, or 
 rather a flightless bird, were placed under the micro- 
 scope, it would present a much more solid and firm 
 
1 EAGLES. 
 
 appearance than a similar section taken from a young 
 mammal. 
 
 But such is not the case ; and the distinction be- 
 tween the two is so great as to be evident to the un- 
 assisted eye, while if even a moderate magnifying 
 power is brought to bear on them, the distinction is 
 so clearly marked that the most inexperienced spec- 
 tator would at once refer the two sections to different 
 classes of animals. 
 
 Into these hollow bones the air is forced from the 
 lungs, and thus the body of the bird is rendered much 
 lighter, bulk for bulk, than that of a mammal ; and 
 so plentiful is the supply of air through the bones, 
 that respiration can be partially carried on even when 
 the ordinary channels are stopped. 
 
 This was discovered accidentally by a sportsman, 
 who had shot a bird, which fell into the water. He had 
 only wounded it, and in order to kill it easily, he held 
 its head under the water into which it had fallen, as 
 its plumage was already wet, and could not suffer 
 more damage. But the bird had a particular objec- 
 tion to being drowned, and obstinately persisted in 
 remaining alive, even though its head had been under 
 water for thrice the time that would have drowned an 
 ordinary bird. At last the cause of vitality was dis- 
 covered in a shattered wing-bone, the broken extremity 
 of which remained out of the water, thus affording a 
 channel through which the bird continued to draw 
 sufficient air to support life. 
 
 Nor are birds the only animals whose bodies are 
 thus permeated by air. Every practical entomolo- 
 gist knows that the air-tubes which supply the place 
 of lungs in insects are carried throughout the body, 
 and even to the ends of the limbs, so that the legs 
 and antennas of an insect become organs of respira- 
 tion as well as of locomotion or touch. In the elabo- 
 rate work on the anatomy of the common cockchaffer, 
 by Strauss Durckheim, there is a drawing of the air- 
 tubes and sacs that fill the interior of the insect. 
 
BODY PERMEATED BY AIR 11 
 
 These can hardly be seen when the insect is dead, but 
 when living the act of respiration makes them suffi- 
 ciently conspicuous. 
 
 There are some birds who can still further increase 
 the comparative bulk of their body by driving air into 
 a series of cellular spaces between the skin and the 
 muscles. Of this structure the common gannet, or 
 Solan goose, is a familiar example, and by this power 
 it attains that complete buoyancy which enables it to 
 ride fearlessly and unharmed on the rough waves of a 
 troubled sea. The inclosed air also benefits the bird 
 in another way. 
 
 When the gannet sees from its lofty height its finny 
 prey, it proportions the rate of its descent to the size 
 of the fish and its depth in the watei*. If the fish is 
 small and near the surface, the bird sweeps over the 
 waves, and snaps it up just as a swallow snaps up a 
 fly. But if it is of a tolerable size, and rather deep in 
 the water, then the gannet hurls itself headlong upon 
 it, plunges into the water, driving up the spray like a 
 cloud, and then emerges from the surface, bearing the 
 prey in its beak. Now every one knows that if the 
 hand is struck upon the water, the sensation is nearly 
 as painful as if a board were struck ; and those who are 
 accustomed to dive from heights always take care to 
 keep the body straight, and to join the hands over the 
 head, so as to plough their way through the water, 
 which otherwise would strike against the head with 
 unpleasant violence. 
 
 What, then, must be the force of the water against 
 a body falling from the enormous heights from which 
 the gannet plunges, especially when an initial velocity 
 is imparted to it beside that which results from the 
 force of gravitation ! Here the inclosed air comes 
 into operation, and, by acting as a spring, guards the 
 body of the bird from the direct shock that might 
 otherwise be felt ; it also prevents the bird from sink- 
 ing too deeply into the sea, and assists it in regaining 
 the surface. The extraordinary amount of air which 
 
12 EAGLES. 
 
 pervades the body of a bird explains the curious fact 
 that a singing-bird should be able to pour out such 
 volumes of sound from so small a body and without 
 apparent fatigue. A man would be soon fatigued if he 
 were provided with a whistle and set to oppose a 
 canary or a nightingale, although the comparative 
 size of the lungs of the bird and the man is so infi- 
 nitely in favour of the.' latter. 
 
 In many of the water-birds there is a curious struc- 
 ture of the bones of the chest. If these birds were 
 to breathe, as animals generally breathe, partially by 
 means of the expansion of the chest, they would find 
 their swimming powers much injured by the constant 
 alteration of form of that portion of their bodies 
 which is under the water it would make their course 
 as uncertain as would be that of a vessel whose bot- 
 tom changed continually from that of a punt to that 
 of a keeled boat, and vice versa. 
 
 As. moreqver, the weight of the body rests upon this 
 part, every respiration would raise and lower the body, 
 and even if these difficulties were overcome by habifc 
 and increased power of muscle, there would be an- 
 other impediment in the feathers, which would be 
 separated from each other by the expansion of the 
 breast, and would therefore permit the water to pene- 
 trate between them. 
 
 Therefore, in these birds the breast-bone and the 
 ribs have a larger extent than in the wholly terrestrial 
 birds, and the requisite change in the chest for the 
 purpose of respiration is made by those portions 
 which are out of the water. 
 
 But to return to the eagle. It is capable of being 
 tamed when taken young, and of being taught to 
 chase game after the maimer of falcons. Dame 
 Juliana Berners, however, objects to the use of the 
 eagle for this sport, not on account of the difficulty 
 of training the bird, but on account of its weight in 
 the field. 
 
 The abbess of St. Alban's advises that " the eagle, 
 
MODE OF STRIKING PREY. 13 
 
 , the vulture, and the merloun be not enlured or re- 
 claimed, because they be too ponderous to the perch 
 portatif." By the "perch portatif" is meant the 
 square framework on which the hawks perch when 
 carried to and from the field, and which was suspended 
 by straps from the shoulders of the falconer, who 
 was thus surrounded by his feathered favourites. A 
 good example of the "perch portatif" may be seen 
 in Landseer's well-known picture, " The Return from 
 Hawking." 
 
 However, there is no reason why the eagle should 
 not be carried to the field on horses, or even on 
 asses, as was actually done in Africa. And as to the 
 fact of the bird being put to such a use, the eagle is 
 specially mentioned as the bird of a king. 
 
 The power of the eagle in pursuit of its prey is 
 terrific. It seems to hurl itself like a cannon-ball 
 upon the doomed creature, and often strikes it dead 
 before it reaches the ground. This is accomplished 
 by the force of its projection, concentrating itself on 
 the talons, and especially on the hinder claw. Before 
 the terrific power of this claw bones are fractured, 
 although defended by feathers, the body is ripped 
 up, and the life extinguished, although the prey is 
 flying away in the same direction as its pursuer. 
 
 * When the eagle has struck his quarry he is thrown 
 into the most violent state of excitement, and, until 
 the captured creature is quite dead, fills the air with 
 his triumphant screams. Even a hawk can utter 
 sounds that seem to penetrate the very ears, but the 
 scream of the eagle is far more piercing. All rapa- 
 cious animals appear to be possessed with a sort of 
 delirium when they have attained their object, and to 
 be for a while insensible to anything but the exultant 
 delight of their success. 
 
 To take a familiar instance, every one knows how 
 savage a cat becomes when she has caught a mouse, 
 how she growls, how her eyes sparkle, and how 
 fiercely she spits at any one who may attempt to 
 
14 EAGLES. 
 
 take away her prey. And in many animals this state 
 of fury exists as long as the prey remains uneaten. 
 My own cat, for example, is as gentle and amiable a 
 being as could be wished. He allows me to take any 
 liberties with him, such as suspending him by the 
 tail, or tossing him across the room, and usually acts 
 more like a dog than a cat, even following me about 
 the house, or fetching me down-stairs to give him 
 some meat. 
 
 But if he catches a mouse or a bird he is quite 
 dangerous to approach, and no one unacquainted 
 with his peculiarities would venture to touch him; 
 and this state of fury continues as long as the mouse 
 or bird remains. I once kept him in this excited 
 state for a very long time by skinning a sparrow and 
 tying the skin firmly over an old glove rolled up so 
 as to assume in some degree the shape of the bird. 
 Puss worried the skin for a long time under a chair, 
 and at last carried it away into the cellar, where I 
 heard him gnawing, tearing, munching, and spitting 
 for some two hours afterwards. 
 
 It is rather curious that when an eagle has seized 
 its prey it never looks at it until it is dead, but sits 
 screaming and driving its claws into the poor crea- 
 ture until it ceases to struggle. In Lloyd's " Scan- 
 dinavia " there is an interesting account of the 
 destruction of a cat by a domesticated eagle. 
 
 " A peasant, having observed an eagle soaring near 
 to his homestead in search of prey," so runs the 
 story, " and having no gun at hand, determined, 
 nevertheless, on attempting his capture. For this 
 purpose he threw a sheepskin, the woolly side out- 
 wards, over his shoulders, and thus equipped crawled 
 on all fours about the spot haunted by the bird ; and 
 his wile had the desired effect, for no sooner did the 
 eagle perceive him than, imagining him a veritable 
 sheep, down he pounced upon his back. Being 
 quite prepared for the onset, the man at once 
 embraced the eagle's outstretched wings with his 
 
AN EAGLE CAPTURED. 15 
 
 arms, and thus in triumph hore him home, where a 
 "bystander quickly knocked the enemy on the head. 
 But the poor fellow suffered severely for his ingenious 
 though adventurous ruse, for in his death-struggles 
 the eagle not only drove his talons through the 
 sheepskin, hut deep into the man's flesh, from 
 whence, when life was extinct in the hird, it was 
 found impossible to extract them without having 
 recourse to the knife." 
 
 A somewhat similar story to the foregoing is told 
 by Dr. Willman. "During the autumn of 1846," 
 said that gentleman, "whilst residing with Mr. P. O. 
 Andersson at Kjeflinge-Molla, the innkeeper of that 
 village, Holmherg, purchased an eagle of a peasant 
 who was on his way to the town of Lund, where he 
 had purposed taking him for sale. On questioning 
 the man as to the way in which he became possessed 
 of the bird, he stated that during the preceding day, 
 which was cold and misty, and whilst occupied in 
 hewing timber in the forest, he w r as all at once 
 assailed on the back and shoulders by an unseen 
 enemy ; that on turning his head about he found it 
 to be the eagle in question, which, without injuring 
 him, had driven his sharp talons through and 
 through his thick sheepskin coat. Seizing hold of a 
 stick he forthwith commenced belabouring the bird 
 about the head, and continued to do so until such 
 time as life appeared to be extinct, when, withdrawing 
 the claws from his clothes, he walked off with his 
 prize towards home. On his way, however, the bird 
 began to revive, and by the time he reached home 
 had quite come to itself again. 
 
 " Subsequently," Dr. Willman went on to say, 
 " Holmberg caused a capacious cage to be con- 
 structed for the accommodation of this eagle. One 
 day it happened that a son of his went up to the 
 cage, and by gestures and otherwise so irritated 
 the bird that, with the rapidity of lightning, he 
 struck one of his talons between the bars into the 
 
16 EAGLES. 
 
 tormentor's hand, and with such force that the 
 middlemost claw not only passed clean through the 
 hand, but a quarter of an inch of it or more pro- 
 truded on the other side. Happily, however, a ser- 
 vant-man, hearing the cries of the hoy, who was 
 almost beside himself with pain and fright, hasted 
 to the rescue, and soon succeeded in freeing him 
 from his ferocious assailant. 
 
 "After this catastrophe, Holmberg, who had several 
 smaller children, fearing to retain the eagle longer 
 on the premises, gave him to Mr. P. 0. Andersson, 
 Ivjeflinge-Molla, where I had ample opportunity of 
 studying his habits. Here we fed him partly on 
 the entrails of calves and other animals slaugh- 
 tered for the use of the family, and partly with 
 pigs that had died from natural causes, as also on 
 rats, crows, and magpies, which I shot for the 
 purpose. One day the entrails of a calf were given 
 to the eagle. After the bird had satisfied his hun- 
 ger I went up to the cage, which was very roomy, 
 and observed that he sat on the uppermost perch, 
 and that a full-grown cat, which had passed between 
 the bars, was eating with great appetite of the refuse 
 of the offal. I remained passive, to see how the 
 matter would end. 
 
 4 'The eagle, with his head inclined downwards, 
 seemed narrowly to watch the movements of the 
 intruder; but when the cat had finished her meal, 
 and \vas about to move off one-half of her body 
 being already outside the bars of the prison the 
 royal bird, with incredible quickness, struck one 
 of his talons into her side, and drew her back 
 into the cage again. The cat made a most des- 
 perate resistance, and attempted to bite her as- 
 sailant's leg, on which the eagle seized her by the 
 head with one talon in such a manner that a claw 
 penetrated each eye, and forced both out of their 
 sockets ; and in this posture the bird remained until 
 grimalkin was dead. But as all this took place 
 
CAT KLLLED BY EAGLE. 17 
 
 near to the side of the cage, and as the eagle 
 probably from fear of interruption would never 
 touch anything unless he was in the centre of 
 the cage, he therefore withdrew the talons in- 
 serted in the cat's head, and, with the others 
 still deeply imbedded in his victim's body, walked 
 or rather stumped away with the cat to his ac- 
 customed feeding-place. 
 
 " His first act was to draw out the tongue, which 
 he immediately devoured ; afterwards he made an 
 aperture with his beak below the breastbone, and 
 ate part of the lungs ; but the remaining part of 
 the cat was left until the following day, when he 
 finished it. Several times when the eagle was 
 supplied with a dead cat I made the remark 
 that, provided the jaws of the cat were not im- 
 movably fixed, he, in the first instance, always de- 
 voured the tongue. A dead pig was his favourite 
 food. He was also contented with rats, and when 
 very hungry would not tear them in pieces, but 
 swallow them whole. This I saw him do with nearly 
 full-grown individuals of Mus decumanus. Once he 
 escaped out of the cage, and whilst being recaptured 
 received much mal-treatment, from which he seemed 
 never fully to recover, and one morning, towards the 
 spring, he was found dead in his prison." 
 
 This account is not only amusing, but also in- 
 structive, as it shows the craft of the eagle as well as 
 its mode of action when securing and devouring its 
 prey. There could hardly have been a more per- 
 plexing antagonist to the eagle than the cat, for 
 the latter animal is peculiarly fitted by nature for 
 resistance to such an attack. If any of my readers 
 have attempted to catch a savage cat they will fully 
 appreciate the agility as well as the cunning of the 
 bird. 
 
 The cat, on such an occasion, appears to be en- 
 dued with a power of dispensing with its spine, and 
 of becoming a being composed solely of teeth and 
 
1 8 EAGLES. 
 
 claws. My left hand was once laid up for several 
 weeks in consequence of a bite inflicted by an angry 
 cat whom I had captured, and whose teeth contrived 
 to meet in my left thumb while I w T as securing her 
 claws in my right hand. 
 
 It is hardly possible to imagine a more ingenious 
 or a more effectual mode 01 putting a stop to such 
 proceedings than that adopted by the eagle. 
 
 Again, we find that the account of the eagle's 
 mode of destruction is corroborated, for the bird 
 killed the cat entirely by the claws, not bringing 
 its beak into operation at all until the animal was 
 dead. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 EAGLESCoNTiNUED. 
 
 Structure of Feathers. Yarious Descriptions of Wing. Ko 
 menclature of Feathers. Changes of Plumage. Dr. 
 Watts on Natural History. Muscles of Wings. Man 
 formerly a Winged Animal. ISTest of the Eagle. Ferocity 
 of Parent Bird. Story of Lakdar. 
 
 FEATHEKED friends are the object of our present 
 examination, and, in consequence, the feathers of our 
 friends must be examined, as well as the friends 
 themselves. There is a proverb that " fine feathers 
 make fine birds," which, as far as it goes, is true 
 enough ; but on a careful investigation we feel veiy 
 much at a loss to tell whether any one feather can be 
 finer than another, for the beauty of the feather will 
 very much depend on its adaptation to its use. 
 Accordingly, although the loose waving filaments of 
 the peacock's train are very beautiful, yet, when we 
 compare them with the firm, closely-set, knife-like 
 vanes of the eagle's wing feather, we should hesitate 
 a long time before we could award either the palm 
 for beauty. Yet at first sight there is no comparison 
 at all the feather of the peacock being resplendent 
 in the colours of the rainbow, while that of the 
 eagle is only of a dusky brown. 
 
 These feathers are so very curious, that before pro 
 needing further we will devote a short time to them 
 alone. 
 
 True feathers are to be found only on birds, and 
 therefore the very presence of feathers is sufficient to 
 mark out the bird from any other vertebrate animal. 
 There is only one bird which appears to form an excep- 
 tion to the general rule. That is the cassowary, whoso 
 
 c 3 
 
20 EAGLES. 
 
 body is covered with long black filament that looks 
 very like horse-hair, or more closely resembles split 
 whalebone ; yet the&e apparent hairs are in reality 
 feathers, being composed of the shafts without visible 
 vanes. 
 
 In order to point out the different kinds of feathers 
 upon a bird, it is necessary that each feather should be 
 known by its own name. This appears to be rather a 
 hopeless task, but is in reality very easy, as ornithologists 
 have arranged the plumage into districts on so simple a 
 plan, that when the method is learned each feather 
 can be named without difficulty. The feathers are 
 divided into two kinds, principal or quill feathers, 
 and inferior or coverts ; the coverts taking their 
 names from their locality, because they cover certain 
 parts of the body, while the principals are mostly used 
 for progression. 
 
 We will first take the wing of any bird, say a spar- 
 row. The wing-skeleton of a bird is composed of the 
 same bones as the arm of a man ; and, in order to 
 show how the feathers are placed, we will suppose 
 the right wing of a bird to be stretched out like a 
 man's arm, the fingers to be applied closely to each 
 other, and the thumb a little separated. 
 
 Now, if we begin with the quill feathers at the end 
 of the wing we shall find that ten of them can be 
 traced back to the hand and fingers. These form 
 the " primary " feathers, and in the arrangement of 
 these mostly depends the bird's style of flight. 
 
 If they are long, stiff, and pointed, we at once 
 know that the flight is swift and active. Such 
 feathers are to be found in the swallows and humming- 
 birds. But if they are short, rounded at the extremity, 
 and concave below! the flight will then be compara- 
 tively slow and laborious. Such is the case with our 
 sparrow, and to a greater extent with the magpie. 
 Then, if they are large, tolerably equal, and firm, the 
 bird flies easily, powerfully, and steadily. Most of 
 the crow family have this kind of wing. If, again, 
 
STRUCTURE OF FEATHERS. 21 
 
 they are large, concave, and fitted with scft vanes, as 
 in the owl, then the flight is easy and noiseless. 
 But if these feathers are short, pointed, and possess 
 hardly any vanes at all, as is the case with the 
 cassowary and other similar birds, then there is no 
 flight at all. So that from a short description of the 
 primaries it is easy to determine what kind of 
 figure the owner of them would make in -the air. 
 
 We now pass to the second part of the arm, that 
 from the wrist to the elbow. 
 
 From this portion proceed the next set of quill fea- 
 thers, appropriately called the secondaries. These 
 vary in number, shape, and size. In some birds they 
 are very prominent and distinct, while in others in 
 the sparrow, for example they merge into the pinions 
 so imperceptibly that there is no apparent distinction 
 between the tenth primary and the first secondary. 
 
 Lastly, a third set, called the " tertiaries," spring 
 from the portion of the wing between the elbow and 
 the shoulder. These are very variable, and often mark 
 out a species very plainly. In general, they are much 
 shorter than the primaries, and indeed are merged 
 into the little feathers that cover the exterior surface 
 of the wing. But in some birds, such as the plovers, 
 they are very long, and quite alter the shape of the 
 wing. In the cranes the tertiaries are developed into 
 long drooping plumes, almost reaching the ground. 
 These are the quill feathers of the wings, and they 
 are the only quills, with the exception of those of the 
 tail, which are called "rectrices," because they direct 
 the flight of the bird, just as a rudder directs a ship, 
 the wings acting the part of the sails. 
 
 The thumb has a little wing to itself, called the 
 winglet. 
 
 The inferior feathers of the wing are named ac- 
 cording to their position. Along the upper surface 
 run the lesser coverts in two or three rows, and below 
 them the single row of the greater coverts, sweeping 
 across the wing, and generally merging into the tei> 
 
EAGLES. 
 
 tiaries by almost imperceptible gradations. The ob- 
 ject of these coverts is to guard the quill portion of 
 the larger feathers, as well as to increase the space 
 and give a firmer stroke to the air. The under sur- 
 face of the wing is covered with a thick layer of 
 small feathers, called the under coverts. 
 
 With regard to the tail feathers, the little feathers 
 that guard their quill portions above are called the 
 upper tail coverts, and those below are named the 
 under tail coverts. In some birds these assume ele- 
 gant and brilliant forms. The well-known marabout 
 feathers are the under tail coverts of the marabout 
 stork, a bird resembling the adjutant ; and the magni- 
 ficent train of the peacock is composed of the tail co- 
 verts, the tail feathers themselves being short and stiff, 
 as is seen when the bird spreads its train. Such is 
 also the case with the long tail feathers of the 
 pheasant. 
 
 The feathers of the other portions of the body are 
 named in a similar manner. For example, the tuft of 
 feathers that shields the ear is called the " ear covert/' 
 those that guard the shoulder are named the " scapu- 
 laries," and so on. 
 
 The best way of examining the feathers, especially 
 those of the wing, is to begin with the upper and 
 under coverts, and after completing the examination 
 to strip off the under coverts, thus exposing the mode 
 in which the quill feathers are inserted. By so doing 
 the secondaries can be clearly distinguished from 
 the tertiaries, a matter which is not always easy as 
 long as the coverts hide the insertion of the quills. 
 But when the under coverts are removed, each quill 
 feather can be followed to its insertion, and therefore 
 at once assigned to its proper place. 
 
 The size of the wing itself appears disproportion- 
 ately small when compared with the spread of the 
 feathers, and it hardly appears possible that every 
 quill feather should not be torn out of its socket by 
 the resistance of the air. 
 
THE MODLT. 23 
 
 But if the wing is stretched to its full extent, as is 
 the case when a bird rises into the air, a strong and 
 elastic fold of skin is seen to stretch itself along each 
 division of the wing, and to support the quiils which 
 run through it, just as pins run through the folds of 
 the papers on which they are ranged for sale. 
 
 I fear that this description is not very interesting, 
 but it is necessary, as it is impossible to give or read 
 a description of a bird without reference to some of 
 these external forms. As feathers are necessarily of 
 a light and fragile material, and are exposed to many 
 chances of injury, they would soon be so damaged as 
 to take away the possibility of flight. Even in a single 
 year the feathers suffer much in birds that lead an ex- 
 posed life, such as the rooks, whose wings may be often 
 seen sadly tattered and torn as they slowly wend their 
 way through the air. 
 
 Therefore some process of renewal is necessary, 
 and this end is better attained by the entire change 
 of feathers than by the renovation of their parts. And 
 so remarkable is this change, that there are many 
 birds whose whole appearance changes at ea'ch moult, 
 as the renovating operation is called. In some the 
 change is so complete that the same bird has been 
 called by three different names, according to its varia- 
 tion in plumage, and has accordingly been set down 
 as a kind of ornithological Cerberus, three "birds at 
 once, much to the confusion of naturalists. 
 
 This moult is rather a dangerous period of a bird's 
 life, and it is remarkable that in those birds which are 
 artificially taught to whistle tunes, the song is often 
 entirely forgotten at the period of the moult, and has 
 to be taught afresh. 
 
 Many birds whose plumage is of the brilliant and 
 imposing order appear to feel quite ashamed of them- 
 selves when the moulting period arrives, and they are 
 deprived of those gorgeous feathers in which they 
 pride themselves. Now Dr. Watts may be pathetic 
 on the subject of * k Pride in Clothes," and indite 
 
24 EAGLES 
 
 verses accordingly; but he seems to lay all the pride 
 upon the human race, whereas, if he had paid as 
 much attention to the animals as to the little girl iir- 
 the speckled frock, " admiring of the same," he would 
 have found that pride is not entirely a human failing. 
 
 But Watts is not very perfect in his zoology. It is 
 true that " dogs delight to bark," but as to the biting, 
 I deny that they are given to that delectation unless 
 they are provoked. Also, although " bears and lions 
 growl," 1 do not think that they are in the habit of 
 fighting, either against each other or amongst them- 
 selves. I never heard of a bear-fight or a lion-fight 
 except in the arena, and there we hear of quite as 
 many man-fights. And again, there is a six-line 
 stanza on the ants, or emmets, pointing out their indus- 
 try in gathering up corn on a sunshiny day, and for 
 winter laying up their stores. Emmets know better 
 than to gather up corn which they could not eat, and 
 to fill up their houses with useless stores. They are 
 creophilous not sitophagists, to use a learned phrase. 
 So with the pride in dress. 
 
 Why, the peacock is quite as proud of his clothes 
 as the vainest lady or gentleman who could have ex- 
 cited the ire of Dr. Watts. He won't condescend to 
 take the trouble of displaying his finery unless there 
 are plenty of spectators before whom he can strut 
 backwards and forwards, rustle his array of quills, 
 like the wind stirring among dry leaves, and, in fact, 
 assert his superiority over the inferior sex, who are 
 content to look on and admire at a respectful dis- 
 tance. 
 
 Then there is the Whidali bird, or widow bird as he 
 is unjustly named, seeing that a gentleman is seldom 
 a widow, and it is only of the male that this propen- 
 sity is recorded. The bird has a very handsome long 
 tail, of which he is very proud. But the moulting 
 season comes and takes a fancy to the poor Whidah's 
 cherished tail, whereupon the bird instantly changes 
 his demeanour. As long as he had that ornament he 
 
MUSCLES OF THE WING. 25 
 
 was active and sprightly, hopping about and twisting 
 himself from side to side, so as to exhibit himself to 
 the best possible advantage. 
 
 But the ruthless moulting season treats him as 
 badly as Nannie treated Tarn O'Shanter's mare his 
 tail is carried off, and with his tail he loses his 
 vivacity. So ashamed of himself does he seem to 
 be, that until he can again exhibit a similar orna- 
 ment he sits drooping and downcast in a corner, much 
 as the daw might have acted when despoiled of his 
 borrowed plumes. 
 
 The muscles to move the wings must necessarily 
 be of very great power. If we take a dead bird, 
 spread its wing, and beat it against the air, it seems 
 to offer no resistance at all, and the fact that the 
 bird is upheld by a succession of such strokes, ap- 
 pears almost inexplicable. But, on examining the 
 muscular development of the bird, the difficulty 
 vanishes. 
 
 The proper way to do so, is to strip off the skin, 
 which is easily accomplished by making a small cut 
 in the skin, and turning the bird out of it. The 
 muscles then come into view. The most important of 
 them is the enormously developed muscle that pulls 
 the wing down and strikes it against the air. This 
 is so large, that supposing a man to be possessed of 
 a similar muscle, it would commence at his shoulders, 
 spread over half the breast, and run downwards until 
 it reached the lower extremities, while it would be 
 nearly a foot in thickness on the breast. 
 
 There are, necessarily, two of these muscles in a 
 bird, one for each wing, and they are separated as 
 well as supported by a deep bony ridge that runs 
 along the breastbone. It is this muscle that adheres 
 to the wing when we carve a fowl. 
 
 Following up the wing to its point, we shall find 
 many other muscles, each terminating in its own 
 tendon, and performing its own work. These can be 
 easily separated from each other like the strands of a 
 
26 EAGLES. 
 
 rope, by passing a blunt point under them, the 
 handle of a scalpel for instance, and working it up 
 and down until each muscle is completely separated 
 from its neighbour. Then, by pulling the tendons 
 with the forceps, the object of each is seen by the 
 movements which it communicates to the wing. 
 
 It will then be seen that the object of several of 
 the muscles is quite secondary, and that their duty 
 is to rotate the wing as it returns from the stroke, so 
 that it comes edgeways against the air; otherwise, 
 the bird would not get on at all, for the stroke would 
 only drive it backwards and forwards, instead of send- 
 ing it in the proper direction. The movement is a 
 very curious one, exactly analogous to the " feather- 
 ing " of oars in rowing, and cannot be seen properly, 
 unless the wing has been previously denuded of its 
 feathers. 
 
 These muscles perform the office of bending or 
 relaxing the hand part of the wing, and also aid in 
 giving it that peculiar turn to which I have already 
 alluded. 
 
 There was a time when the best existing definition 
 of a man was, " Animal bipes implume," a two-legged, 
 featherless animal. But I remember an argument 
 held by a boy, which would go to prove that even 
 that definition was entirely false. " 
 
 "What is the chief difference between birds and 
 men ? " asked the tutor. Boy reflects, and presently 
 comes answer. 
 
 "Don't know, sir." 
 
 " Think," says the tutor, " try again." 
 
 " Don't know, sir." 
 
 " Why, look at a sparrow, and then at a man ; is 
 there 110 difference in their appearance?" 
 
 " Don't see any, sir." 
 
 " Not see ! has not a bird wings, and a man has 
 none ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir, but men used to have wings." 
 
 Tutor jumps out of his seat at this astounding 
 
NEST OF EAGLE. 27 
 
 reply, and stares helplessly at the boy. " Men used 
 to have wings," says the boy again. 
 
 The tutor thinks that the boy has read the 
 " Vestiges of Creation " upside down, or lost himself 
 in some maze of philosophy, and calls on the boy to 
 explain. 
 
 " 1 saw it in the History of England," replies the 
 boy 
 
 " WHERE ?" said the tutor. "Go on." 
 
 "Why sir, it says, in the History of England, 
 that James II. took flight into France. He couldn't 
 have taken flight if he hadn't had wings." 
 
 Now this was really pure simplicity, and not a 
 specimen of astounding impertinence. The boy had 
 read that History of England very early, and the pri- 
 mary meaning of the words " took flight" had fixed 
 themselves so strongly in his mind, that no other 
 interpretation came across him. 
 
 The nest of the eagle is always built in some inac- 
 cessible place, either on the top of some lofty tree, 
 or on a crag. The latter, however, is most usual. 
 The nest is very inartificially constructed, and is 
 made mostly of sticks of various sizes. The number 
 of the sticks used is very great, and the nest is in 
 consequence a conspicuous object. Bushes or heath 
 are employed to line the nest, and upon the lining 
 two or three eggs are deposited. 
 
 When the young are hatched, and can use their 
 beaks, the large nest acts as a platform, on which are 
 strewed the carcasses of various animals, mostly hares, 
 rabbits, and grouse. Sometimes, but not often, young 
 lambs are carried off to the eaglets, and even foxes 
 have been seen in their larder. 
 
 In general, the nest is supplied with game much 
 faster than the young can eat it, and, in consequence, 
 the remainder is left to putrify, and causes the 
 neighbourhood of the nest to be visited with an un- 
 bearable stench. There is one case recorded, where 
 an eagle had built its nest within the reach of man, 
 
28 EAGLES. 
 
 and used to act as an involuntary purveyor to a neigh- 
 bouring family. The eagle, for example, would bring 
 home a hare, put it in the nest, and go off for another. 
 Then a man would come, and take away the hare. 
 The eagle, on coming home, deposits some other 
 animal, and, finding that the young have already 
 finished the hare, goes away again in search of more 
 prey. 
 
 The young eagles do -not remain very long with 
 their parents, but soon after they are fledged, are 
 turned out of the nest, and have to gain their own 
 living. 
 
 The plumage of the young bird is dissimilar from 
 that of the adult, and has caused the same bird to be 
 known by different names, according to its age. For 
 example, the plumage of the young of the golden 
 eagle is darker than that of the adult bird, and its 
 tail is barred with white at the extremity. In this 
 state it is the ring-tailed eagle, or the black eagle : 
 indeed, the same species has been known by no less 
 than five denominations during the first three years 
 of its existence. Even Bewick gives two figures of 
 the bird, under the names of golden and ring-tailed 
 eagle. 
 
 The eagle defends its young with the usual perti- 
 nacity of mothers under such circumstances, and as 
 it is possessed of such strength and agility, it is a 
 most formidable antagonist. There are many de- 
 scriptions of encounters with an infuriated eagle, 
 and in all, the bird proved itself worthy of its repu- 
 tation. 
 
 In one case, the fowler had descended by means 
 of a rope to the eagle's nest, which was placed near 
 the summit of a precipitous rock. He seized the 
 eaglets and was making his escape, when the parent 
 bird came back, and, uttering a scream of anger, 
 rushed at the despoiler. The man was provided with 
 a short sword, by means of which he kept the eagle 
 at bay for some time. At last, while aiming a furious 
 
STOEY OF LAKDAK. 29 
 
 stroke at his feathered enemy, that was dashing at 
 his head, he felt a smart jar on the rope that sus- 
 tained him, and on looking upwards, saw that he 
 had half severed the rope with a blow of his sword. 
 He, however, escaped. 
 
 I have already mentioned that, when taken young, 
 the eagle can he tamed and trained as readily as a 
 hawk, and used for the same purpose. As a proof 
 of this, I extract a passage from Jules Gerard's " La 
 Chasse au Lion." I must first mention that the 
 Algerines are especially tenacious of hawking privi- 
 leges, and no one is allowed to train or to fly falcons, 
 who is not a man of known power and consideration. 
 The story was related to M. Gerard by Lakdar, one 
 of his attendants, and affords a good instance, not , 
 only of the powers and capabilities of the eagle, but 
 of the semi-civilised habits of the Algerines, or 
 Moors, as Gerard calls them. 
 
 " In the course of the year when Algeria fell into 
 the power of the Christians, my cousin Lakdar and 
 myself took up the idea of puzzling a cheik of the 
 Ouled-Bou-Ghanem, a neighbour of ours, who, 
 although a mere nobody, took upon himself to rear 
 and train falcons. 
 
 " For this purpose we caught two young eagles, of 
 whose nest we knew, and taught them to chase young 
 falcons, which our herdsmen brought us every day. 
 
 " As soon as we judged our birds sufficiently trained 
 and accustomed to the noise of men and horses, 
 we sent a trustworthy friend among the people of the 
 cheik to find out where and when he would begin 
 his chase. Having learned the place and day, Lakdar 
 and myself set off before daybreak, driving before us 
 an ass which carried our eagles hooded, together 
 with some falcons to lure them back in case of ne- 
 cessity. 
 
 " The cheik and his company did not arrive until long 
 after us at the Oued-Mellegh, where they intended to 
 chase the bustard. As the tamarinds which bordered 
 
SO EAGLES. 
 
 the stream permitted us to follow the chase without 
 being perceived, we regulated our pace by that of the 
 hunters. 
 
 " Presently, a flock of bustards took wing before the 
 horsemen who were beating the plain ; four falcons 
 were successively loosed, and a bustard was instantly 
 separated from its companions and vigorously at- 
 tacked. 
 
 " Our eagles, when released from their hoods, were 
 not long in ^perceiving the chase, towards which they 
 directed their flight, at first heavily and in a straight 
 line, but afterwards with greater swiftness, and in 
 spiral curves, which brought them nearer together as 
 they ascended. 
 
 " After having tied our ass to a tamarind, we walked 
 up the stream in order to get a better view of the 
 affair. 
 
 " The bustard, separated from its companions, and, 
 as I have already said, vigorously attacked by the 
 four falcons together, had no means of safety left 
 except by keeping them below itself. 
 
 " For this purpose it rose vertically to such a height, 
 that it looked no bigger than a pigeon, while the 
 birds so eagerly pursuing it, appeared hardly larger 
 than grasshoppers, and finally disappeared entirely. 
 
 " The two eagles, after having arrived at these lofty 
 regions, were so confused with the chase that it was 
 soon impossible to distinguish them from the other 
 birds. 
 
 " The cheik and his band had stopped in the plain, 
 their eyes fixed on the sky, awaiting like ourselves 
 the issue of this aerial strife. 
 
 " Suddenly we thought that we heard from a great 
 distance piercing and repeated cries ; and in a short 
 time we could see a dark body increasing rapidly in 
 size as it approached, sometimes dashing about 
 furiously, and sometimes descending straight towards 
 the lower regions. 
 
 ' We were then able to recognise our eagles, who 
 
P. 30. 
 
 BUSTARDS, HAWKS, AND EAGLES. 
 
STOttY OF LAKDAR. 31 
 
 with outstretched wings permitted themselves to be 
 dragged downwards by the weight of the bustard, 
 which, with closed wings and drooping legs, fell 
 towards the earth without showing any sign of life. 
 
 ' Jn vain we looked for the falcons that belonged to 
 the cheik they had disappeared. Our entire atten- 
 tion was then directed towards the horsemen. 
 
 " At the moment when the bustard and the eagles 
 fell hissing into the midst of a large circle formed by 
 the cheik and his troop, a loud cry of ' treason' froze 
 us with terror. 
 
 "We then remembered, but too late, that in the 
 haste with which our birds had been loosed, the 
 jesses had been permitted, to remain on the feet of 
 one of them. Several men dismounted, and arranged 
 their mantles so as catch the eagles without being 
 wounded. 
 
 " There was nothing for us now but to fly, and we 
 took to our heels as fast as we could, never even 
 thinking of our ass, which, after all, turned out to be 
 the means of saving my life that day. 
 
 " We had run for nearly an hour, keeping up the 
 course of the stream and taking care not to leave the 
 trees which bordered it, when we saw four horsemen 
 barely two hundred yards behind us, and a little 
 further off the whole band of the cheik, which followed 
 on our track at a trot and a gallop. 
 
 " Flight was now out of the question, and we looked 
 for some plan of hiding ourselves. 
 
 " Lakdar chose a tuft of tamarinds and briars ; as 
 for me, I got into the bed of the stream, into which I 
 crept up to my neck in water and hid my head under 
 the herbage that hung over the brink. 
 
 " I was hardly fairly installed in my hiding-place, 
 when I heard the step of horses and the voice of a 
 rider who called to the people of the cheik, * Come to 
 this side, we are on their tracks ! They are plain as 
 day. There are the two sons of dogs together!' 
 
 " A noisy gallop and the neighing of horses heated 
 
32 EAGLES. 
 
 by a long run announced to me the arrival of the 
 cheik and all his train. 
 
 " 4 Let ten men,' said the cheik on his arrival, * push 
 forward until they can find no more traces. Then let 
 them stop and guard both banks. You others, my 
 children, dismount, take your pistols in your hands, 
 follow the steps of these rascals, and bring them to 
 me alive if you can.' 
 
 " On hearing this order I saw that it was all over 
 with Lakdar ; but my position being better than his, 
 I preserved the hope that I might survive to avenge 
 him. 
 
 " Only then I discovered that my feet were sinking 
 in the mud, and that the water, which at first hardly 
 covered my shoulders, was beginning to wet my lips. 
 
 " There is a saying that he who never knew fear is 
 not a man. I was man enough that day, for I was hor- 
 ribly afraid, not so much of the threats of the enemies 
 that were hot on our pursuit, but of being drowned. 
 
 "I was roused from my personal fears by a pistol 
 shot followed by imprecations and several other 
 reports. 
 
 " My cousin, seeing himself discovered, had dis- 
 charged his pistol at the group which surrounded 
 him, and which, despite the prohibition of the cheik, 
 could not restrain themselves from returning the 
 compliment. 
 
 " Loud words, which I could distinguish in the midst 
 of the hubbub that followed, told me that Lakdar 
 was not dead and that they were dragging him to the 
 cheik. 
 
 " I could restrain myself no further, and desiring, at 
 the risk of being taken, to know what would become 
 of him, I was just on the point of quitting my re- 
 treat when two men jumped into the *bed of the 
 stream. 
 
 " ' Look ! there he got down!' said the first, point- 
 ing to my steps on the sand. 
 
 "'He entered there,' said the other, pushing his 
 
STORY OF LAKDAR. 33 
 
 way to the edge of the stream, where I kept myself 
 immoveable at ten paces from him, and peeped at 
 him through the grass that covered my head. 
 
 " * It is curious,' continued the last who had spoken, 
 * I cannot see any more traces in the bed of the 
 stream. Surely IIP could not have crept in there ! ' 
 
 " Just at this moment I heard steps above my head, 
 and a voice saying to the man who was so close to 
 me, ' Mohammed, the cheik sent me to fetch you, for 
 none of the horsemen has so good a knife as yours.' 
 
 " ' What do you want it for?' asked he. 
 
 " ' To cut off the head of the dog whom we have 
 just caught,' answered the messenger. 
 
 " The prospect of cutting off a man's head got the 
 better of the ardent research to which they had just 
 before been devoted, and drew them away immediately. 
 Thus I was delivered from the most fearful position 
 in which I have ever found myself in the course of 
 my life. 
 
 " After what I had heard, it was evident that my 
 cousin was going to lose his head, and that I could 
 do nothing to help him. 
 
 "As I felt sure that the men who had just left me 
 w r ould come back after the execution, and as it was 
 impossible for me to find another hiding-place, without 
 leaving traces behind me, I made up my mind to stay 
 where I was. 
 
 "A root which I perceived under the bank above my 
 head enabled me to suspend myself for a moment, 
 and to take up a position that was not quite so dan- 
 gerous as the former. 
 
 "After having heard shouts and noisy laughter ex- 
 cited by the triple execution which took place 
 behind me, I fancied that I could distinguish the 
 steps of horses hastening away from the stream, and 
 after a while I could hear nothing at all. 
 
 " Time passed away, and with it the sun, and after 
 a while I could see several stars twinkling in the 
 sky. 
 
 D 
 
34 EAGLES. 
 
 " I got out of my retreat quietly, and carefully 
 mounted the bank of the stream. 
 
 " I looked and I listened; nothing no noise except 
 the croaking of the frogs, no living being but myself, 
 except some jackals that were prowling round the 
 body of Lakdar, whom I found horribly mutilated, 
 and flanked by the two eagles who had been decapi- 
 tated as well as himself. 
 
 t; After assuring myself that I was quite alone, I 
 wrapped up in my burnous the head and body of my 
 cousin, and lifting him on my shoulder, directed my 
 steps towards the spot where we had hidden our ass 
 that morning. 
 
 4 ' I found him in the same place, browsing the grass 
 that grew at the foot of the tamarind to which he was 
 tied. I availed myself of the cord that surrounded 
 my head to tie my precious burden Securely, and then 
 struck across the plain in order to gain a path which 
 would bring me before daybreak to our douar. 
 
 " I had travelled nearly four hours, without having 
 met with anything, although I was constantly followed 
 by some jackals who were allured by the smell of the 
 blood, when suddenly my ass stopped short, pricked 
 its ears, and began to tremble in every limb. 
 
 " Just at that moment I caught sight of two eyes 
 shining like burning coals, exactly in my path, and 
 not far from me. 
 
 " As I was well accustomed to these sort of adven- 
 tures, 1 set myself to cutting the bands which held 
 the corpse of Lakdar on the back of the ass ; and, 
 again lifting him on my shoulders, went off across 
 the plain, leaving my poor beast positively nailed to 
 the earth with fear. 
 
 lt I had hardly gone a hundred steps, when I heard 
 a sound like the fall of a heavy body which is violently 
 cast to the earth ; then a kind of growling, and then 
 nothing. 
 
 ''The lion had accepted the sacrifice which I 
 had just made him, so I reassured myself, and by 
 
STORY OF LAKDAE 85 
 
 making a large circuit, regained the path which I had 
 left. 
 
 " Not long afterwards I met some of our relations 
 on horseback, who had come to look for us. After 
 they had heard my account of the event of the past 
 day, they wanted to set off instantly to revenge the 
 death of Lakdar. 
 
 " However, I made them understand that there was 
 not a sufficient number of them, that I was unarmed 
 and on foot, and, moreover, that they could not leave 
 the body of our friend behind. ~ 
 
 " So one horseman laid across his saddle the bur- 
 nous which contained the remains of Lakdar, another 
 took me up behind him, and we regained our douar 
 before any one was up. 
 
 " On the evening of the same day fifty chosen horse- 
 men, every one of whom was a man of note, followed 
 in the steps of the enemy's horses, and dismounted 
 close by the smala of Lakdar's murderer. 
 
 " There were great rejoicings going on, in honour 
 of the late execution. The couscoussou was served, so 
 that we arrived just in season. 
 
 " The dogs gave the alarm at our approach, and we 
 were accosted by several servants, who seemed much 
 astonished at seeing such a number of guests arriv- 
 ing at once. 
 
 " While ten horsemen were strangling these rascals 
 with the camel cords that surrounded their heads, 
 the others arrived before the cheik's tent and sabred 
 the attendants and the inferior guests who had to 
 wait outside for the remains of the feast. 
 
 " All this time, I left my companions to themselves, 
 and thought of nothing but finding the cheik, whom 
 I intended to kill with my own hands. 
 
 " The approaches to the tents once clear, I was the 
 first man to spring into the interior, where a dozen 
 grandees sat with the cheik in a circle, preserving 
 complete immobility. 
 
 " A quarter of an hour afterwards their heads were 
 
 D 2 
 
36 EAGLES. 
 
 ranged in order round the dish of still smoking cons- 
 "fcoussou, and the fifty horsemen re-entered their re- 
 spective douars, driving before them an immenstr 
 herd of cattle, and loaded with a considerable booty. 
 
 "All this passed without a single shot and almost 
 without noise, so that the douars that were in the 
 neighbourhood of the cheik's smala, only learned our 
 coup de main too late to give any assistance. 
 
 " Since that day, until the arrival of the French, 
 who put an end to hostilities, a good many heads fell 
 on the borders of the two tribes, but nobody ever 
 saw any falcons except our own." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 EAGLES CONTINUED. 
 
 The Eagle emblematised by various nations. Ferocity of Bird 
 descending to its Feathers. Eagle tormented by Hum- 
 ming-birds. Skua Gulls attack Eagles. The Biter bit. 
 Combat between Ospreys and Eagle. The Wings used as 
 Weapons. Eagle's Skeleton. Eagle-traps. Eagle igno- 
 miniously killed. Its Power of resisting Hunger. "Odd" 
 Eagle. Eagle used as Food. Voice of the Eagle. 
 
 ALL nations, from the ancients to the present day, 
 have displayed a great predilection for the eagle. It 
 is used as the national emblem, as the appropriate 
 ornament for the national flag, and as the stamp on 
 the national coin. 
 
 The poor bird is really very badly treated ; it is 
 seldom represented in its true form or its true colours. 
 Some nations blacken it, some cut it down the middle 
 and spread it abroad, some flatten it, while others 
 combine the operations, and further insult the royal 
 bird by placing a round crown on its long head, hang 
 a chain round its neck, and weary its claws with a 
 sceptre. America certainly takes the eagle as it is, 
 and keeps it as the national emblem, uncrowned, un- 
 scepter^d, unsplit, unblacked, and unflattened. 
 
 Perhaps, of all nations, the American Indians pay 
 the greatest reverence to the eagle, and this reverence 
 extends throughout the savage tribes of America, 
 from north to south. The Aracaunian Indians actually 
 worship the eagle, considering it as a kind of demi- 
 god presiding over the welfare of their nation. 
 
 The fact of the eagle-adoration, or setolatry, as the 
 very learned might call it, was witnessed by Mr. E. 
 Keuel Smith, who records the words of the Indian's 
 
38 EAGLES. 
 
 prayer. The party were on a journey, when an eagle, 
 startled by their approach, sprung from its perch, 
 soared round them, and then disappeared on their 
 right. This rencontre was considered a happy omen, 
 , and especially so as the bird was seen on the right 
 hand. 
 
 The Indian who had disturbed the bird addressed 
 the following prayer to it, "Oh, Namcu ! Great Being ! 
 Look not upon us with thy left, but with thy right 
 eye ; for thou knowest that we are poor. Watch over 
 our children and brothers ; grant us happiness, and 
 allow us to return in safety from our journey." 
 
 It is curious that these savages should have much 
 the same ideas of the eagle as we find were held by 
 the civilised Romans. The Aracaunians look upon 
 the bird as a celestial messenger, in direct communi- 
 cation with the Supreme Being. The Romans called 
 the eagle the Bird of Jove ; they looked upon it as 
 his messenger, and represented it as grasping the 
 thunderbolt in its claws, in token of its ready swift- 
 ness and obedience 
 
 The reason for this universal concurrence of feeling 
 is evident enough. Man is naturally led to admire 
 strength, beauty, and swiftness, and when all three 
 are united in one creature, it would be more wonder- 
 ful that he should have overlooked them than that he 
 sliould have paid them rather more respect than their 
 due. And especially would the savage mind have 
 been struck with this bird, whose qualities exactly 
 coincide with those which themselves strive to ex- 
 hibit. The external and evident qualities of courage, 
 strength, and fierceness, are just those that would at- 
 tract the savage mind, in which the combative is al- 
 ways predominant. 
 
 Therefore, among savages, a man who had shown 
 himself pre-eminently endowed with these savage 
 virtues was permitted, as a reward, to adorn himself 
 with the plumage of the bird whose conduct he imi- 
 tated, and often to call- himself by its name. And 
 
ARMORIAL BEARINGS. 39 
 
 this habit is handed on through successive genera- 
 tions, and, as is often the case in other matters, the 
 custom remains, though its use and purport have long 
 been forgotten. 
 
 The savage wears an eagle's plume on his head ; we 
 civilised beings place an eagle on our coats of arms, 
 and value its presence little less than our savage an- 
 cestor, though with less reason. None but the chiefs 
 or the noted warriors are permitted to wear eagles' 
 plumes in their head-dress, for each plume represents 
 an enemy slain in single fight. Those who are am- 
 bitious of a plume-helmet without the daring to go s 
 through the necessary preliminaries of battle, are 
 forced to content themselves with the feathers of the 
 raven or some such bird. The plumage of the chiei 
 of birds may only be worn by a chief of men. 
 
 Few savages, therefore, will part with their hardly- 
 earned trophies, for the war eagle is a rare bird, and 
 some time must necessarily elapse before the defi- 
 ciency could be supplied, during which time the war- 
 rior feels himself something like a peacock who has 
 lost his tail, or a whidah bird at moulting time. The 
 quills are fastened into a basis of ermine, and some- 
 times are so numerous that the head-dress sweeps 
 from the forehead to the feet in a torrent of radiant 
 plumes. 
 
 Catlin found that to procure one of these highly- 
 prized head-dresses for his collection w r as a most diffi- 
 cult task, and could not succeed until he consented 
 to give in exchange two horses an amount, it must 
 be remembered, which is, among those Indians, 
 equivalent to the value of a chief's wife. 
 
 Even to our own days lives the custom of wearing 
 the feathers of the eagle as a mark of rank. I allude 
 to the feathers worn in the bonnets of the chiefs of 
 Scotch clans, the precise rank being known by the 
 number of feathers. Three feathers mark the chief 
 himself, his sons are privileged to wear two, while 
 
40 . EAGLES. 
 
 others of gentle birth only carry a single feather in 
 their bonnet. 
 
 It is rather singular that the destructive properties 
 of the eagle itself should be thought to descend to its 
 feathers. Yet the earlier naturalists tell us that if in 
 a box eagle's feathers are placed with those of other 
 birds, the more ignoble plumes will be consumed by 
 those of the eagle. There may perchance be some 
 ground for this evident absurdity. It may be possible, 
 though I do not vouch for it, that there may be some 
 odour or flavour in the feather of the eagle that would 
 render it unpalatable to those pests of the museum 
 or the cabinet, the mites, moths, and worms, and so 
 preserve it for a longer time. 
 
 King of birds though the eagle may be thpugh he 
 sits on Jupiter's thunderbolt, the only piece of celes- 
 tial property that Mercury himself dared not trust in 
 his fingers yet is he worried and pestered by vari- 
 ous of his subjects. Among these rebels, the skua- 
 gull and the humming-bird are pre-eminent. But, 
 curiously enough, the skua, a tolerably large bird, 
 seldom, if ever, attacks the eagle unless it is sup- 
 ported by others of its own kindred, in which case 
 it will mob the eagle, much as the crows mob a 
 heron. 
 
 When several skua-gulls intend to attack an eagle, 
 they form in line and deliver their attacks succes- 
 sively, in a manner that reminds us of gun-boats at- 
 tacking a fort. They dare not face the bill and claws 
 of their powerful enemy, but, dashing at him as if to 
 strike him on the face, make a sudden" sweep round, 
 deliver the blow on his back, and then dart perpen- 
 dicularly into the air. They then resume their place 
 behind their companions, and repeat the attack until 
 they have driven their antagonist away. 
 
 The skua will attack a man in the same way, and 
 the traveller who unwarily approaches too near the 
 nests of these birds is sometimes startled by receiving 
 
P. 41. 
 
 EAGLE AND HUMMING-BIRD. 
 
THE BITER BIT. 41 
 
 a smart blow on the shoulders, and on looking round 
 sees the skua high above his head. Bat if he can 
 only keep his eye on the gull, it will not venture to 
 attack, and even if it has approached within a foot or 
 two will suddenly change the direction of its flight, 
 and sweep upwards out of reach. 
 
 But, when the little humming-bird attacks the 
 eagle, it does so singly, and measures its tiny form 
 against the powerful weapons of its foe in all the 
 confidence of its insignificance. A skua may fear the 
 eagle, for it affords a substantial hold for the eagle's 
 claws, or a definitive object for the eagle's beak. But 
 the eagle might as well try to catch a sunbeam as a 
 humming-bird, and the little creature knows it well. 
 A pair of humming-birds will attack an eagle without 
 the least scruple, and a solitary ruby- throated hum- 
 ming-bird has been seen deliberately seated on the 
 head of an eagle, pecking out the feathers and scat- 
 tering them in a stream behind the tortured bird, 
 which, with screams of terror and agony, dashed 
 through the air in the vain hope of shaking off its 
 puny foe. 
 
 The sparrow-hawk also has been seen to attack the 
 eagle, and to escape its wrath by means *of superior 
 agility on the wing. And there is on record a furious 
 instance of poetical retribution. Eagles are very fond 
 of hares, and possibly from this circumstance an 
 eagle, mistaking a cat for a hare, pounced upon it 
 and carried it to the nest as a meal for the young. 
 The parent bird then went away to find more food, 
 and the cat lay in the nest half senseless from fright. 
 Presently, however, she recovered herself, killed the 
 eaglets, ate one of them, and got away without 
 further damage. 
 
 The fish-hawk will also attack the eagle, but then 
 only in company. The following account from an eye- 
 witness gives an admirable idea of their mode of 
 proceeding : 
 
 " Now, to witness, as I have often done, from the 
 
42 EAGLES. 
 
 mountain tops, the osprey swoop down from th 
 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 that glitter 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 confi- 
 dent savage 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 struggle ! 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 clouds above me, and stir them whirling in 
 gyrations. .But no ; the conqueror, with overcoming 
 wings, is upon him, with fierce bufferings. The 
 stirred chaos cannot hide from me, and the fisher 
 drops its prey with a despairing shriek, while it goes 
 gleaming towards its ravished home. 
 
 " Now, but an instant's poise while the sunlight can 
 flash off a ray from 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 Falconidae, still 
 recognises that point beyond which forbearance is a 
 virtue. Wlien 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 
 
EAGLES AND OSPREYS. 43 
 
 the tyrannical robber. I have frequently witnessed 
 such scenes along the coast of tjie Gulf of Mexico. 
 They abound in great numbers along the estuaries of 
 its great rivers. I remember, particularly, to have 
 noted the greatest collection of them at the mouth of 
 the Brazos Paver, of 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 gambols of these 
 powerful and graceful-flighted birds, and many is 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 
 protection, 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 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 turn 
 tail, and with most undignified acceleration of flight, 
 would dart towards the covert of the leafy 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 greatly to 
 relish the scenes, that year after year the eagles 
 made persevering attempts to obtain a lodgment in 
 the neighbourhood of this colony, but were always 
 promptly repulsed and finally driven off. This, 
 
44 EAGLES. 
 
 therefore, formed a secure breeding place as well 
 as feeding ground for these mild and amiablv 
 birds. 1 ' 
 
 It is said that when the eagle hunts animals of any 
 considerable size, it uses its wings as weapons, by 
 dipping them in water, then in gravel or sand, and 
 then striking its intended prey about the face until it 
 is blinded. When the poor creature sinks under the 
 stunning effect of the continual blows, and the blind- 
 ing effects of the wet gravel in its eyes, the eagle 
 brings its talons into play, and by them deprives its 
 prey of life. 
 
 This may possibly be the case, for an eagle has 
 been known to act in precisely the same manner to- 
 wards mankind. Two lads had plundered an eagle's 
 nest of the young, and were returning home with 
 their prize, when they were discovered by one of the 
 parent birds. The infuriated eagle set off in chase 
 of the two lads, and aimed such rapid and powerful 
 blows at them with her wings, which she wetted and 
 sanded in a brook that ran close by, that, although 
 armed with sticks, they did not make their escape 
 without much difficulty. 
 
 And yet the skeleton of the eagle is surprisingly 
 small, when we recollect the appearance of the 
 bird in its living state, and if we had never seen a 
 living eagle, or its stuffed skin, we should hardly be- 
 lieve that so small a bird could be so dangerous, 
 and that through sheer strength. 
 
 But we will clothe the skeleton with its appropriate 
 muscles and tendons, and then the wonder ceases. 
 For the muscles are moulded like those of Hercules ; 
 they glisten through their shiny tendinous coat, 
 which afterwards narrows into flattened shining bands 
 that play over their bony axes like the connecting 
 bands of an engine over their wheels and pulleys. 
 And when we examine the pectoral muscles, occupy- 
 ing nearly the entire front of the bird, we no longer 
 
THE EAGLE A CARRION-EATER. 45 
 
 wonder at the powerful blows which can he dealt hy 
 the wings to which those muscles are attached. 
 
 If Buffoii had made the muscular system of the 
 eagle the hasis of his celebrated parallel, there might 
 have been some excuse for it. But it is really singu- 
 lar, that in that very passage where he compares the 
 lion with the eagle, he is wrong in almost every par- 
 ticular. For example, we are told that both creatures 
 are magnanimous, and refuse to take possession of 
 any prey which is not gained by their own exertions. 
 Yet, both eagles and lions are caught in traps baited by 
 dead animals, and have been seen satiating their 
 appetite on carrion, while they keep at a distance 
 those animals to whom carrion-eating seems more pro- 
 perly to belong the vultures and the hyenas. Then, 
 again, the same author remarks that the eagle, like 
 the lion, seldom consumes the whole of the prey, but 
 leaves the offal to the more ignoble animals. 
 
 Partly true, M. de Buffon, and for irresistible reasons. 
 There are limits to the capacity of the stomach of an 
 eagle as well as a lion, and, as a natural consequence, 
 when the bird has eaten to repletion, it cannot, by 
 any possibility, eat any more. Then the more 
 ignoble animals, as they are called, come and finish 
 what the eagle has left. But neither eagle or lion 
 think of leaving their prey until they have thoroughly 
 gorged themselves, and they are not in the least par- 
 ticular whether their dinner has been procured by 
 their own exertions or by any other means. 
 
 As to the eagle, it permits other birds and beasts 
 to finish the fragments, because it is physically inca- 
 pable of preventing them, owing to the enormous 
 meal which it has just made. Often, an eagle cannot 
 fly for some time after making one of these huge 
 meals, and there is a recorded instance of an igno- 
 minious death inflicted upon an eagle in consequence 
 of its gluttony. The bird had been discovered by a 
 shepherd-boy, who drove it from a dead sheep on which 
 it was feeding. But it had devoured so much mutton 
 
46 EAGLES 
 
 that it could not raise itself from the ground, and 
 could only flutter and run. The boy seeing the bird 
 in this state, gave chase, and succeeded in stoning 
 the eagle to death. This anecdote also shows that 
 the eagle will feed on beasts that have died of dis- 
 ease. 
 
 The gluttony of the eagle is turned to good account 
 by the Highland shepherds, who catch it in a very 
 curious but simple trap. They build a circular wall, 
 four or five feet in height, and leave at the bottom 
 a doorway large enough for the passage of the eagle. 
 To the exterior of the wall, a strong noose is fixed, 
 and arranged so as to fall over the doorway. The 
 trap is now complete, and is baited by laying a dead 
 sheep in the enclosure. The eagle sees or smells 
 the bait, wheels round in the air, and finally drops 
 upon it from above. It then eats until it can eat no 
 longer, and, having done so, makes up its mind to go 
 away. But flight in its present state would be very 
 uncomfortable, and so the bird, seeing the door, walks 
 out of it, and into the noose. Finding itself caught, 
 it struggles and plunges, until it draws the noose 
 tight round its neck and strangles itself. 
 
 Still, although the eagle will gorge itself to reple- 
 tion when it has the opportunity, it can endure a 
 total abstinence from food for a long period of time. 
 A wounded eagle, for instance, voluntarily fasted for 
 nearly a fortnight. Its leg had been broken by a fox- 
 trap, and the bird behaved with singular resignation, 
 not offering the least resistance when the broken 
 portions of the bone were removed and the leg bound 
 up, although its head was left at liberty during the 
 painful operation. With an unerring instinct, it re- 
 fused food for thirteen days, and then ate a rabbit, 
 which it killed by a blow of its beak. 
 
 The same power of existing without food often 
 seems to be conjoined with enormous capabilities of 
 stomach. Lions, for example, and most of the feline 
 tribe, can withstand very Idng fasts, while the same 
 
THE PEEDACEOUS LIMB. 47 
 
 facts may be observed in the human savage. The 
 native Australian exists for an almost incredible time 
 without nourishment, merely binding his " girdle of 
 famine" tighter, in order to check the gnawing pains 
 of hunger. But when he has the opportunity, the 
 amount of meat that he will devour, and the gallons 
 of water that he will drink, can hardly be believed, 
 even by an eye-witness. No other but an eye-witness 
 would dare to relate the tale of gluttony, for none but 
 an eye-witness could hope to be believed. 
 
 These alternations of painful hunger and almost as 
 painful repletion form one of the great characteristics of 
 savage life, whether the savage be man, beast, or bird; 
 and impress themselves on the whole creature, in the 
 fierce, hungry glance of the eye, and in the gaunt, 
 wiry limbs, devoid of every morsel of fat, and look- 
 ing like a bundle of wires covered with skin. 
 
 Let a physiologist see but a single limb of a native 
 Australian, and he at once pronounces it to belong to 
 a wild animal, human though this animal be; for it 
 is only the animal portion that he sees, and he there- 
 fore only treats of the animal characteristics. 
 
 The thigh of an Australian savage is hardly larger 
 than the arm of an ordinary man. Yet it is not a 
 limb wasted by disease ; for, although there is little 
 substance, what substance is left is hard and firm, 
 bearing about the same analogy to those of European 
 limbs as a wire rope bears to a hempen cable. The 
 force seems to be compressed into as little space as 
 possible, and there is not an ounce of superfluous 
 weight about the whole limb. It is eminently a pre- 
 claceous limb, the property of an animal whose sole 
 object in life is to pursue and catch prey, and then to 
 devour it ravenously. 
 
 Few creatures of prey are prolific, and the eagle is 
 no exception to this merciful and necessary law. 
 There are very seldom more than two eggs in the 
 nest, and if three are found it is said that two of the 
 eggs are always females, and that one of the two be- 
 
48 EAGLES. 
 
 comes an " odd bird," never finding a mate, but 
 spending a life of celibacy, and living to a very great 
 age. The "odd" eagle is also said to grow to a 
 large size, to be very ferocious in its manners, and oc- 
 casionally to assert the claims of its sex, by deposit- 
 ing an egg somewhere on the mountains. The eggs, 
 however, are always unproductive. 
 
 The eagle is a notorious eater, but is hardly looked 
 upon in the light of food. Yet such is sometimes its 
 destiny; and hunters speak of making a supper 
 upon young eagles with as much composure as if they 
 were young chickens. After all, the flesh of the puma 
 is thought a great delicacy, and so there is no reason 
 why that of the eagle should not be ranked in the 
 same category; for, among quadrupeds, the felidae 
 occupy much the same position as the hawks among 
 birds. Laying aside the indispensable differences of 
 form, their habits and instincts are very similar, their 
 food is of the same character, and obtained in the 
 same manner. So, if a carnivorous animal is found 
 to be excellent food, why not a carnivorous bird ? 
 
 As to its voice, perhaps the less said in its praise 
 the better. It is a rough, sharp, ear-piercing cry, well 
 calculated to strike terror into the hearts of less 
 powerful birds, but not pleasing to human ears. Yet 
 it is suitable to the wild, rough rocks among which 
 the eagle loves to dwell, and harmonises well with the 
 scenery. Much in the same way, the bagpipes, al- 
 though most detestable in civilised society, are really 
 well adapted to the Highlands, where they were in- 
 vented, and for which they were made. Everything 
 in its own place. Put the eagle on a precipice, or the 
 bagpipes among the hills, and each is in harmony 
 with surrounding objects. But if they are brought 
 into places with which they were never intended to 
 have any connection, it must be expected that the 
 sense of hearing would be as much offended by their 
 discord as that of taste would be in ea: ing vinegar 
 with pine-apple, or sugar with oysters. 
 
VOICE OF EAGLE. 49 
 
 None of the vultures or hawks have any power of 
 song, nor are their voices even melodious, except in 
 one solitary instance, that of the chanting falcon 
 (Melierax musicus), a bird resident in South Africa, and 
 of which five or six specimens are in the British 
 Museum. But the song of this exception to the 
 general rule is not much of a song after all, and^ only 
 of short duration, so that its reputation is only based 
 upon singularity, and not upon excellence, just as an 
 oyster gained great fame by whistling, and a canary 
 bird by talking, although there were no particular 
 powers of melody in the one or of conversation in the 
 other. 
 
 Here I close the history of the eagles. It would 
 be easy enough to fill a volume with accounts of these 
 grand birds, but there are two reasons for not doing 
 so. The first reason is, that some twenty more birds 
 are awaiting their turn to be introduced to the public, 
 and the second, that, although stories of eagles are 
 plentiful as blackberries, they are not all quite so au- 
 thentic. As Mudie observes, "I found that eagles 
 had been a sort of ' lion' with wandering tourists, and 
 that any number of their achievements might be had 
 cheap." 
 
 The same reasons have prevented me from insert- 
 ing any "elegant extracts" from the various poets 
 who have made eagles the theme of their song. 
 
 So we will now take our leave of the eagles, and 
 pass on to the vultures. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VULTURES. 
 
 Pseudo-British Birds. Frauds on Naturalists. The Represen- 
 tative System of Nature. Ghoules and Vultures. Battle 
 between Eye and Nose. Structure of Eye. Kestrel. Ex- 
 periment with Vultures. Instinct. Voracity of Vulture. 
 A " Game Flavour." Useful Property of Charcoal. 
 Wing of Vulture. Its graceful Flight. The Condor. 
 
 THESE strange and repulsive birds are no real inha- 
 bitants of the British Isles. It is true that they are 
 admitted into the catalogue of British birds, because 
 a few have been seen in England at distant intervals. 
 But I very much doubt whether such an event affords 
 sufficient foundation for granting them the privilege 
 of Britons. I do not see that if I, for example, were 
 wrecked off the coast of Madagascar or the Feejees, I 
 should thereby be constituted a native of those isles. 
 And I contend that no bird has any right to be con- 
 sidered as a British bird unless it was hatched or 
 generally resides in the British Isles. 
 
 We do not call a gull an inland bird because it has 
 occasionally been seen in places distant many miles 
 from the sea ; and very many more gulls are found 
 in the midland counties of England every year than 
 vultures in ten years throughout the whole of the 
 British coasts. I say that the vultures have no more 
 right to be called English birds because they are 
 occasionally seen on the English coasts than a daw 
 to be reckoned a religious bird, to borrow Hood's 
 simile, " because it keeps a-cawing from a steeple." 
 
 I do believe that the greater number of these 
 pseudo-British birds have been thrust into the 
 
BRITISH BIRDS AND THEIR EGGS. 51 
 
 catalogue by interested persons the dealers in eprgs 
 for example. For now no collection of British birds' 
 eggs is considered complete without those of the 
 griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), the Egyptian or Alpine 
 vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the white spoonbill 
 (Plattdea leucorodia), the American swan (Cygnus 
 American-its), and some thirty more, among which is 
 positively the pelican (Pelecanm onocrotalus), because 
 in ] 663 one specimen was seen in England, which 
 was supposed to have escaped from the king's 
 mews ! 
 
 Of course it is quite impossible to find the eggs of 
 these birds by personal search, and therefore, if the 
 cabinet is to be considered as complete, the eggs must 
 be purchased, to the great detriment of the oologist's 
 pocket. I speak feelingly. 
 
 Apropos of eggs. Would any one think that empty 
 eggs need the Lancet commission, and that even 
 experienced eyes may be deceived ? Yet more than 
 one connoisseur in eggs has boasted of specimens in 
 which there was not one particle of egg-shell, and 
 which had only been hatched in the prolific brain of 
 the forger. There are few objects more difficult to 
 forge than an empty egg-shell, and when the forgery 
 comes to be submitted to men whose eyes are as well 
 practised in eggs as those of a Bank of England 
 clerk in bank-notes, it is really astonishing that the 
 forgery should pass undetected. 
 
 There is no very great difficulty in imitating the 
 exterior of an egg which is to lie undisturbed in the 
 cabinet, defended from strange hands by its protect- 
 ing glass ; the difficulty lies in imitating the weight, 
 thickness of shell, and other peculiarities. 
 
 No one would trouble himself to forge eggs unless 
 they were of considerable value, and accordingly the 
 specimens chosen for this purpose were the eggs of 
 the great auk. This bird lays its eggs in almost 
 inaccessible situations, and accordingly, although the 
 bird is not scarce, its egg is very rare indeed, and 
 
 u a 
 
52 VULTURES. 
 
 bears much the same value among eggs as the orange 
 cowry among shells. 
 
 Some years ago a foreigner called upon one of the 
 metropolitan egg fanciers and offered for sale one or 
 two eggs of the great auk at a price very small for the 
 object, but in other respects absurdly large. The 
 intended purchaser was rather surprised at the low 
 price asked, but after some deliberation agreed to 
 pay it 
 
 Fortunately, before the sum demanded was actually 
 paid, a gentleman came in, and, after examining the 
 eggs carefully, pronounced them nothing but impos- 
 tures. And so they were. So cleverly had the forger 
 managed matters, and so thoroughly had he carried 
 out every detail, that he had even taken the precau- 
 tion of lining the egg with the proper membrane, 
 part of which was left, ragged and torn, at the 
 orifice, through which the contents were supposed to 
 have been removed ; and had also imbued the egg 
 with an exact imitation of a peculiar odour that 
 exists in all the eggs of that class of birds. 
 
 This circumstance was narrated to me by a person 
 who had seen one of the false eggs, and who said 
 that he should probably have been deceived by it 
 had not his attention been specially called to its 
 falsity. 
 
 There seems to be a kind of representative system 
 running through the whole of nature, each order 
 being balanced, as it were, by a corresponding order 
 in another class. For instance, it is evident that 
 the felidse of the class mammalia find their repre- 
 sentatives in the hawks, the eagle appearing to be 
 the type of the lion. 
 
 So the vulture appears to represent the hyaena, to 
 which it bears a strange resemblance in its habits 
 and general aspect. Its food is almost invariably 
 carrion, which it seems to prefer if putrid, and its 
 demeanour is precisely such as would seem suitable 
 to sucli food. 
 
VULTURES AND GHOULES. 53 
 
 Look at a vulture, and you will see the type on 
 which the Eastern nations formed their ghoules - 
 those dreadful, semi-human monsters who lived in 
 the tombs and devoured dead bodies, which they dug 
 up with their nails. What reader of the " Arabian 
 Nights " can look at a vulture, with its cruel eye, its 
 crooked beak, and its grovelling, crouching attitude, 
 without recalling to his mind the sensations that he 
 felt when reading of the unfortunate husband who 
 looked over a wall and found his wife in company 
 with a ghoule a female one, as the French version 
 expressly informs us and then proceeds to explain 
 that " ghoules (I wonder who invented that sepulchral 
 word) commonly inhabit ruinous buildings, whence 
 they issue suddenly and surprise passengers, whom 
 they kill and devour. If they fail to meet with 
 travellers they go by night into burying-places to dig 
 up dead bodies, and feed upon them." I read these 
 glorious adventures in three dear little volumes when 
 at a very tender age, knowing nothing of jins and 
 wuzeers, but placing my faith in genies and viziers. 
 I should have liked to have had one of the former 
 as my devoted slave whenever I rubbed a ring, and to 
 tave been one of the latter. 
 
 And in one of these little volumes there \vas a 
 dreadful frontispiece illustrating the natural history 
 of the ghoule. An unsuspicious traveller is walking 
 in a cemetery at dusk ; there are cypress trees in the 
 distance, but these cypress trees the traveller will 
 never reach, for a horrid black hand is protruded 
 from a cleft in the earth, and has seized by the ankle 
 the doomed victim, who looks over his shoulder with 
 an agonised countenance at the fearful thing that 
 holds him. Did I ever w r alk in the dusk after seeing 
 that picture without keeping clear of every hole in 
 the ground? Certainly not. Once, I know, when 
 walking under the guardianship of a nurserymaid, I 
 got one foot into a hole left by a horse's hoof in 
 marshy ground, and being persuaded that the ghoule 
 
54 VULTURES. 
 
 had me at last, never attempted to move, buf, 
 screamed for help. The nurserymaid, who extricated 
 me, explained that it was only a mud-hole ; but I 
 knew, better, and related the history of the gboules 
 with great effect. She was of opinion that it was 
 cowardly to be frightened, but I put it to her whether 
 she would not have been frightened if a ghoule had 
 caught her by the ankle, which I firmly believed was 
 the constant and universal mode adopted by those 
 creatures for the apprehension of human beings. 
 
 How strangely a thought or an object brings back 
 forgotten things to memory ! I was not six years old 
 at that time, and yet the remembrance of that ghoule- 
 picture recalls to my mind every minute circumstance 
 connected with that morning's walk. I can see now 
 as plainly as if on the spot, the old, gray, ivy-covered 
 wall dotted with tiny pink flowers on the left, the 
 half-rotten palings on the right, with wasps biting 
 out the decayed wood and flying away with it, the 
 large chestnut tree in front, and the river in the dis- 
 tance. All these are before my eyes, even to the 
 rough, stony gravel, and a battered halfpenny, which 
 I picked up immediately after my rescue from the 
 ghoule, and which I was told I might keep, but 
 which, not being easy in conscience about it, I gave 
 to a beggar. 
 
 Reverting to the description of the ghoule. Would 
 it not serve almost as well for that of a hyaena or a 
 vulture the former of which creatures actually does 
 disinter dead bodies when it fails in procuring food 
 in any other way ? So the representative system has 
 even been carried further than animal life, and that 
 unscientific men should have done so is rather a sin- 
 gular and suggestive fact. 
 
 It certainly seems to have its representation in 
 man, whose countenance is capable of resembling 
 many animals, as is well known to physiognomists 
 and especially to caricaturists. We speak quite 
 familiarly of the eagle countenance, of the lion as- 
 
TYPES OF COUNTENANCE. Oj 
 
 pect, and so on. This has been so well worked out 
 by Webber, that I present at length his admirable 
 portrait of the " vulture-man." 
 
 " The artist .... has found that he can follow 
 the antitype up from the animal to its type in man 
 and trace it in him with assurance, through certain 
 absolute features of physical resemblance. 
 
 " Thus, in the vaulted nose he sees the eagle, but 
 soon discovers that all birds or men with vaulted 
 beaks are not eagles ; that some are silly parrots, 
 and others filthy carrion-loving vultures ! That one 
 shon step between the sublime and the ridiculous is 
 illustrated to him here, in the ease with which a 
 facial line peculiar to the greatest of men may be 
 confounded with that belonging to the meanest. 
 
 " The parrot-man is often mistaken for the eagle- 
 man ; but the artist observes that, in the face of the 
 driveller, the line of the nose vaults abruptly like the 
 beak of the parrot, while the mouth and chin retreat 
 feebly beneath the nut-cracking hook, giving all the 
 appearance of strength in the face to the upper man- 
 dible, as if it were intended for the fool to hang 
 himself up to roost by, after the manner of the 
 bird. 
 
 " The vault of the eagle's beak, on the contrary, 
 is very gradual, while the lower mandible, which 
 expresses will and energy, is extended out nearer to 
 a line with the top of the head. Close beneath this 
 line, and to the base of the nostrils, the eyes are 
 placed, giving at once an expression of fierce alert- 
 ness, very different from those of the parrot, which 
 are set near the middle of the head. 
 
 " Tracing this facial line down from the conqueror 
 through all the grades of men, he finds it every- 
 where associated with aspiration and daring temper 
 with the impulse of the hero, if not with heroic 
 deeds. Though the headstrong fool, with his parrot- 
 bill, approaches this line closely on one side, and the 
 vulture-beaked Jew, hungering for offal, on the other, 
 
56 VULTURES. 
 
 yet the careful artist is not imposed on thereby. He 
 sees that in the pawnbroker and the old-clothes man, 
 the line is that of a vulture depressed near the 
 * downward eye,' and vaulting nearer the end, which 
 lingers prolonged into a hungry curve, that seems 
 formed to tear a way into the vitals. 
 
 l< How loathsome the vulture-man as the artist sees 
 him ! with his wrinkled, scaly, scavenger look; true 
 to the antitype in base, brow, and beak, cunning eye, 
 and even to the thin and recurved bristles on the 
 back of the skinny neck and head." 
 
 From the nature of the putrid flesh on which the 
 vulture feeds, it contracts a detestable stench, so that 
 again the comparison holds good, for both vulture 
 and vulture-man are in bad odour. And the vulture 
 is so well aware of this property, that it makes its 
 own loathsomeness a mode of defence. If it is 
 seized or insulted it instantly disgorges the putrid 
 food over the aggressor, who is seldom proof against 
 such an assault. Perhaps I should rather say that 
 the action is instinctive, for the bird could hardly 
 consider its own proper food as loathsome. A simi- 
 lar faculty is observed in many animals, such as the 
 skunk, the teledu, and bombadier beetle. 
 
 I have heard of a little boy, metaphysically in- 
 clined, who was heard to observe I believe imme- 
 diately in reference to black- dose and unripe goose- 
 berries " I wonder why everything nasty is good for 
 me, and everything nice is unwholesome." Applied 
 to the vulture, the first portion of this sentiment is 
 true enough, for the vulture is very nasty, and very 
 good for the people among whom it lives. 
 
 Fortunately, the people among whom vultures 
 that is, winged vultures are found, are not in- 
 habitants of the British Isles. For no bird will 
 live where it cannot find food, and there are too 
 many sausage-makers in England to give the vulture 
 a chance of a livelihood. But in other countries, es- 
 pecially those of a hot climate, vultures are most 
 
FURRED AND FEATHERED SCAVENGERS. 57 
 
 useful scavengers, as they speedily discover and 
 devour any offal or dead animal that lies on the 
 ground, and which would otherwise putrefy at 
 leisure, and taint the atmosphere with deadly poison. 
 It was only a few weeks ago that I met a crowd sur- 
 rounding a man who was being carried to a hospital, 
 to all appearance dead. He was a workman who 
 was employed in opening a drain, and who dropped 
 down as if he had been shot, on breathing the pesti- 
 lential air that issued from it. So the service ren- 
 dered by the vultures and their allies the hyaenas 
 may be estimated. And each seems to have its 
 appointed task. The vulture tears off the flesh, 
 leaving nothing but the skeleton, and that the hyaena 
 eats. Therefore, the vulture is protected, and heavy 
 penalties are inflicted on the man who kills one of 
 the feathered scavengers. 
 
 I(; seems singular that the feathers of these birds 
 should not be matted together with the odious sub- 
 stances that are constantly coming in contact with 
 the plumage. But it must be remembered that the 
 head and neck are without feathers, a peculiarity 
 which gives to the bird much of its unpleasant as- 
 pect, and the feathers of the body and wings are so 
 formed that when the bird shakes its plumage by 
 means of its subcutaneous muscles, all extraneous 
 substances fall off, much in the same way that water 
 runs off a duck's back. 
 
 For many years a discussion has been raging 
 among the scientific world about the vulture, and its 
 power of discerning objects of prey at an incredible 
 distance. One party of which Waterton is the re- 
 presentative assert that the sense of smell causes 
 the bird to perceive the presence of food ; while 
 another party represented by Audubon contend 
 that the vulture is directed by the sense of sight. 
 
 This has always been to me a question of very 
 great interest, and I take the present opportunity of 
 treating the subject carefully. 
 
58 VULTUKES. 
 
 As this is a question of the senses, we must first 
 look to the organs in which these senses reside. On 
 dissection of the nostril and eye of the vulture, each 
 organ is found to be developed perfectly, but with no 
 apparently greater perfection than in other birds. 
 Professor Owen, than whom is no higher authority 
 in the world, dissected with care the olfactory system 
 in the common turkey buzzard (Cathartes aura), a 
 species of vulture found in most parts of the New 
 World, comparing it with the corresponding organ in 
 other birds of the same size, such as the turkey and 
 the goose. I refrain from giving his account, 
 although it is interesting, because it is necessarily so 
 filled with technical terms, that those who understand 
 them are sufficiently acquainted with the subject, and 
 those who do not would gain no information from a 
 collection of unintelligible words. 
 
 However, the result of the investigation was, that 
 the sense of smell, or, at all events, the organ of 
 smell, is well developed, but nothing more. And, 
 curiously enough, the olfactory nerve is nearly twice 
 as large in the goose as in the vulture, being required 
 to spread over the wide bill. 
 
 As to the organs of scent in birds, they are not 
 more worthy of notice than those of most animals, 
 but when we come to examine the organs of sight the 
 case is far different. 
 
 The sight of birds is singularly perfect, and pos- 
 sesses either a telescopic or microscopic power as 
 required. The eyes of most, if not all, animals are 
 endowed with this property to a certain extent, but 
 not to so great an extent as the birds. The eye of 
 man, for example, can distinguish a tree or any other 
 large object, at a distance of several miles, or can 
 read the smallest type. But there is always a sensi- 
 ble effort in changing the form of the eye, and a 
 perceptible interval between the moment when the 
 telescopic power is used, and that when its micro- 
 scopic power is brought into operation. 
 
EYE OF BIRDS. 59 
 
 But in birds, the change is almost instantaneous, 
 as indeed is required from their habits. If the eye 
 could not instantly adapt itself to the occasion, a bird 
 might dash itself to pieces against an obstacle which 
 would not come within the telescopic focus of the 
 eye, or, on the contrary, might retain its magnifying 
 power so as to render distant prey or a distant 
 enemy invisible. The change is probably quite in- 
 voluntary, and appears to be caused by a nervous 
 action in the delicate structure of the eye and its sur- 
 rounding parts. 
 
 The anatomical peculiarity of structure by which 
 this end is attained, is well seen in the eye of the 
 owl. It is rather difficult to explain the formation 
 without the assistance of diagrams, but as the form 
 of the present work will not permit them they must 
 be omitted. When we wish to distinguish clearly a 
 very minute object, we do so by bringing the eye as 
 close to it as possible, contracting the brows, and 
 forcing the eye more forward. By so doing, we bring 
 the eye-ball into a more spherical shape, and so in- 
 crease its magnifying powers. 
 
 But the eye of the owl, together with that of most 
 birds, is surrounded by a circle of thin bony plates, 
 which slightly overlap each other, and which can be 
 drawn over each other by muscular power. When 
 the owl wishes to see an object at a distance, the 
 muscles are relaxed, the parts of the bony case are left 
 comparatively at liberty, and the eye-ball expands by 
 its own elasticity ; the cornea becomes flattened, and 
 the telescopic power is obtained. 
 
 Suppose that an owl is flitting about a farmyard, 
 and looking only for its prey. Its eyes are then 
 telescopic. Presently a mouse pops its head from its 
 hole, sees nothing, hears nothing, for the plumage of 
 the owl is so soft that it makes no sound in passing 
 through the air, and finally emerges entirely. Down 
 drops the owl upon the doomed mouse, and as it 
 does so, the bony" plates of the eye are drawn nearer 
 
60 VULTUEES. 
 
 to each other, the eye-ball is pressed into a more 
 spherical shape, and as the bird nears its victim, the 
 microscopic power predominates over the telescopic. 
 The same structure may be seen in the eyes of some 
 of the fossil reptiles. 
 
 When more delicate adjustment is required, there 
 is another mode of attaining the object. Within the 
 eye, behind the lens, and attached to the optic nerve, 
 just where it expands into the retina, is a small 
 structure, called by anatomists the pecten, or comb, 
 because it bears some slight resemblance to a comb 
 in appearance. This consists of a membrane, ap- 
 pearing externally to be composed of the same 
 substance as the inner coat of the eye, but in 
 reality formed of a series of arteries and veins, 
 that are easily filled with blood, and as easily 
 emptied. 
 
 Now, as this curious organ is placed behind the 
 lens, and in the transparent watery fluid that nils the 
 eye, its object becomes tolerably evident. When it 
 is acted upon by means of light or other modes 
 of excitement, it becomes distended with blood, and, 
 consequently, enlarged in size. But the fluid is not 
 compressible, and as this pecten expands within it, 
 the fluid is forced to push the lens forward, and, 
 probably, the entire shape of the eye is slightly 
 altered. 
 
 The rapidity with which the necessary alteration 
 is made must be very great, and in some small birds 
 almost instantaneous. The eye must necessarily 
 distinguish very small objects at the extremity of the 
 bill, or the bird would be unable to distinguish and 
 to seize the minute insect which constitutes much of 
 the food, 
 
 The distance, then, from the eye to the point of 
 the beak, will be the length of the microscopic focus. 
 Now, if \ve take the long-tailed titmouse for an exam- 
 ple, the distance from the eye to the extremity of the 
 beak is only four-tenths of an inch, and, conse- 
 
MICRO-TELESCOPIC EYES. 61 
 
 quently, that will be the length of the bird's micro- 
 scopic focus. .But the average length of the human 
 microscopic focus is five inches, and, consequently, 
 the magnifying power of the bird will be nearly two 
 thousand times as great as that of man. So that a 
 bluebottle-fly will seem nearly as large as a sparrow 
 in the eye of the bird, and butterflies' eggs as large 
 as marbles. And yet the little creature can see a, 
 promising hunting-ground at a distance, direct its 
 flight towards it, and immediately begin pecking 
 away at the branches. The kestrel, too, balances 
 itself in the air at a great height, and searches the 
 fields that lie beneath with its telescopes of eyes. 
 But when an unfortunate field-mouse ventures out of 
 its hole, down comes the kestrel, its eye never losing 
 its prey, even though the visual focus be changed 
 from many hundred yards to a single inch. And the 
 entire change is made in the single moment that is 
 employed in the stoop. 
 
 Then, again, the pupil of a bird's eye appears to 
 be singularly sensitive, and is constantly dilating and 
 contracting, even when the light is quite uniform, 
 or, at all events, does not act on the human eye. 
 This is especially evident in such birds as the par- 
 rot, whose eyes have a very distinct pupil. 
 
 There is another portion of the eye of a bird that is 
 well worth notice. This is the nictitating membrane, 
 or third eyelid, as it is often called. Birds have two 
 eyelids like those of man, but they generally close 
 more by the elevation of the lower lid than by the 
 depression of the upper, But in addition to these 
 two lids, there is a third, very delicate and thin in its 
 structure, and very elastic. 
 
 This membrane is moved by means of some muscles 
 placed behind the eye, by which it is drawn at will 
 over the cornea ; the membrane itself is hidden in 
 the inner corner of the eye, and when the muscles 
 are relaxed, returns to its place by its own elasticity. 
 This membrane may be seen to great advantage in 
 
62 VULTUFxES. 
 
 an owl when viewed by daylight. The' nictitating 
 membrane is in constant motion, being ever and 
 anon rapidly drawn over the eye, as the owl sits 
 blinking in the unwelcome glare. 
 
 The object of this membrane is apparently two-fold : 
 first, to clear the surface of the eye from dust or any 
 foreign substance that might irritate it ; and secondly, 
 to guard the optic nerve against injury from too 
 brilliant a light. 
 
 So much for the two senses. Now, against the 
 olfactory theory it is urged that when an animal is 
 killed, vultures are seen approaching on all sides, 
 even against the wind, and therefore cannot be 
 directed by the sense of smell ; while those on the 
 opposite question say. that as vultures surround a 
 house in which a corpse is lying, they must be 
 directed by the sense of smell. 
 
 To settle this question an experiment was per- 
 formed, well known to all the scientific world, the 
 result of which was that both parties were only fixed 
 firmer in their belief. 
 
 The experiment was briefly this. A deer hide was 
 stuffed with straw, and laid in the open air. A 
 number of vultures assembled as usual round the 
 carcass, and commenced operations in their accus- 
 tomed manner, by tearing open the abdomen of the 
 animal. Apparently deceived, they continued pulling 
 out the straw for some time, and then flew away in 
 disappointment. 
 
 From this experiment it was inferred that the 
 vultures were entirely guided by sight, and that their 
 sense of smell was not even acute enough to teach 
 them that they were imposed upon. But so very elastic 
 are facts, and so easily accommodated, that the opposite 
 party drew a directly contrary inference from the very 
 same facts. Their opinion was that the scent of the 
 vultures was so delicate and perfect that it enabled 
 the birds to perceive the emanations arising from the 
 hide and the portions of animal substance necessarily 
 
NOSE VERSUS EYE. 03 
 
 adhering to the interior ; that the vultures, on 
 tearing open the skin, found nothing except straw, 
 but being led on by their exquisite sense of smell, 
 persisted in pulling away the straw in hopes of 
 attaining the animal substance .which they smelt, and 
 only went away when, after much labour, they did 
 not discover sufficient food to reward their en- 
 deavours. 
 
 So much for argument based on facts ; and it 
 would not be unadvisable if people would bear this 
 anecdote in mind when discussing other and higher 
 matters. 
 
 For myself, I cannot see that either party have 
 proved their point, or even given tolerably satisfactory 
 proofs. Some people, to get over the difficulty, say 
 that Che vultures discover their prey by the simulta- 
 neous use of both senses, but this appears to be 
 rather an Alexandrian mode of untying the Gordian 
 knot. 
 
 In my opinion, the arguments brought by both 
 parties against the theory of their adversaries are 
 good and tenable, but not those which are advanced 
 in favour of their own. The Nose party completely 
 destroys the Eye theory, itself being equally van- 
 quished by its visual opponent. Both seem to me to 
 be wrong, because they only look at the question 
 with the eye of materialists, referring to the outward 
 senses that which I conceive to be no question of 
 senses at all, but one entirely to be referred to that 
 wonderful property called Instinct. All the dissec- 
 tion in the world would fail to settle the question ; 
 no microscope could penetrate the material nerve 
 and tell the influence that animated it. But, put 
 optic and olfactory nerves out of the question, refer 
 the matter to instinct, and the difficulty seems at an 
 end. 
 
 Nor are there wanting instances as collateral 
 proofs. It is well known that animals, such as cats 
 and dogs, have found their way back to their 
 
64 VULTURES. 
 
 accustomed homes after having heen removed under 
 circumstances that utterly preclude the possibility of 
 a reference to any known sense. They have been 
 carried away shut up in baskets, placed inside a 
 coach, and even taken across the sea. Yet, after 
 some time has elapsed, these very animals have been 
 found in their old haunts, emaciated with hunger and 
 exhausted with fatigue, having been led back to their 
 homes by some strange influence which we cannot 
 comprehend. 
 
 And, it must be remembered, that in these cases 
 there is far less necessity for the exertion of such an 
 instinct than in the case of the vulture and its food. 
 The one is merely a question of comfort, the other 
 of life and death. The dog or the cat could have 
 lived in its new quarters, but the vulture without 
 food must die. And this is an argument that carries 
 weight, because, in nature, necessity is always consi- 
 dered, and, contrary to the proverb, has its laws. 
 
 However, a question it must necessarily rest, for 
 vultures cannot speak, and unless we can find a 
 second Indur to be transformed into a vulture, there 
 is little probability that the point will be clearly 
 ascertained. There is one comfortable fact in the 
 position that I have laid down. If the senses are 
 appealed to for proofs there are innumerable weak 
 points ; but let the stand be made on instinct, and 
 the position is unassailable. As a companion 
 instance, let me mention the well-known fact, that 
 sharks seem to be instinctively conscious of a coming 
 prey, and will for days follow a ship where lies one 
 in mortal sickness. No one will say that the shark 
 smells or sees the sick man, and it appears to me a 
 precisely analogous case with the prey-detecting 
 power of the vultures. But he who dissects nerves 
 in order to find the instinctive power that animates 
 them, may as well cut open the bellows to find the 
 wind. 
 
 It is not at all necessary that the flesh round which 
 
FEATHERED GLUTTONS. 65 
 
 vultures congregate should be in the least putrid for 
 them to discover it ; for when animals are killed and 
 left alone, the vultures will frequently assemble and 
 strip the entire skeleton clean before any taint is per- 
 ceptible to the most sensitive human nostril. 
 
 Vultures are possessed of a most extended power 
 of digestion and singular capacity of stomach. If 
 they are not disturbed in their meal they will con- 
 tinue to eat until they are hardly able to move, and 
 their sluggish wings can scarcely bear them to the 
 bough of a tree, on which they rest until their prepos- 
 terous meal lias gone through the process of diges- 
 tion. In this state of repletion the crop is so dis- 
 tended with food that it forms a considerable projection 
 under the throat, and the bird is positively fntoxi- 
 cated with food. Those who have any desire to catch 
 the vultures, contrive, if possible, to surprise them in 
 this state of torpidity, and, if they can come upon 
 the birds unexpectedly, find them an easy prey. 
 
 But it is necessary to be at once rapid and cau- 
 tious in the undertaking, for the vulture can suddenly 
 eject its dinner, and, being thus lightened, escape by 
 flight. And, as this same dinner is not composed of 
 the most agreeable substances, or flavoured with the 
 sweetest essences, it behoves the captor to beware 
 for his own sake. 
 
 Yet, although to us this excessive gluttony is dis- 
 gusting enough, there is an obvious object in it, and 
 it is not at all unlikely that we may be quite as dis- 
 gusting to the vulture as the vulture to us. Other- 
 wise, what a very unpleasant life a vulture must lead^, 
 if its own food, its own habits, and its own scent* 
 were as repulsive to itself as to other creatures. 
 
 There seem, however, to be many human crea- 
 tures who can sympathise with the vulture, and 
 it is curious how the extreme of civilisation appears 
 to return in a circle to its commencement. The 
 vulture eats and prefers putrid meat. Consequently,. 
 it is looked upon as an obscene and foul bird. A 
 
66 
 
 VULTURES. 
 
 Bosjesman will lie down by a slaughtered animal, 
 and not remove from its vicinity until the whole of 
 the meat has disappeared, partly by his own devour- 
 ing energies, and partly by the rapidity of putre- 
 faction in that burning land. An unsophisticated 
 Englishman looks with almost equal disgust on vul- 
 ture and Bosjesman, and would recoil from meat 
 that was in the least tainted. But now appears upon 
 the scene another Englishman, a gourmand, civilised 
 to the last degree, and looking with contempt on the 
 plebeian individual whose gastronomical ideas mount 
 to no higher eminence than chops, or roast, or boiled. 
 He goes home to his dinner, and luxuriates upon 
 venison, pheasant, or partridge, perfuming the room 
 with a horrible scent, which I should call putrefaction, 
 but which he terms a " game flavour." 
 
 So I suppose that the vulture would also call it a 
 " game flavour," and if it prefers its food rather fur- 
 ther " gone " than the human gourmand, the predi- 
 lection must be set down to civilisation, as it necessa- 
 rily follows that the more " game " the flavour, the 
 more civilised is the person who eats it. Perhaps I 
 was wrong in saying that the vulture preferred its 
 food in a further " gone " state than its human imita- 
 tor, for I have known one case, at least, where such a 
 thing would be almost impossible. There was a 
 certain gentleman who was very nice and discrimi- 
 nating in his diet, but especially so in the article of 
 game, which could never be too high to please him. 
 On one occasion, some game partridges, I believe 
 had been forwarded to him, but they were in such 
 an advanced state of decomposition, that they were 
 pronounced utterly unfit for consumption. However, 
 the ladies of the family determined as ladies will 
 do to try a wicked experiment, and to have the ob- 
 noxious birds cooked, in order to see if they were 
 not too much for the victim. Accordingly, the birds 
 were cooked, served, and eaten. The authoresses 
 ci the joke then asked how the birds were liked, 
 
EFFECTS OF CHARCOAL. 67 
 
 ami received the unexpected answer that they were 
 excellent, but that there was rather too much rice. 
 \Vhat the " rice " was, I leave to the imagination. 
 
 There is said to he an infallible rule by which to 
 discover how long a pheasant is to be kept before it 
 is cooked. Two birds are to be procured, both of 
 which were shot in the same day, and, if possible, 
 in the same hour. They are then to be suspended 
 by their tails, and when one bird drops down, the other 
 is ready for the spit. It is true that one bird is thus 
 sacrificed, but that is of no consideration to tho- 
 rough-paced epicures those wonderful beings who 
 buy green peas at a guinea per quart, and give un- 
 heard-of sums for unseasonable dainties. 
 
 Allow me to observe here that if game has been 
 suffered to hang too long, the offensive odour can be 
 removed by the use of pure charcoal. If powdered, 
 sewn in muslin bags, and then placed in the animal's 
 interior, the evil odour vanishes as if by magic, and 
 no harm will be done if powdered charcoal is also 
 scattered among the feathers. The reason for this fact 
 is, that the offensive scent of decomposing animal 
 matter is caused by sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which 
 is absorbed by charcoal in almost incredible quan- 
 tities. For this reason, it is very useful if placed in 
 sick rooms, where it has a marvellous effect in pu- 
 rifying the air. It should be powdered, placed in 
 shallow saucers, which can be moved wherever their 
 presence is required, and always kept dry. 
 
 Unpleasant as the vultures are to the eye and the 
 nostril when seen closely, yet they are not totally 
 destitute of beauty, apparent even to he casual ob- 
 server ; for their flight is singularly graceful and 
 easy, in consequence of their magnificent spread of 
 wing. It is really something extraordinary to see a 
 vulture, especially one of the larger species, rise and 
 deliberately stretch out its wings to their utmost 
 limit, and it is a subject of regret that the bird will 
 never keep them in that position sufficiently long for 
 
 F 2 
 
68 VULTURES. 
 
 a sketch to be made. It is not very easy to see the 
 bird perform this act, but there was a person and 
 may be still who, by uttering a peculiar cry, could 
 always force the vultures to open their wings. To 
 watch the young of a lion or tiger is almost the only 
 mode of appreciating the extent of jaw and teeth 
 belonging to the quadruped, and, in the sa'meVay, 
 the stretching of the vulture's wing, which is an 
 analogous action to yawning, affords the only means 
 of seeing the vast surface which that wing covers. 
 The range of quills is really magnificent ; each stands 
 in its place like a soldier in a regiment, supporting 
 and being itself supported by the general mass. 
 Aided by these enormous wings, the bird floats in 
 the air almost without effort, and, apparently, alter- 
 ing its course by simple volition. Darwin's account 
 of the flight of this bird is exceedingly graphic. He 
 is speaking 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, descend- 
 ing 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 wings formed the fulcrum oft which 
 the movements of the neck, body, and tail acted, f^ 
 
 " If the bird wished to descend, the wings were for 
 a moment collapsed ; and then, \vtien again ex- 
 panded with an altered inclination, the momentum 
 gained by the rapid descent seemed to urge the bird 
 upwards with the even and steady movement of a 
 
GRACEFUL FLIGHT. THE CONDOR. 69 
 
 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 necessary to 
 keep up the momentum of a body moving in a hori- 
 zontal 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 to see so 
 great a bird hour after hour, without any apparent 
 exertion, wheeling and gliding over mountain and 
 river." 
 
 The condor, of which Darwin here speaks, is the 
 bird that has given rise to the fabled Eoc of the 
 "Arabian Nights." It is a bird of very great size, 
 the expanded wings measuring rather more than 
 nine feet, but this measurement sinks into insigni- 
 ficance before the descriptions of enthusiastic but 
 inaccurate admirers, who gave some ten or twelve 
 feet as the length of the quill-feathers alone, so that 
 the expanse of wing would have been twenty-four 
 feet, at the lowest computation. The eye is easily 
 deceived, and the feathers of this bird, as well as of 
 other vultures, sweep in such a magnificent curve, 
 that the eye is quite deceived in their real length, 
 and attributes to each quill-feather the measurement 
 of the entire wing. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 HAWKS. 
 
 Subjugating Power of Man. Falcon -training among the Arabs, 
 Spirited Description of a Hawking Day by Gerard. Fal- 
 conry in Persia Falconry in liagland. Eank of Hawks. 
 Technical Terms in Falconry, iiattle between Peregrine 
 Falcon and Heron. Shortening Arms. The Horse a 
 Boxer. The Mantis a Swordsman. The Chsetodon a 
 Rifleman. The Ant a Wrestler. Lobsters and Knights. 
 Electricity. Recent Discoveries. Rapidity of Falcon's 
 Flight. Peregrine Falcon captured on board Ship. 
 
 THE analogy between the predaceous quadrupeds and 
 birds has already been noticed, and this analogy even 
 extends to the use made of them by mankind. There 
 are many animals that seem to be formed for the 
 express purpose of serving man, such as the 
 horse or the ox, and some that appear to attach 
 themselves to him voluntarily, as the dog. But there 
 are other animals whose nature is directly opposed to 
 man, and who will either avoid him as long as 
 flight is possible, and when escape is impracticable, 
 will attack him in their turn, and use with deadly 
 effect the weapons with which nature has provided 
 them. Yet even these creatures are converted to his 
 use, and the terrible arms that have once been 
 used against him, are now made to work for him. 
 Chief among such quadrupeds is the chetah, a hunt- 
 ing leopard, and chief among such birds are the 
 hawks, which hold much the same place among birds 
 as the leopards among quadrupeds. 
 
 How such singular power exists in man, or 
 
FALCONKY TN ALGERIA. 71 
 
 rather how the impression of the human power is 
 conveyed to the animals, it is impossible to tell. 
 Still such is the case, and it is very interesting to 
 trace the mode by which the man asserts his do- 
 minion over the brute ; and I shall, therefore, give a 
 short description of the mode by which so fierce a 
 bird as a falcon is trained to turn its savage instincts 
 to the service of its master. 
 
 In Europe, the falcons are generally taken from 
 the nest when they are very young, and so trained 
 through their extreme youth, until they must. regard 
 the falconer more as a parent than as a captor. But 
 among the Arabs, where the science of falconry is in 
 great renown, birds taken at too early an age are 
 despised as being prone to weakness or disease. 
 These dusky sportsmen prefer to leave the bird to the 
 care of its own parents, and do not trouble them- 
 selves about it until it is old and strong enough to 
 catch prey for itself. The whole mode of proceeding 
 is very curious. 
 
 When some good falcons have been seen, the 
 Arab notes their resting-place, which is generally 
 some rock or ruin. He then provides himself with 
 some bird, such as a pigeon or a partridge, on 
 which the falcons are in the habit of feeding. Round 
 the body of this decoy bird he fastens a fine net, and 
 having thus prepared his bait, he sets off early in the 
 morning for the falcon's resting-place. When there, 
 he turns loose his pigeon, on which the falcon im- 
 mediately pounces, and gets its claws so entangled 
 in the meshes of the net, that the Arab has generally 
 time to run up and secure it before it can extricate 
 itself. 
 
 Having made sure of the bird, his first business is 
 to put a hood over his head in order to debar him 
 from sight, and to fasten jesses to the legs, by which 
 it is restrained from flight To the jesses is usually 
 attached a string about four or five feet in length. It 
 is a curious fact, that the bird dares not even attempt 
 
72 HAWKS. 
 
 to fly as long as the dark hood covers its eyes, and so 
 its captor sets it on his shoulder or his head, and goes 
 home with it 
 
 Now commences its education. A perch is pro- 
 vided for the bird, and, lest the sharpness of its 
 claws should be dulled, the wooden bar is wrapped 
 round with cloth. The perch is a low one, only a 
 foot or so from the ground. The first care of the fal- 
 coner is now to accustom his bird to bear the sight 
 of men, dogs, and horses, to allow the hood and 
 jesses to be taken off or replaced at the owner's 
 pleasure, and to take its food from the hand. The 
 time that is occupied in this part of the education 
 varies considerably. All falcons seem to offer a sharp 
 resistance at first, and for some days refuse all kinds 
 of nourishment. Some are positively ferocious, and 
 if they are touched, attack the obnoxious hand 
 with the full force of beak and talon. Now and 
 then, it occurs that a bird is so incorrigibly ferocious 
 that all attempts at training it are given up, and it is 
 permitted to return to its original wild state. But if a 
 falcon only can be brought under control, it generally 
 turns out a more valuable bird in proportion to the 
 resistance which it has made. 
 
 The falconers have two powerful auxiliaries to 
 assist them in their task, and by means of em- 
 ploying darkness and hunger judiciously, they can 
 subdue almost any bird. When the falcon at last 
 condescends to eat, the food is placed on the ground, 
 so that the bird is forced to leave its perch in order 
 to satisfy its hunger, and, after a while, the hand is 
 so placed at feeding time that the falcon can only 
 obtain its food by perching upon its master's wrist. 
 
 The chief difficulty is now over, and the next step 
 is to teach the bird what description of game it is 
 intended to pursue. This is done by substituting a 
 living bird for the meat with which it has formerly 
 been fed. The falcon pounces on the bird and kills 
 it, when some of the still warm flesh is cut off by 
 
FALCONS TKAINED BY THE ARABS. 73 
 
 the trainer and given to his falcon. This is called 
 the " curee chaude," and is thought by the Arabs to 
 be the very best mode of training the birds in their 
 final lessons. Indeed, it often happens that when 
 falcons are so thoroughly savage that neither dark- 
 ness nor hunger will tame them, the curee chaude 
 works an instantaneous change in their dispositions, 
 so that they suddenly become the friends of the man 
 who brings them a living hare or partridge, and 
 permits them to revel in its warm and bleeding 
 flesh. 
 
 The next lesson is to teach the falcon to attack 
 any particular bird or animal that its master points 
 out. For this purpose the falconer sets off on 
 horseback, taking with him a number of leverets or 
 partridges, according as the falcon is to be trained to 
 the chase of the one or the other. Laden with these 
 creatures, he proceeds until he is fairly on the open 
 plain, where is no refuge for the unhappy animals 
 that are destined to be the falcon's prey. Lest the 
 sight of men and horses should frighten the falcon, 
 the first two or three lessons are given alone, and it 
 is not until the bird has become tolerably trained 
 that it can be loosed in the presence of company. 
 
 During the journey the falcon perches on its 
 master's shoulder or head, but when an appropriate 
 spot is reached, the bird is shifted to the left wrist, 
 which is defended from its claws by a stout leather 
 glove. The falconer now takes a partridge and clips 
 one of its wings, or a hare and deprives it of one of 
 its feet, humanity being quite out of the question, 
 and sets it at liberty. He then slips the hood from 
 the falcon's head, loosens the jesses by which it was 
 held, and points out the frying prey. 
 
 This is the trying moment, as the entire future ca- 
 reer of the hawk depends on the mode of action which 
 it adopts. Some falcons will not pay the slightest 
 attention to their intended prey, but the moment 
 that they find themselves at liberty, spread their 
 
74 HAWKS. 
 
 wings and take to flight, uttering wild screams of 
 joy. Thus the whole of the labour of training is 
 lost in a minute. But true falconers do not trouble 
 themselves about the loss of such birds, as they 
 would never have been brought into a proper state of 
 submission. In general though, the hunter instinct 
 of the bird overpowers the sense of liberty. Its 
 prey is before it, and every sense is wrapped up in 
 the chase of the creature whose companions it has 
 so often killed, and whose blood it has so often 
 drunk. The moment that the hood is removed, its 
 piercing eye marks out the quarry, and it swoops 
 down upon it, where it remains until the owner 
 comes up and replaces the hood and jesses. 
 
 There is yet one other lesson to be taught, perhaps 
 more difficult than any of the others, and that is to 
 induce the bird to leave its captured prey at the 
 command of its master. How difficult a task this is 
 may be imagined by any one who has endeavoured 
 to take a mouse out of the jaws of a strange cat. The 
 entire savage instinct seems to be concentrated on 
 one object, and the animal forgets everything in that 
 single absorbing idea. In order to attain this object 
 the falconer provides himself with a "lure," consist- 
 ing of a hare-skin stuffed with straw, and with which 
 he has already made his bird familiar. When the 
 falcon has secured its prey, the owner presents to 
 the bird his lure, and utters a peculiar cry. At this 
 sound the falcon looks round, sees the lure, and flies 
 to its master, who replaces it on his wrist, and gives 
 it a little of the raw flesh as a reward. At first it 
 usually happens that the bird is deaf to the appeal, 
 and the falconer is forced to approach his hawk on 
 foot, and to place the lure before its eyes. When 
 the falcon responds at once to its master's call, leaves 
 the prey, and settles on his wrist, it is considered fit 
 for flight, and not until then. 
 
 It is singular that the Arabs should give so much 
 time to the training of their birds, as they are only 
 
HAWKING-DAY IN ALGERIA. 75 
 
 in use for a m }nth or two, and are then suffered to 
 go at liberty. They do not keep the birds through 
 the entire year, but at the beginning of the moulting 
 season let them loose, and replenish their perches 
 with fresh birds in the ensuing season. Their educa- 
 tion is generally completed about the beginning of 
 December. 
 
 This account is taken from the work of Jules 
 Gerard, whom I have already quoted. And his 
 description of a hawking day is so spirited that T 
 must be pardoned for extracting the passage in his 
 own words. 
 
 After describing the assembly and the courteous 
 ceremonies that accompany the arrival of the chief, 
 he proceeds as follows. " As soon as a hare starts 
 up, the man who first spies it gives the alarm, and the 
 company spread themselves so as to form a circle. 
 In the meantime the falcons are, unhooded and the 
 best-trained bird is loosed first. 
 
 " Directly it is free, the bird rises and flies over the 
 circle formed by the horsemen, the falconer gallops 
 in the direction of the hare, and calls his falcon ac- 
 cording as he sees it stoop or hover. The falcon 
 stoops upon a hare that runs, and hovers over one 
 that squats. 
 
 " When the plains offer little shelter, the hares are 
 usually so terrified at the sight of the falcon, that 
 they squat on the ground on perceiving the bird. In 
 either case the falcons are loosed in succession in 
 order to assist the leading bird. 
 
 " It is a most attractive spectacle to see the falcons 
 successively stooping upon the hare, and striking it 
 with their claws without stopping, while the horsemen 
 shake their mantles with exultation, and shout loud 
 enough to frighten to death a braver animal than a 
 hare. 
 
 " Whether the hare runs or squats, the falcon does 
 not fasten upon it until the animal is so stunned 
 with the blows which it has received that it gives no 
 
76 HAWKS. 
 
 signs of life. Then the head falconer issues his 
 commands, the falcons are recovered, hooded, and a 
 new chase commences. 
 
 44 As falcons become sluggish if permitted to eat 
 their fill, they are only allowed to gorge themselves 
 on the last hare that they catch ; but in the mean- 
 time they are rewarded for their work and incited to 
 fresh exertions by small pieces of meat which the 
 falconer takes care to bring with him. 
 
 "It sometimes happens that the hare, on perceiving 
 the falcon, takes refuge under the belly of the horses, 
 and is even there pursued by the falcon. The chase 
 then becomes full of interest and noisier than ever. 
 
 *' As the falcon cannot strike its prey except from 
 above, the body of the horse forms an obstacle to its 
 success, and the bird expresses its rage by piercing 
 cries, at the same time dashing round or rising above 
 the quadruped protector. 
 
 " It is no use for the horseman to urge his beast 
 to the right, to the left, forward or backward, for the 
 poor hare still remains under it, and cannot be got 
 rid of. 
 
 "At last, when every one has sufficiently enjoyed 
 the sight, a horseman dismounts, takes the hare up 
 in his hands, and throws it into the midst of the 
 circle, at the same time calling the attention of the 
 falcons, who impatiently await this the last scene of 
 the drama. 
 
 " Having assured himself that the birds are at 
 hand hovering above his head, he holds up to them 
 the hare in his arms, and casts it away with his full 
 force. Hardly does it reach the ground, before one 
 of the falcons is on it, and strikes it with his talons. 
 The other birds immediately follow, and inflict the 
 death-blow on the poor animal. 
 
 " The partridge is hunted by the Arabs in a similar 
 manner, with the exception that, instead of forming 
 in a circle, they gallop in a line, and follow the 
 course of the falcon. The chase of this bird does 
 
CHASE OF THE BUSTARD. 77 
 
 not present such attraction as that of the hare, and, 
 therefore, it is but rarely practised. 
 
 44 The chase that is of the greatest interest both to 
 Arabs and Christians, and that which best exhibits 
 the courage of the falcon, is that of the bustard. 
 Only the southern tribes are privileged to hunt this 
 bird, as it never comes into the colder regions of the 
 high plains. 
 
 " Those native chiefs who possess a cast of hawks 
 for the purpose of hunting the bustard, display in 
 their chases an imposing array of men and horses, 
 which adds to their interest. It is not at all un- 
 common to see at one meeting an assembly of from 
 two to three hundred horsemen. 
 
 '* The bustard may be met with on either side of the 
 mountains which separate Tell from the desert, but 
 generally without them. This bird is generally seen 
 in flocks varying in number from ten to thirty. As 
 it permits the horsemen to approach tolerably near, 
 they spread themselves out so as to form a long line 
 on the plain, preceded by the falconers, who walk in 
 front at some distance from each other. 
 
 *Vlf it happens that the bustards take to flight too 
 soon, the spot where they settle is marked down, and 
 the line advances until it comes upon a flock that 
 have not left the ground, or that only rises at a short 
 distance. In either case one or two of the best fal- 
 cons are loosed. Some bustards permit themselves 
 to be killed on the spot, but, as this mode of action 
 offers no interest, the Arabs endeavour to prevent the 
 bustards from awaiting the falcon. 
 
 " In the latter case, the selected bird at first dashes 
 among the flock in order to be confoundel with the 
 other birds, but when it perceives itself to be closely 
 pressed, it darts vertically upwards, so as to keep it- 
 self above its pursuer. At that point, the remaining 
 falcons are loosed. The chase now acquires extraor- 
 dinary interest, and the horsemen who had before 
 
78 HAWKS 
 
 been scattered about the plain now rejoin their chief 
 at full gallop. 
 
 " Generally, the battle is a long one, and the bus- 
 tard cannot be dragged to the ground until the 
 falcons have been able to rise above it, to bind it, and 
 to break one of its wings, or peck out an eye. Then, 
 in the midst of a circle formed by the horsemen, 
 down fall bustard and falcons, and it not unfrequently 
 happens that the latter are killed by the fall. 
 
 " Sometimes, instead of rising perpendicularly 
 after being separated from the flock, the bustard 
 darts off horizontally at full speed, followed by 
 falcons, chief and horsemen. Generally, one of the . 
 falcons manages to bind the bustard, and by the same 
 movement breaks one of its wings, and so brings it 
 to the ground. But sometimes, after several hours 
 of steeple-chasing, the chief falconer calls a retreat, 
 and leaves to his underling the task of following the 
 chase and recovering their birds." 
 
 In this very spirited account I have not thought it 
 necessary to translate, or rather to construe, every 
 word of the original, but have omitted a few sen- 
 tences here and there, which seemed to interfere with 
 the course of the narrative, and to take up unneces- 
 sary room. The training of the falcons is, or rather 
 was, managed in England in much the same way as 
 that narrated by Gerard, with the exception that the 
 heron takes the place of the bustard, and that the 
 birds were kept from season to season. 
 
 In another part of the hawking world, I believe in 
 Persia, the hawks are singularly fitted with stout 
 leather breeches, and that for a curious reason. 
 These hawks are intended to chase and to arrest ani- 
 mals very much larger than themselves, and that 
 they manage by driving the talons of one foot into 
 their prey, and with the other grasping at the reeds 
 and bushes that cover the ground, so that the poor 
 animal is brought up, to speak nauticallyj by a 
 
FALCONRY AS A SCIENCE. 79 
 
 living anchor. And the force with which it struggles 
 to escape is so great, that unless the hawk were de- 
 fended by the leather clothing above-mentioned, it 
 would be torn asunder, and become a miniature 
 spread ea^le. 
 
 As to falconry in this country, it is just an impos- 
 sibility, although there does still exist such an officer 
 as the Hereditary Grand Falconer, and that such an 
 officer should be chosen from the highest in the land, 
 shows the great importance >of the art in early times. 
 Indeed, the description of falcon, or rather hawk, 
 that a person of either sex was permitted to carry, 
 was the indication of their rank. According to an 
 ancient work on hawking, the following was the ar- 
 rangement : 
 
 For the Emperor the Eagle or Vulture. 
 
 For the King the Grer-Falcon. 
 
 For the Prince the Falcon gentle, or the Tercel gentle. 
 
 For the Duke the Eock Falcon. 
 
 For the Earl the Peregrine Falcon. 
 
 For the Baron the Bastard Falcon. 
 
 For the Knight the Sacre and the Sacret. 
 
 For the Esquire the Harrier and the Lanneret. 
 
 For the Lady the Merlin. 
 
 For the Young Man the Hobby. 
 
 For the Yeoman the Goshawk. 
 
 For the Poor Man the Tercel. 
 
 For the Priest the Sparrowhawk. 
 
 For the Holy-water Clerk the Musket. 
 
 For the Knave (or Servant) the Kestrel. 
 
 Even the noble science of Heraldry hardly abounds 
 more in bewildering terms, than its sister science of 
 Falconry. And as their names were in the habit of 
 changing according to the chronology of the period, 
 the list of technical terms is somewhat formidable, 
 and I do not mean to perplex my readers with more 
 than a few of the most prominent, which seem to 
 have been retained through most of the venatical 
 conturbations, as Sir P. Shafton would probably and 
 
80 HAWKS. 
 
 euphuistically. have termed the constant changes of 
 hunting terms. 
 
 Thus then, just as the stag received different names 
 according to its age and growth, so did the falcon 
 assume various titles. For instance, taking the pere- 
 grine falcon as an example, a wild bird was termed 
 a " haggard ; " when young, il was named an " eyass " 
 or " red falcon ; " and when a full-grown male, it re- 
 ceived the name of "tercel," or "tassel-gentle." 
 
 And as to hunting terms, to cut the talons was 
 termed " coping " them ; when the hawk fastened on 
 the prey, she was said to "bind it;" to hunt quad- 
 rupeds, was to " fly at the fur ; " while the chase of 
 birds was called " flying at the plume." The deco- 
 rated stick by which the falcons were enticed back 
 to their master, received the name of " lure ; " and 
 the feathers and other articles that were fastened to it 
 were comprehended under the term of " drawer." 
 The straps that bound the feet of the hawk to the 
 fowler's hand, w r ere termed "jesses," and the string 
 that permitted the bird to fly for a restricted distance, 
 was called the " creance." And so on, ad infinitum. 
 
 The peregrine falcon seems to pursue the heron 
 by a natural instinct, which is so strong as to over- 
 come the most disadvantageous circumstances. An 
 experiment of this kind was once tried. It was 
 hardly fair, because the bird was entirely deprived of 
 the power to follow her natural instinct of mounting 
 above the prey, and sweeping down upon it from a 
 great elevation. The experiment was as follows : 
 
 There was a female peregrine falcon which had 
 been taken from the nest, and brought up on ordinary 
 hawk's food, and occasionally treated to a small bird. 
 But she had never been permitted to fly after game, 
 and her instinct had thus been in abeyance. The 
 bird was kept for a day without food, and on the fol- 
 lowing day an old male heron was placed in the same 
 room. In order to compensate in some degree for 
 
FALCON AND HERON. 81 
 
 the disadvantageous position of the falcon, the beak 
 of the heron had been blunted, but otherwise it was a 
 fair conflict. 
 
 The heron did not seem to care particularly for the 
 falcon, but walked round the room, seeking an oppor- 
 tunity of escape, while the falcon, perched on a stool, 
 kept watch. Presently, she made a dash at the 
 heron's head, but, from the low elevation of the stool, 
 missed her aim, and was struck by a blow from the 
 heron's beak, which would probably have transfixed 
 her, had it not been blunted. As it was, the falcon 
 was for the time repulsed, but soon regained her 
 station on the stool, and waited for a second oppor- 
 tunity. This was soon given, and the falcon made 
 another attack with the same result. 
 
 She had now learned experience, and found a perch 
 on a box that was rather higher than the stool, but 
 still too low for her purpose. The heron still con- 
 tinued his rounds, searching on every side for some 
 moie of escape, while the falcon noted every move- 
 ment with a watchful eye. At last, she seemed to 
 make up her mind, and, springing from her perch, 
 succeeded in fastening her claws on the head and 
 neck of the heron, who was at once brought to the 
 ground. 
 
 The contest was now virtually ended, and the fate 
 of the heron decided. In spite of his superior size 
 and strength, he could by no exertion shake off the 
 terrible claws that were clasped round his throat. He 
 struck wildly with his wings as he flapped across the 
 floor, and endeavoured to kick away his foe with his 
 powerful feet. But all his efforts were vain, and in a 
 very short time the heron lay dead on the ground. 
 
 The falcon was so rapid in its movements, that the 
 heron had hardly lain prostrate, before his foe had 
 nearly severed the head from his body. She then 
 regaled 'herself on the head and neck of her van- 
 quished enemy. 
 
 The mode of defence used by the heron when it 
 
 a 
 
8$ HAWKS. 
 
 has free scope to fly in the open air, is a most danger- 
 ous one to the falcon. When the falcon has suc- 
 ceeded in rising above the heron, and is in the act of 
 making its stoop, it suddenly draws back its head 
 and neck among its feathers, and only presents the 
 bill, which points upwards, and sometimes receives 
 the falcon on the tip, which being exceedingly sharp, 
 inflicts a mortal wound. Sometimes the falcon has 
 been completely transfixed by this deadly weapon, 
 and it is said that both falcon and heron have been 
 instantaneously destroyed, the one by the heron's 
 bill, and the other from the shock of the falcon's de- 
 scent, by which the neck of the heron was dislocated. 
 It is curious to see how often Nature is unintention- 
 ally imitated. Those who are learned in the details 
 of military exercises, are aware of a certain manoeuvre 
 in the bayonet exercise termed " shortening arms." 
 This is an exact imitation of the movement made 
 by the heron when attacked by the hawk. The per- 
 son who shortens arms is supposed to be attacked by 
 a swordsman, who succeeds in getting within the 
 bayonet, and pushing it to one side, so as to lay open 
 the holder. In that case, there is one mode of escape, 
 viz. by throwing the musket backwards to the full 
 stretch of the arms, in such a manner that the bayonet 
 rests upon the shoulder, and presents its point to the 
 adversary, just as he thinks that he has succeeded 
 in passing it. I do not know whether the inventor 
 of the bayonet exercise was a practical falconer ; at 
 all events he seems to have entered into the theory 
 of the science. 
 
 It is worth some little trouble to see how things 
 artificial are almost invariably borrowed in some 
 way from things natural. Too much time and space 
 would be consumed in showing the analogy between 
 nature and art in all the instances, but as we have 
 got upon the science of arms, let us see how the in- 
 structions of the maitre d'armes may mostly be re- 
 ferred to the things that occur in untaught nature. 
 
KATUEE AND AET. 83 
 
 Take man's natural arms, his fists. When two 
 ploughboys choose to quarrel and fight it out with 
 " iistes," they generally rush at each other impetu- 
 ously, and probably butt with their heads like rams. 
 Then, wlien they begin to use their arms, they whirl 
 them about like the sails of a windmill, and deliver 
 great, lumbering, round blows, which are effectual 
 enough when they do strike, but can be guarded with 
 the greatest ease. Now comes the man of " science," 
 to use the elegant term in vogue : he takes one of 
 these round-hitting youngsters in hand, and tells 
 him to strike out straight from the shoulder. 
 
 That very lesson may be learned from the horse, 
 who, when he fights, strikes out straight and sharp 
 with his fore legs, and does immense mischief. The 
 stag acts in much the same way. 
 
 Now, let our ploughboy take Her Majesty's shilling, 
 be drafted into a cavalry regiment, and learn the use 
 of the broadsword. He is instructed how to cut, to 
 guard, and to parry, by a mode that has been in 
 course of elimination for many years. But, if our 
 swordsmen only knew that natural swordmanship 
 was in full practice long before steel or even 
 wooden swords were made, he might probably think 
 a little less of his own accomplishments. Yes, 
 many, many years before Tubal Cain worked in 
 metals or forged a blade, the leaf insect, or mantis, 
 was in full practice as a swordsman, and knew as 
 well how to cut and guard as M. Angelo himself. 
 Now-a-days, certain steel-sinewed men exhibit their 
 strength by severing a sheep at a single blow. Yet, 
 if two of those hard-hitting warriors were opposed to 
 each other in deadly combat, I do not think that one 
 of them could cut his adversary in two with a single- 
 stroke, and then eat the pieces afterwards. No, he 
 must learn from the mantis how to do that. 
 
 The Minie rifle is now the talk of the day, and of 
 all Minies, the most terrible is that which discharges- 
 some twenty-five balls without the trouble of reload- 
 
 G % 
 
84 HAWKS. 
 
 ing. But there were sharp-shooters in striped uni- 
 form, long before our own bottle-greens were born. 
 Their family name is Chsetodon, and they can shoot 
 you as many flies as you will, their ammunition never 
 failing, for it consists of drops of the water in which 
 they swim. 
 
 Among other agreeable modes of destroying and 
 vanquishing each other, human beings have invented 
 certain objects termed, not perhaps elegantly, but at 
 all events forcibly, "stink-pots." These are used 
 for the purpose of dislodging an enemy who is proof 
 against shot and cold steel, and perform their office 
 by giving out such horrible fumes that life itself is 
 endangered in their presence. It is an ingenious 
 invention, but only a copy of the weapons of many 
 animals, such as the skunk and the teledu among 
 quadrupeds, and the bombadier beetle among insects. 
 
 If a visitor inspects a fortified town or even a well- 
 managed fort, he sees sundry contrivances for 
 catching the unwary foes in pitfalls, and then treating 
 them to a volley of musket balls to prevent their 
 escape. It may be that the same visitor may also 
 have inspected, or at all events have read about, a 
 certain insect called the ant lion, which digs pitfalls 
 in a very ingenious manner, and having captured an 
 unwary ant or other insect, prevents it from escape, 
 by showering sand upon it. And to an ant, grains 
 of sand are as big as paving-stones to us. 
 
 Do you wish to take a lesson in ordinary wrestling? 
 If so, look at two hostile white ants. If you wish to 
 wrestle after the Cornish mode, and squeeze the 
 breath out of your antagonist's body, the bear is your 
 teacher, or, if you prefer the Devonshire manner and 
 would like to kick your opponent to rags, you may 
 obtain very good instruction from the kangaroo. 
 Then, to go back to the days of chivalry, and to mix 
 with the knights of old and the barons bold, their 
 tournaments were but amalgamations of the sword- 
 fish and the lobster, the former furnishing the often- 
 
ANALOGIES. 85 
 
 sive and the latter the defensive arms. I may not 
 insert a drawing here, because I am told that it will 
 make a difference of some shillings and sixpences (I 
 forget how many) per sheet in the printing, and so I 
 must ask the reader to make the sketch for himself. 
 Let him draw the outline of a swordnsh's-head and 
 snout, cutting it off just before the eyes of the fish. 
 Then let him draw immediately under it another 
 sketch of a tilting lance, cutting it off at the place 
 where the hand grasps it, and it will he seen that 
 they are almost identical in shape. Then, as to 
 the defensive armour, the resemblance between a 
 lobster and a knight armed cap-a-pie is too close to 
 be more than alluded to. 
 
 I might easily complete my volume by drawing 
 analogies in this manner, arid therefore I will only 
 mention one more instance, hopping from 1 1 90 to 
 1856, and passing from the downright blows of the 
 Crusades to the far-slaying weapons of the present 
 day. One of the most remarkable circumstances 
 connected with the late war, was the mode in which 
 peace-loving science was made to lend itself to the 
 art of war. And among the various branches of 
 science, electricity was pressed into the service, and 
 gave its aid towards exploding mines at a great 
 distance, and otherwise annoying the foe. And it is 
 not at all impossible that the comparatively clumsy 
 expedient of burying gunpowder in the path of an 
 enemy and then exploding it at the right moment by 
 electrical means, will be discarded, and that a mode 
 will be discovered by which the entire destruction will 
 be worked by electricity itself. Yet, even were this 
 great advance in the warlike art to take place, we 
 should only be on a level with a fish, which has been 
 in the habit of destroying its enemies by electrical 
 shocks, ages before amber was discovered to attract 
 light substances when rubbed. 
 
 I have no doubt whatever, but that if science still 
 proceeds with the rapid strides of the last few years, 
 
86 HAWKS. 
 
 we shall always find some natural object either on a 
 level or in advance- of us, and probably on account of 
 properties to which we had long been familiar, but 
 which we failed to comprehend. The loadstone was 
 a toy for hundreds of years before it was used to guide 
 vessels over the trackless ocean. The mere perfume 
 of a flower, or the phosphoric light of certain marine 
 creatures, may at some future time lead to unexpected 
 results, just as the falling apple led to the law of gra- 
 vitation, and the rainbow to the true theory of light. 
 And when the discovery is made, we shall wonder 
 why such a very simple fact was not discovered long 
 ago, forgetting that when an egg is to be balanced, 
 a Columbus is required to do it. Men advance to 
 the very verge of a grand discovery, and there stop 
 trembling on its very edge. The slightest impulse 
 . would carry them over, but that impulse is not given 
 until the man comes whose daring mind overleaps 
 the petty obstacle, and displays the vast fields to an 
 astonished world. In other words, the discovery is 
 not made, because the time has not come for it. 
 See how such is the case with every great disco- 
 very. 
 
 And, apparently in order to show that this is the 
 right view of the matter, and to prevent the disco- 
 verer from being too much puffed up with the idea 
 of his own powers, the same identical discovery is 
 either made simultaneously in another part of the 
 world, and by a person with whom there has been 
 no connection whatever ; or it is found, after all, to 
 be only a revival of the facts found out and noted by 
 some one who lived long ago, and who died in 
 obscurity. For, man is not a god, that he can claim 
 to himself the glory of discovering a natural pheno- 
 menon. But the curious thing is, that men seem to 
 take to themselves, or to give to other men the credit, 
 not only of the discovery, but of the fact which they 
 discover, and so they speak of the Newtonian laws 
 of gravitation, or of galvanism, just as if Newton 
 
A FALCON AT SEA. 87 
 
 made attraction, and Galvani that particular form of 
 electricity called by his name. People talk of the 
 right man in the right place, but I think that it is 
 quite as important to have tlie right name in the right 
 place. 
 
 To return to our falcons. The flight of these 
 birds is exceedingly swift, and their power of endur- 
 ance great. They have been known to fly nearly one 
 hundred and fifty miles in an hour, nearly three times 
 the rate of an express train, and instances are on record 
 whe're they have been noted to fly upwards of five 
 hundred miles without resting. In the year J 838, at 
 a meeting of the Zoological Society of London, a 
 specimen of the peregrine falcon was placed on the 
 table, and the following letter read from Captain 
 Robertson, the commander of the Exmouth, on board 
 of which the hawk was taken : 
 
 * * # * * The accompanying hawk was caught 
 on board the Exmouth, on the 12th of February last, 
 on her passage from Bengal to London, when in 
 about latitude 12 north and longitude 88 30' east, 
 which placed the ship about three hundred miles 
 from the Andaman Islands ; and from observing the 
 bird's tendency to fly away towards the east about the 
 time of sunrise, for some days after it was caught, I 
 am led to suppose that it must have been blown off, 
 or followed its prey until out of sight of those islands 
 At the time it was taken it was on the maintopsail- 
 yard, in the act of devouring the remains of a sea- 
 bird, which it had previously been seen to pounce 
 down upon and take up from the sea. 
 
 " The injury to the leg was caused by a ring to 
 which it was attached when first caught, and the 
 struggles of the bird to get away ; but I have great 
 hopes that it will regain in some measure the use of 
 it by proper care and attention, which I was unable 
 to give it ; and it is now much improved to what it 
 was, the two parts being much more inclined to unite. 
 I have fed it upon raw fresh meat, and young rats 
 
88 HAWKS. 
 
 occasionally; but it never looks at water. When 
 approaching the coast of England, it was very re- 
 markable that the bird again struggled to get away 
 in the direction of the land, although we were so far 
 off as not to see it from the ship. I am not aware 
 that this hawk differs from the common species, but 
 the circumstances attending it may be interesting to 
 a naturalist ; and if it should be thought worthy of 
 being added to your collection, I shall feel amply 
 repaid for the trouble I have taken to preserve it. 
 
 "This is the second instance of a hawk being 
 taken by me out of sight of land; and on the former 
 occasion, a sparrow took refuge in the cabin ; we 
 were at that time about eighty miles from Ceylon. 
 From these circumstances, it is evident that hawks 
 traverse great spaces of ocean, being able to feed on 
 the wing." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HAWKS CONTINUED. 
 
 Chaucer among the Birds. Scientific Nomenclature. The Jer- 
 
 Falcon. Its Powers of Flight. Goat caught by Falcons 
 
 "Russian Falcons. Falconry in India. Mark wick a bad 
 Shot. Magpie Hawking^ The Goshawk. Wood Life. 
 Bosjesman and Lion. Bird of Yggdrasil. The Shah and 
 his Falcon. The Kite. Its Love for its Young. 
 
 THE hawk is too poetical a bird to be passed over 
 in the literature of any country where it may reside. 
 In our land the earlier poets teem with imagery derived 
 from this bird. In grand old Chaucer, for example, 
 we find many such passages. The following stanzas* 
 taken from his "Assembly of Fowls," are so significant, 
 and show so masterly a power of description, that I 
 must extract the entire five stanzas, in which are 
 described no less than thirty-four birds in a compass 
 of thirty-five lines, the leading characteristic of each 
 bird being given sharply and clearly. 
 
 " There might men the royall Egle find, 
 That with his sharpe looke perseth the sun, 
 And other Egles of a lower kind, 
 Of which that clerkes well devisen con. 
 There was the tyrant with his fethers don, 
 And grene, I mean the Goshawke, that doth pine 
 To birdes for his outragious ravine ; 
 
 " The Gentle-Faucon, that with his fete destreineth 
 The king's hand ; the hardy Sperhauke eke 
 The quailes foe ; the Merlion that peineth 
 Himself full oft the Larke for to seke ; 
 There was the Dove, with her eyen meke ; 
 The jelous Swan, ayenst his deth that singeth; 
 The Oul eke, that of deth the bode bringeth ; 
 
90 HAWKS. 
 
 " The Crane, the geaunt, with his trompes soune ; 
 The thief the Chough ; and the chattering Pie ; 
 The scorning Jaye; the eles foe, the Heronne; 
 The false Lapwing, full of trecherie; 
 The Stare, that the counsaile can bewray ; 
 The tame Ruddocke ; and the coward Kite ; 
 The Cocke, that horloge is of thorpes lite ; 
 
 " The Sparowe, Venus' son ; and the Nightingale, 
 That clepeth forth the fresh leaves new ; 
 The Swalowe, murderer of the bees smale, 
 That maken house of floures fresh of hew ; 
 The wedded Turtle, with his herte true ; 
 The Pecocke, with his angel-feathers bright ; 
 The Fesaunt, scorner of the Cocke by night ; 
 
 " The waken Gose ; the Cuckowe ever unkind ; 
 The Popingay, full of delicacy ; 
 The Drake, stroier of his owne kind ; 
 The Storke, wreker of adulterie ; 
 The hote Cormorant, full of glotony ; 
 The Ravin ; -and the Crowe, with her voice of care ; 
 The Throstell olde ; and the frostie Feldefare." 
 
 I do not in general admit poetry into my pages, 
 but it would have been positively a crime against the 
 reader to omit such a masterly passage as that which 
 I have just quoted. Poets seem to be necessarily 
 naturalists in the truest sense of the word. They 
 may not possess brains stuffed with the cruel vo- 
 cabularies of the museum and the cabinet, but their 
 minds drink in the truths of living nature, weave them 
 into form, and send them out to the world. In another 
 part of the very same poem Chaucer- displays equal 
 knowledge of trees, mentioning and dismissing each, 
 with an epithet that stamps its individuality to the ear, 
 as plainly as its leaf would distinguish it to the eye. 
 
 I wonder why so many naturalists think that they 
 are bound to write in a dry, sententious manner, and 
 to fill their pages with words that seem to build 
 themselves into a fence, through which we have no 
 more power of reaching the subject than through a 
 hedge of the prickly cactus, or the wait-a-bit thorn. 
 Indeed, I never open a very scientific book without 
 
IMPEDIMENTS TO SCIENCE. 91 
 
 appearing to see the long words forming themselves 
 into chevaux de /rise, and poking their sharp points 
 in every direction out of the paper. 
 
 Surely science is not at war with mankind, that it 
 needs to entrench itself in an inaccessible camp. 
 Science ought to pour its light on the world, and not 
 to shut itself up in a dark lantern, which either gives 
 no light at all, or blinds one with a flash from its 
 bull's-eye. But, at present, science encamps itself, 
 and those who carry away its treasures and spread 
 them before the world are forced to storm the camp 
 in the face of the word-artillery, and to suffer greatly 
 from words afterwards. The lieutenant-generals of 
 science keep a very sharp watch over any one who 
 enters their camp without their passwords, and if 
 they catch him, treat him as a spy, and gibbet him 
 in the sight of men on a word-gallows, with a verbal 
 rope. 
 
 " Impostor," and " pretender " are the gibbet and 
 rope destined for the unhappy man who dares to call 
 an ass anything but "Asinus vulgaris." I might 
 carry on this last image, but refrain in pity. 
 
 Now-a-days, too, Science is so very skilful in her 
 military affairs, that she keeps a corps of sharp- 
 shooters, and no sooner does a would-be naturalist 
 show his head in the distance, than he gets shot 
 through the brain by a horrible Minie bullet of a 
 word, that effectually slays the naturalist in him. 
 
 I should very much like to see an army take 
 General Common Sense for its leader, and attack 
 the scientific camp. But it would be a fearful 
 struggle, for what chance would have 
 
 Mole 
 
 Horse 
 
 Jackdaw 
 
 Frog 
 
 Yiper 
 
 Anchovy 
 
 against 
 
 TALPA Europaea. 
 EQUUS Caballus. 
 CORVUS Monedula. 
 EANA temporaria. 
 PELIAS Berus. 
 ENGRAULIS Encrasicholua. 
 
 I dread to think of it. 
 
92 HAWKS. 
 
 And these are all vertebrate animals, which, being 
 comparatively large, do not require very long names. 
 But it appears to be a scientific fact, that the diminu- 
 tiveness of a creature's form is to be compensated 
 by the dimensions of its name, just as a very 
 little man always wears a tall hat and high-heeled 
 boots. So, when we get among the insects, we are 
 opposed by some horrible monsters called " Khino- 
 cyllus Antiodontalgicus," or " Lsemobothrion Tin- 
 nunculi." It is true that the former is only a very 
 small beetle, and the latter an equally small parasite, 
 but still their names are positively terrific. Fancy 
 being warned against going into Epping Forest, for 
 fear of meeting an Antiodontalgicus. I think that 
 most people would as soon meet a lion that is, if it 
 were not called Leo Africanus Gordon Gumming 
 himself could'nt do it. 
 
 I do not object to technical terms in moderation, 
 for to a certain degree they are useful and necessary, 
 just as workmen in every art must have their own 
 peculiar terms for their own peculiar tools. But at 
 present there seems to be quite a mania for inventing 
 hard names, which are crowded and heaped upon 
 objects with reckless extravagance. 
 
 And if people would be content with giving one 
 name to each creature, there would be some hope 
 of learning them, however long they might be. But 
 as almost every one who dives deeply into the sub- 
 ject sees that former names are not sufficiently ex- 
 pressive, he straightway affixes a new one of his 
 own now and then Latinizing his own cognomen, 
 or getting a scientific friend to do it for him, he 
 repaying the compliment in kind on the next 
 occasion. Thus we are indulged with such titles 
 as Trilatitus Horsfieldii, Macroscelides Edwardsii, 
 Andrena Collinsoniana, &c., so that we may soon 
 expect Canis Hubbardiensis, or Asinus Lillywhite- 
 eamii. 
 
 Again, I open at random a volume of the British 
 
SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE. 93 
 
 Museum Catalogue of British Birds, and find the 
 common Kittiwake Gull on the page. Now would 
 any one suppose that the poor harmless Kitty would 
 have to groan under such a pressure of titles as 
 these : 
 
 1IISSA TTJDACTYLA. The Kittiwake Gull. 
 
 Laru? Ri^sia, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 224 ; Leaih, Syst. Cat. Mam. <fc 
 
 B. B. M. p. 40 ; Flem. Brit. An. p. 141. 
 Lams tridactylus, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 224; Temm. Man. dOrn. 
 
 1815, p. 502; Jenyns, Man. B. Vert. An. p. 274; Keys & 
 
 Bl. Wirbelth. Eur. p. 95 ; Naum. Vog. Deuts. (1840), x. p. 
 
 322, t. 262 ; Scldey. Rev. Crit. des Ois. d'Eur. p. 126. 
 Larus gavia, Pall. Zoogr. ii. p. 329. 
 Larus canus, Pall. Zoogr. ii. p. 330. 
 Gavia tridactyla, Boie, Isis (1822), p. 563. 
 llissa Brunaichii, Leach, Stepli. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 181, pi. 21. 
 Cheimonea tridactyla, Kaup, Naturl. Syst. p. 84. 
 Rissa cinerea, Eyton, Cat. Brit. B. p. 52. 
 Rissa tridactyla, Macgill, Man. N. H. Ornitli. ii. p. 250; G. R. 
 
 Gray, Gen. of B. iii. p. 655. 
 Laroides tridactylus, Brelim. Vog. Deuts. p. 754. 
 Laroides rissa, Brelim. Vog. Deuts. p. 755, t. 37, f. 3. 
 Laroides minor, Brehm. Vo>j. Deuts. p. 756. 
 Kittiwake, Mont. Orn. Diet.; Bew. Brit. B. (1804), ii. p. 229, 
 
 fig. ; Selby, Brit. Orn. ii. p. 493. 
 Kittiwake Gull, Penn. Brit. Zool. (1812), ii. 186; Yarr. Brit. 
 
 B. 2nd Edit. iii. p. 562, fig. . 
 Tarrock Gull, Mont. Orn. Diet; Bew. Brit. B. (1804), ii. p. 
 
 231; Penn, Brit. Zool. (1812), ii. p. 187. 
 
 Here are no less than fourteen names given to one 
 single bird, and that quite a common one. Surely 
 the cause of science would not suffer if ten of these 
 names had never been given at all. 
 
 Then, to turn to the insects. Suppose we take one 
 of the very commonest and best-known insects, the 
 " Bed-hrpped Humble Bee," it does seem rather singu- 
 lar that, when wo look in the catalogue, the following 
 complicated list s placed before us : 
 
94 HAWKS 
 
 BOMBUS LAPIDARIUS. 
 
 Ap. lapidarra, Linn. ii. 960; Barb. G. pi. 15, f. 3; Don* iii. 97, 
 pi. 108, f. 1 ; Id. pi 88, f. 2 ft ; tihaw, N. M. pi. 454 ; Kirby, 
 M. A. ii. 364 ; Stew. ii. 243 ; Turt. iii. 549 ; SJiaw, G. Z. vi. 
 347; pi. 98,^r. inf. dext.; Don, xi. pi. 385, f. 1 $. 
 
 The orange-tailed Bee, Bingley, iii. 290. 
 
 Ap. pratorum, Ghristi. Hy. 141, pi. 11, f. 5/3. 
 
 Ap. audens, Harr. Ex. 130, pi. xxxviii. f. 2. 
 
 Ap. opis, Harr. Ex. 137, pi. xl. f. 12. 
 
 Ap. pertristis, Harr. Ex. 137, pi. xl. f. 15. 
 
 $ Ap. arbustorum, Fab. E. 8. ii. 347. 
 
 Ap. coronata, Fourc. ii. 449. 
 
 Ap. strenuus, Harr. Ex. 131, pi. xxxviii. f. 51 
 
 Ap. haemorrhoidalis, Christi. Hy. 132, pi. 9, f. 2. 
 
 1 Ap. flavicollis, Sowerb. B. M. 1, pi. 19. 
 
 Bo. flavicollis (Sam. i. 6). 
 
 It requires a very strong-minded individual to 
 attack such an array of language. And the singu- 
 lar thing is, that the public, as represented by the 1 
 press, is never quite pleased with the view that one 
 takes. 
 
 For example. In my "Illustrated Natural History,*' 
 as the work was intended partly to act as a guide to 
 the British Museum, I arranged it according to the 
 catalogues of that institution, and therefore gave the 
 chief scientific names of the creatures. And, although 
 I carefully gave the meaning, derivation, and pronun- 
 ciation of those names, I was termed a " pedant " for 
 using them. 
 
 So, when my next ]book came out, I determined 
 not to use scientific terms at all. And the conse- 
 quence was, that the very identical journal that pro- 
 nounced me a "pedant" because I inserted the scien- 
 tific terms in the first work, positively denounced me 
 as "no zoologist," because 1 omitted them from the 
 second. 
 
 Not that I complain of those opinions, but it does 
 show how difficult it is to steer a middle course. 
 There is a proverb, " In medio tutissimus ibis," but 
 I do not believe it. For the individual in the middle 
 is apt to receive the fire of both parties, because he 
 
JER-FALCON. 95 
 
 belongs to neither. To please people, there is no- 
 thing like going to one extreme or the other, for then 
 one party upholds and the other respects. But woe 
 to him who repudiates party, and flatters himself that 
 he shall be " medio tutissimus." Bulwer very justly 
 remarks, that " No one fares so ill in a crowd as the 
 man who is wedged in the middle." Now I have 
 relieved my mind a little, and we will return to our 
 hawks. 
 
 According to Mudie, the jer-falcon takes the lead 
 of the falcon family, just as the falcons take the lead 
 of the feathered tribes. The flight of this noble bird 
 is perfectly wonderful ; and as it ascends in order to 
 gain a point of vantage above its intended prey, each 
 stroke of the wings seems to make it leap into the 
 air. And when it has succeeded in getting fairly 
 above its prey, its swoop is so sudden and rapid, that 
 it has been happily termed " a torrent of falcon rush- 
 ing for fathoms through the air." 
 
 But it is not ^ ery easy to see the bird, as it is but 
 very rarely found in the British Isles, preferring to 
 make its home in Iceland or Norway. Yet its power 
 of wing is so great, that it is quite capable of leaving 
 Iceland in the morning, breakfasting or dining in 
 Scotland, and getting back to Iceland in plenty of 
 time for supper, if it should still be hungry. The 
 distance is quite trifling to a jer-falcon, being only 
 five hundred miles or so. 
 
 The jer-falcon is a terrible bird in fight as well 
 as in chase, and can even vanquish the raven himself, 
 in spite of his pickaxe of a beak and his exceeding 
 craftiness. Sometimes, though, the jer-falcon is de- 
 feated in the chase, and that by one of the most 
 helpless of birds the ptarmigan. The falcon as well 
 as the ptarmigan is light coloured in plumage, and 
 chases the latter bird over the snow-covered wastes. 
 But, when the falcon pounces on a flock of ptar- 
 migans, the intended victims elude their pursuer, by 
 boldly plunging into the deep snow, and tunnelling 
 
96 
 
 HAWKS. 
 
 a way for themselves beneath its shelter, where they 
 wait until their enemy has left the spot. 
 
 The various falcons are used for the chase of both 
 quadrupeds and birds, the former of which was 
 called, as I have already stated, flying at the fur, and 
 the other, flying at the plume. Sometimes creatures 
 of some size were chased by it, such as the goat. Of 
 the chase of the animal by the falcon, old Hassel- 
 quist gives a very good description, albeit his narra- 
 tive is remarkable for its paucity of periods. 
 
 " The Arabians hunt it (the rock goat) with a 
 falcon. I had an excellent opportunity of seeing 
 this sport, near Nazareth in Galilee. An Arab 
 mounting a swift courser, held the falcon in his 
 hand, as huntsmen commonly do ; when he espied 
 the rock goat on the top of a mountain, he let loose 
 the falcon, which flew in a direct line like an arrow, 
 and attacked the animal, fixing the talons of one of 
 his feet into the cheek of the creature, and the 
 talons of the other into its throat, extending his 
 wings obliquely over the animal; spreading one to- 
 wards one of its ears, and the other to the opposite 
 hip. The animal attacked made a leap twice the 
 height of a man, and freed himself from the falcon ; 
 but being wounded, and losing its strength and 
 speed, it was again attacked by the falcon, which 
 fixed the talons of both its feet into the throat of the 
 animal, and held it fast, till the huntsman coming 
 up, took it alive and cut its throat ; the falcon drink- 
 ing the blood as a reward for his labour, and a young 
 falcon, which was learning, was likewise put to the 
 throat of the goat ; by this means are young falcons 
 taught to fix their talons in the throat of the animal, 
 as being the properest part ; for should the falcon fix 
 them in the creature's hip or some other part of the 
 body, the huntsman would not only lose his game 
 but his falcon also ; for the animal, roused by the 
 wound, which could not prove mortal, would run to 
 the deserts, and the tops of the mountains, whither 
 
PERSIAN, RUSSIAN, AND INDIAN FALCl NRY. 97 
 
 its enemy, keeping its hold, would be obliged to 
 follow, and being separated from its master, must of 
 course perish." 
 
 In Persia, even the antelope is hunted with the 
 assistance of falcons, who have been regularly trained 
 to the sport by always having their food placed on 
 the nose of a stuffed antelope. 
 
 In consequence, when an antelope is started, the 
 falcon dashes after it, settles on its head, and, fixing 
 its claws firmly, beats with its wings about the eyes 
 of the poor animal, who becomes so bewildered by 
 the strokes, that it suffers itself to be easily over- 
 taken by the hunters. 
 
 In case the antelope should succeed in throwing 
 off its assailant, another falcon is generally loosed 
 soon after the first, and hovers over its predecessor, 
 ready to take its place. And so, between them, the 
 antelope has but a very slender chance of escape. 
 
 In Russia there is existing now a breed of hawks, 
 which can attack and vanquish a fox, by striking at 
 his eyes and blinding him. And some are so strong 
 and fierce, that two of them can not only arrest, but 
 actually kill without assistance, a wolf, by tearing his 
 vital parts with their beaks, after they have pecked 
 out his eyes. These hawks are taken in Siberia, and 
 fetch very high prices. 
 
 Falconry is earned on also in India in much the 
 same way as in other countries. There is one kind 
 of hawk, a very tiny one, which is used for hunting 
 quails, and is so small that it is carried in the hand 
 instead of on it. From this peculiarity, the bird is 
 called " mooty." When a quail or other small bird 
 rises, the owner throws the mooty at it, just as if the 
 bird were nothing more than a stone. The hawk im- 
 mediately collects itself, and generally succeeds in 
 killing the game. A mooty has been seen to kill in 
 this way nearly a dozen quails in succession. 
 
 There is no want of hawks in the wild state, for 
 they hover about the habitations of man in great 
 
 H 
 
8 HAWKS. 
 
 numbers, for the purpose of obtaining food. Wil- 
 liamson says that they actually darken the air if they 
 discover any new prey. And their audacity is so 
 great, that they have no hesitation in snatching at 
 food even out of the hands of the servants that cany . 
 it, so that it is necessary to have also one or two 
 attendants armed with long sticks, for the purpose of 
 intimidating the hawks. Even this precaution fails 
 sometimes, and they have been seen to .pounce upon 
 the tables and carry off a fowl or a quarter of a kid 
 with them. 
 
 And even when sportsmen are shooting near thp 
 jungles, the hawks, especially the sparrow-hawks, 
 hover round, and take advantage of the fright occa- 
 sioned to the little birds by the report of the gun, 
 pouncing on them with the utmost impudence, be- 
 fore the very nose of the dogs. As for themselves, 
 they do not seem to fear the report in the least ; and 
 frequently snatch up the wounded birds and carry 
 them off before either servants or dogs can reach 
 them. 
 
 The same habit is sometimes noticed in England, 
 and probably would be more common if the hawks 
 themselves were less rare. In White's " Selborne " 
 there is a note by the author narrating that a hen 
 harrier continued to hover about a sportsman (who, by 
 the way, could not have been much of a shot, as he 
 missed three birds in succession), and to chase 1 the 
 pheasants that were fired at. Markwick also adds a 
 note relating a similar circumstances of the peregrine 
 falcon, which he calls the ring- tailed hawk. When 
 out partridge shooting with a friend they saw a 
 falcon fly away with a large bird in its claws. They 
 fired at the marauder, and found that it had caught 
 one of the partridges after which they had set out. 
 And on the succeeding day a hawk dropped from 
 its talons another partridge, which was bleeding from 
 a recent wound on the head, but also was marked 
 with clotted and dried blood 'on the wings. The 
 
MAGPIE HAWKING. 99 
 
 falcon had evidently got hold of a bird that had been 
 wounded 011 the preceding day. 
 
 He also very innocently testifies to the bad shoot- 
 ing of himself and friends in another anecdote, where 
 he relates that " a woodcock flew across us, pur- 
 sued by a small hawk; ive all three fired at the 
 woodcock instead of the hawk, which, notwithstand- 
 ing the report of three guns close by it, continued its 
 pursuit of the woodcock, struck it down, and carried 
 it off." 
 
 Although, as a general fact, hawking is not much 
 in use in this country at the present day, yet it 
 appears that one branch of it yet survives, and is fol- 
 lowed eagerly, although, being confined to a select 
 society, but few are aware that it even exists. 
 
 The following account of the sport is taken from 
 an article in the Illustrated London News, accompanied 
 by a very spirited sketch of the chase : 
 
 " The hawks to be used in this flight should be a 
 cast of male peregrines, called by falconers ' tiercels.' 
 The day should not be too sunny or windy : a calm, 
 dull day is the best ; and the country open, with a 
 pretty good sprinkling of magpies upon it. Before 
 the hawks 'leave the hand,' it is well to explain the 
 part the field should take in the amusement. They 
 should be informed that dogs are not allowable ; that 
 upon seeing a magpie they should observe a strict 
 silence until the hawks are cast off. It should also 
 be explained to them that, as the magpie makes up 
 for its want of speed upon the wing by wonderful 
 cunning and activity, he proves himself to be no easy 
 bird to kill with hawks. Indeed, a flight may last 
 from twenty to forty minutes. 
 
 This being the case, the falconer requires every 
 assistance from all present, and this help should be 
 thus rendered : The magpie knows that his safety 
 depends on avoiding the stoops of the hawks, and he 
 escapes them by taking short flights near the ground, 
 from bush to bush, or along a hedgerow, &c. ; being 
 
100 HAWKS. 
 
 well aware that the hawks dare not strike at him in 
 such situations for fear of injuring themselves. The 
 great object of all is, consequently, to make Maggy 
 cross the open country, where the hawks have a 
 chance of stooping fairly at him. Supposing, there- 
 fore, that the magpie has been driven into a hedge 
 by the hawks, both horseman and ' footies ' divide on 
 each side, and make a large circle round the magpie, 
 so as to have him between them. Each party then 
 rapidly approaches the other, and with whips, sticks, 
 and voices endeavour to force out the magpie, which, 
 being thus surrounded, flies clear of cover, giving 
 the hawks, which are ' waiting on,' room for a stoop, 
 which, however, the quarry will frequently avoid by 
 * shifting its flight;' i. e., turning rapidly in the air, 
 which throws out the hawks, and thus is enabled to 
 regain the cover. 
 
 " No time must then be lost in driving him out as 
 before, for the hawks, it must be recollected, are all 
 the while exhausting their strength upon the wing 
 whilst Maggy is resting ay, perhaps concocting 
 some sly dodge to do his enemies. 'Whoop!' pro- 
 claims the kill, when all should fall back, that the 
 falconers may secure the hawks. The first up at the 
 death may claim the tail, which makes a pretty orna- 
 ment to wear in a cap. 
 
 " One great feature of this sport is that no one 
 need be idle ; all may join in it and be of use. In 
 fact np quarry gives more sport than the magpie ; 
 and this flight has several advantages over others ; 
 for instance, it is never too rapid, on account of the 
 quarry being slow in a straightforward flight; and 
 it is easily seen, being so conspicuously marked. As 
 to the sport itself, few scenes can be more exciting 
 than a good field of ladies and gentlemen on horse- 
 back, and on foot, some galloping, some leaping, 
 some tumbling, others using their whips, and some 
 their quarter staffs, to beat out and frighten the mag- 
 pie which has ' put in ' to cover. 
 
GOSHAWK. 101 
 
 " Then when Maggy is pressed out, you have the 
 wild cry of the falconers to call the attention of the 
 hawks, which work and assist each other with all the 
 sagacity of dogs being encouraged, instead of 
 frightened, by the noise and bustle of the field, 
 which they evidently look upon as allies. Whenever 
 the magpie leaves the cover sufficiently you have the 
 most splendid stoops at him from each hawk in its 
 turn, and the wary doublings and shifts of the 
 quarry by which he so long avoids these blows are 
 truly astonishing. 
 
 *' Such a flight as we have been endeavouring here 
 to describe may be confined to a few fields before we 
 have * a kill,' but if it be a good rideable countiy a 
 good chase across it is most desirable to secure 
 which the magpie must not be headed, but be 
 allowed to make ' his point,' which, like a fox, will 
 be straight to his stronghold, the nearest wood or 
 cover." 
 
 As to the goshawk, we very seldom hear of its 
 presence in England, although it is common enough 
 in many parts of the Continent, especially in Den- 
 mark, Sweden, &c. It lives almost entirely in the 
 depths of forests, which is an excellent reason for its 
 departure from England. For, alas ! the forests are 
 falling in every direction, and even my own pet 
 wood, in which I have been so often lost, is now 
 dwindling away beneath the cruel axe. 
 
 Once upon a time, as they say in fairy tales, I was 
 used to enter that wood in the early morning and to 
 stay there until late at night, watching, and some- 
 times catching, the infinite variety of animal life 
 that was found there. For there were many kinds 
 of soil, consequently many kinds of plants, and as a 
 consequence of that, many kinds of living creatures ; 
 some attracted by the plants themselves, and others 
 by the insects that fed upon the plants. 
 
 In that beautiful wood, every square yard of which 
 was familiar to me, I used to roam, armed wit> 
 
102 HAWKS. 
 
 gauze net, bottles, boxes, an army of pins, and a hal 
 lined with cork. No one ever meddled with me, 
 except now and then a keeper, who would push his 
 leather-capped head through the bushes where he was 
 lying in ambush for poachers, and demand an 
 account of my proceedings. It is singular to think 
 how much argument was expended on him and his 
 colleagues before they could comprehend that any 
 rational being would go out " fly-hunting," as they 
 termed my entomological pursuits ; nor were they 
 persuaded, without manual probations and inspec- 
 tions of my hat and bottles, that the delicate green 
 silk gauze net was not intended for the purpose of 
 catching pheasants and hares. There was some 
 shadow of justice in their suspicions of the net, for it 
 was one of rather peculiar form, being held open 
 while in pursuit, and suffered to shut up with a loud 
 snap when the insect was fairly within the rim. The 
 worthy keepers thought that it was a clever kind of 
 gun, being deceived by the brass work about the 
 handle. 
 
 A few years ago I went to revisit my juvenile 
 haunt. 
 
 All was changed when I reached it. There was a 
 horrible paling set up, smeared with gas-tar, and 
 decorated with a notice, fulminating penalties against 
 trespassers. However, I determined to revisit the 
 well-remembered scenes, scaled the gate in spite of 
 the gas-tar, and penetrated into the wood. There a 
 dreadful sight met my eyes. Hundreds of oaks had 
 been cut down, and were lying prostrate, stretching 
 their white skeleton limbs in all directions, while 
 their bark was regularly ranged in rows, undergoing 
 the process of drying ready for the tanners. 
 
 And on going further into the wood I got fairly 
 lost, for the old landmarks had been cut down, and 
 there was little chance of getting bearings without 
 ohem. Only two spots could I find the one where I 
 contrived to cut one of my fingers nearly off by fall- 
 
REVERENCE FOR INTELLECT. 103 
 
 ing down with an open knife in my hand, the blade 
 of which closed over my fingers ; and thereupon 
 fainting, found on recovery that I had been reclining 
 on a nest of wood ants. The second spot was where 
 a party, having spent most of the day in the wood, 
 determined on getting up a sham murder, and did 
 so effectually, by piling withered fern in a heap 
 where it just was not hidden, tearing down a few 
 branches, kicking up the ground to imitate the traces 
 of a struggle, and hanging here and there on the 
 thorns bits of feminine apparel begged from the 
 ladies, whose costumes had somewhat suffered in 
 scrambling about the bushes. 
 
 There is, or rather was, a histoiy in every opening 
 of that wood. In such a place I caught the first 
 little ringlet which, I beg to observe, is a butterfly, 
 and not a lady ; in another place I lay for hours 
 watching the vagaries of the comical little rabbits ; 
 in another we played at hide-and-seek, which is a 
 mightily pretty game in a wood under some cir- 
 cumstances ; in another spot was the gravel pit, into 
 which I tumbled when chasing a butterfly with too 
 much eagerness, and the pit being a wet one, emerged 
 therefrom in a singularly uncomfortable condition of 
 body and temper. 
 
 But now all is gone, and I could find none of them, 
 even with a compass. And so, just as the destruction 
 of the forests, together with the gas-tar, drove me 
 away, so are the falcons driven away to seek for fresh 
 homes in a more hospitable land. 
 
 The Orientals appear to attribute great powers of 
 mind to the birds of prey. Indeed it is curious to 
 see how most nations except our own race pay re- 
 spect to the intellect of the brutes and birds. For 
 example, in North Africa the natives seldom mention 
 the word lion, but speak of him in whispered tones 
 of awe as "my lord with the large head.'' In South- 
 ern Africa, too, the Bosjesman is fully persuaded that 
 the lion is a great king, and when he is about to slay 
 
104 HAWKS. 
 
 one with his terrible little poison darts, he makes an 
 oration as an apology. 
 
 I have heard a Bosjesman make this oration, 
 which he did to a stuffed lion-skin. It was really a 
 wonderful piece of eloquence. There was a platform 
 prepared with hushes and trunks of trees, so as to re- 
 present part of a wood, and behind the bushes was 
 laid the stuffed representative of the lion. 
 
 The little Bosjesman then made his appearance, 
 dressed in a leopard-skin kaross, his bow strung over 
 his shoulder, a pair of assegais, or spears, stuck in his 
 girdle, and a dozen or so of poisoned arrows radiating 
 from his head, like the representations of Apollo as 
 Helios. He was supposed to be going on an expedi- 
 tion after some breakfast, and accordingly crept on 
 with a noiseless step and a restless eye that reminded 
 the spectator strongly of a cat in search of a mouse 
 that she smells but cannot see. And the tiny morsel 
 of humanity acted his part so well that when he pre- 
 tended to step on a thorn and stopped to pick it out 
 of his foot, no one seemed to think that it was only 
 acting after all. 
 
 On he went, now and then picking up an imaginary 
 object, smelling it, and casting it aside, or catching a 
 stray beetle or locust, and nibbling it with much 
 relish. Presently he came in sight of the sleeping 
 lion, and down he dropped in a confused heap that 
 no one could possibly have guessed to be a human 
 being : it most resembled a bundle of withered leaves 
 and sticks, the leaves being admirably represented by 
 the spotted kaross, and the sticks by the shafts of the 
 arrows and spears. 
 
 The bundle of leaves then slowly glided back- 
 wards by some imperceptible mode of movement, and 
 when fairly out of the lion's reach first the head was 
 cautiously raised from the heap, then the arms made 
 their appearance, and at last the whole creature slowly 
 and silently re se to his feet. He now cautiously crept 
 to the bushes, and peeped through them at his sleep- 
 
BOSJESMAN AND LION. 105 
 
 ing foe, and having made quite sure of his position, 
 retired to the further end of the platform and pre- 
 pared for action. 
 
 . The arrows were separately examined, their points 
 reversed, and then replaced. The bow was slipped 
 over his head, or rather he seemed to emerge out of 
 the how, and the string proved. The assegais were 
 then carefully fitted into the helt ; and taking a thick 
 stick in his hand, the tiny hunter commenced one of 
 the most animated speeches that I have ever heard. 
 It was translated by the keeper, but in itself was not 
 particularly intelligible, being much as follows : 
 
 " Cluck-clock-clack ! Whew ! Wow-row-yow-cluck 
 clack- whoosh-cluck ! Sh-h-h-cluck-sh-h-h-clack-sh- 
 h-h-click-clack ! Hoo-clack-click-cluck-whoosh-sh-sh- 
 sh- clack ! " 
 
 That is a tolerably correct representation, as far as 
 it is in the power of letters to convey an idea, of the 
 first few sentences of the Bosjesman's speech. The 
 reader will be pleased to say the words as fast as he 
 can, and to make all the clacks in a manner similar to 
 that which an omnibus driver employs in encouraging 
 his horses. He must be very particular about this 
 point, for the whole meaning of a sentence in the 
 Hottentot and Bosjesman languages may be reversed 
 by a difference in the expression of the cluck. It ap- 
 pears to be a very comprehensive language, as the only 
 word which I could really catch was " Quah," which 
 being often used as a remonstrance to the Bosjesman 
 when he got too much excited, appeared to mean, 
 " Come, now, do be quiet, and you shall have a pipe 
 when you have finished your exhibition," for he bar- 
 gained for the pipe in the middle of the exhibition, 
 and having obtained it was pacified. 
 
 Be this as it may, the interpretation of his speech 
 was couched in such terms as these : " Great lord, 
 I am about to shoot you with poisoned arrows. You 
 will be angry with me ; but you will sleep, and then 
 you will d e. Great lord, do not be angry with me, 
 
1 06 HAWKS. 
 
 for you have forced me to kill you Great lord, I have 
 not gone into your country, but you have come into 
 mine, and the land will not hold a great lord like 
 yourself as well as me. So I must kill you. Great 
 lord, you have come to carry away my oxen after I 
 have taken so much trouble to steal them from the 
 big white men, and you ought to be ashamed of your- 
 self. Why do not you go and steal them for yourself 
 with your sharp teeth and your long claws ? Great 
 lord, I am coming to shoot you." There is plenty 
 more of it, but it all seems very much in that 
 strain. 
 
 The little man then again crept forward until he 
 was standing close by the sleeping lion, and slowly 
 raised the big stick in both hands. 
 
 Then he suddenly leaped from his deliberate cau- 
 tion into the most startling activity. Down came the 
 big stick on the lion's back; the stick was hurled 
 away, and the tiny form was seen darting backwards 
 through the air in a spring perfectly terrific consi- 
 dering the size of the little being. Between the time 
 that the stick fell on the lion's back and the time 
 when he touched the ground again, three arrows had 
 struck into the stuffed skin with a sound like three 
 sharp and rapid claps of the hands. His feet came to 
 the ground, and the bright point of the assegai was seen 
 quivering in the light as he brandished it in his hand, 
 a flash like as of lightning was seen for a moment, 
 there was a whirring sound .like that of a stone thrown 
 from a sling, and with a dull heavy thud the assegai 
 buried itself in the lion close upon the arrows. Down 
 he fell in an ^indistinguishable heap as before. The 
 entire movement was so rapid that I could hardly see 
 the little creature extract the arrows from his head 
 or draw the assegai from his belt ; and between the 
 moment when he struck the lion to the time when 
 he again crouched on the ground appeared to take 
 up about as much time as four ordinary walking 
 steps. 
 
SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 107 
 
 Then, again, on looking over the field sports of 
 two opposite quarters of the globe, namely, Norway 
 and America, a very similar idea prevails respecting 
 the bears. The Scandinavian hunter and, indeed, 
 every real Swede br Norwegian speaks of the bear 
 with bated breath and by another name sometimes 
 denominating him as the "gentleman in the fur 
 cloak," and sometimes, with more of poesy in the 
 idea, the " Disturber." 
 
 There is another curious Scandinavian idea about 
 the falcon, which receives the poetical but slightly 
 singular-looking name of the "Bird of Yggdrasil," on 
 account of a portion of the involved but very suggestive 
 mythology of that land. The vital principle of the 
 world is typified by the sacred ash of Yggdrasil, and 
 upon the topmost branches of this ash is seated an 
 eagle, bearing a falcon perched between its eyes. 
 The typical meaning of the eagle is Energy, and of 
 the falcon Activity. 
 
 The American Indian, in a similar spirit, propi- 
 tiates the manes of a bear which he has killed, by 
 blowing tobacco smoke into the dead creature's 
 mouth, and performing a number of other mystic 
 ceremonies. Otherwise, he would fear the return, of 
 the ghost of the bear to take vengeance on his mur- 
 derer. 
 
 So, among the Persians, the falcon is honoured 
 in a similar spirit, and there are poetical tales on 
 record concerning the bird. One of these tales runs 
 thus : 
 
 Once upon a time, a king of Persia went out 
 hawking, carrying his favourite falcon on his wrist. 
 A deer started up, and the king let fly his bird, which 
 pursued the deer, and, finally, brought it to the ground. 
 The king, being eager in the chase, outstripped all 
 his attendants and courtiers, and, at the death of the 
 deer, found himself alone. 
 
 He took the falcon again upon his wrist, and, re- 
 mounting his horse, began to search for water, for 
 
108 HAWKS. 
 
 the chase had been a very severe one, and he was 
 exceedingly heated and thirsty. At last he dis- 
 covered, at the foot of a mountain, a stream of 
 water, that came trickling down among the rocks. 
 So he took out of his quiver a little cup, and, with 
 some trouble, filled it at the spring for the water 
 dropped very slowly. By patiently waiting, how- 
 ever, he filled the cup, and raised it to his lip. 
 Just as his hand was raising the cup, the hawk 
 clapped his wings, and upset the contents. 
 
 The king was vexed at the interruption, but, 
 thinking it an accident, he again applied the cup 
 to the gently- trickling stream, refilled it, and again 
 raised it to his lip. A second time the falcon 
 shook its pinions, and threw the water out of the 
 cup. The king was so angry with the bird that he 
 dashed it to the ground in his rage, and killed it on 
 the spot. 
 
 Just then, one of his attendants came up, and 
 the king, giving him the cup, desired him to 
 wipe it clean, and to bring him some of the water. 
 But he was so very thirsty that he had not patience 
 to wait for the filling of the cup drop by drop, and 
 directed the servant to climb up the rocks, and fill it 
 at the spring itself. 
 
 The servant obeyed his master, and when he had 
 reached the top of the rock, he discovered there a 
 crystal spring, at which he filled the cup. But, a 
 little lower down, he caught sight of a huge serpent 
 lying dead, with its head resting in the course of 
 the stream, and polluting the water with the poisonous 
 foam that issued from its jaws. 
 
 He presented the cup, and told his master of his 
 discovery. 
 
 The king was much affected by the thought that 
 he had, in his blind rage, destroyed the faithful bird 
 who had endeavoured to save his master from ill, 
 even at the risk, and, finally, at the cost, of his own 
 life. 
 
THE SHAH AND HIS FALCON. KITE. 109 
 
 The story then goes on at some length to say that 
 the incident had a happy effect on the king, who, 
 being an irresponsible despot, had too often com- 
 mitted terrible severities when enraged. But ever 
 after the adventure of the falcon and the snake he 
 was accustomed to check his anger by reflecting on 
 the consequences to which it had formerly led. 
 
 As to the kite, it used to be formidable enough 
 to the farmer, and made numerous raids among 
 his chickens, but now one never hears of any kites 
 save those of paper, metaphorical or otherwise, so 
 that the various fables in which kites bear a promi- 
 nent part do not now possess their ancient force. 
 
 The kite is always associated with cunning, 
 cruelty, and rapine, and seems to hold the same 
 place among birds as the fox among quadrupeds, 
 and the sharks among fish. Yet, the kite itself has 
 a bright side to its character, and to show that 
 bright side, I present the reader with an extract from 
 Audubon's works. The name of the bird is riot 
 mentioned, but it is of one of the kites that Audu- 
 bon is speaking, although not the same species as 
 our English kite. 
 
 " Early one morning, whilst I was admiring the 
 beauties of nature, as the vegetable world lay em- 
 balmed in dew, I heard the cry of a bird that I 
 mistook for that of a pewee-flycatcher. It was pro- 
 longed, I thought, as if uttered in distress. After 
 looking for the bird a long time in vain, an object 
 which I had at first supposed to be something that 
 had accidentally lodged in a branch attracted my 
 attention, as I thought I perceived it moving. It 
 did move distinctly, and the cry, that had ceased 
 from the time when I reached the spot where I 
 stood, was repeated, evidently coming from the ob- 
 ject in view. I now took it for a young one of 
 the chuck-will's-widow, as it sat lengthwise on the 
 branch 
 
 " I shot at it, but, perhaps, did not hit it, as it only 
 
110 HAWKS. 
 
 opened and shut its wings, as if surprised. At the 
 report of the gun, the old bird came, holding food 
 in her claws. She perceived me, hut alighted, and 
 fed her young with great kindness. I shot at both, 
 and again missed, or, at least, did not succeed, 
 which might have happened from my having only 
 small shot in my gun. The mother flew in silence, 
 sailed overhead just long enough to afford me time to 
 reload, returned, and, to my great surprise, gently 
 lifted her young, and, sailing with it to another 
 tree, about thirty yards distant, deposited it there. 
 
 " My feelings at that moment I cannot express. 
 I wished I had not discovered the poor bird ; for 
 who could have witnessed, without emotion, so 
 striking an example of that affection which none but 
 a mother can feel? so daring an act performed in 
 the midst of smoke, in the presence of a dreaded 
 and dangerous enemy ? I followed, however, and 
 brought both to the ground at one shot, so keen is 
 the desire of possession." 
 
 There is an old English name for this bird, 
 namely " gled," which, on the authority of White, 
 is derived from its peculiarly elegant mode of flight 
 The kite has a fashion of sailing in large circles, 
 without any apparent motion of its wings, and from 
 that reason is named the " glead," or " gled," from 
 the Saxon verb " glidan," to glide. 
 
KITE CARRYING ITS YOUNG. 
 
 P. 110. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HAWKS CONTINUED. 
 
 The Kestrel, or Windhover. A calumniated Hawk. The Field- 
 mouse.' Moths and Housekeepers. Nest of the Kestrel. 
 The Sparrow-Hawk. Hawk and Hens. Hawk- traps. En- 
 snared Boy. Tame Sparrow-HaAvk. Audubon's Hawk. 
 Nero. Sparrow-Hawk and Martins. John lays a '' hegg." 
 John and Rosey. Young of the Hawks. Their Mode of 
 eating. Deformed Kestrel. The Hen-Harrier. Strephon 
 and his Crook. 
 
 THE kestrel is another English hawk, and, per- 
 haps, the one most commonly seen. It bears another 
 name, the windhover, which is derived from its 
 curious mode of hovering on one spot, its wings 
 continually shivering, and its head turned towards 
 the wind. 
 
 I have very frequently seen the bird hovering in 
 this way for hours at a time, quite regardless of 
 wind or rain, and only varying its position by an oc- 
 casional stoop towards the ground. 
 
 Many people, and especially the farmers, confound 
 the kestrel with the sparrow-hawk, and shoot it 
 accordingly ; just as, in a detected conspiracy among 
 men, the real leader generally escapes scot free, and 
 some poor innocent individual gets all the punish- 
 ment. If the farmers only knew what they were 
 about, they would inflict a fine on any man who 
 killed a kestrel or destroyed its eggs, for it is really 
 one of the best friends they have. 
 
 There is a little red-furred, short-tailed, round- 
 
1 1 2 HAWKS. 
 
 nosed animal, called, vulgarly, a field mouse, which 
 iives in amazing numbers among the grass of every 
 field, and, by dint of numbers,, does incredible 
 damage to the corn. No one who has not regu- 
 larly searched for these creatures has any concep- 
 tion of their numbers, for they hide so cleverly that 
 only a very practised eye can see them. I really believe 
 that there is hardly a square yard of grass in a 
 meadow without its field-mouse, for I have seldom 
 failed to discover the little animals whenever I chose 
 to look for them, and I am sure that for one that I 
 could find, there were a dozen that I could not see. 
 Their fur is so nearly the colour of the ground that, 
 as they creep among the stalks of the grass, they 
 can hardly be seen at all, even when the grass is 
 short. 
 
 In order to learn how to find these mischievous 
 animals, I went through a process of training with 
 one or two that were brought to me. I took one 
 into a field of shortish grass, and let it go, keeping 
 my eye on it, and arresting it when it got too far off. 
 Then, after I had learned to follow the mouse with 
 the eye, I turned my head away for a short time, and 
 tried to discover the little animal again. And. 
 although they were not out of my sight five seconds, 1 
 used to lose plenty before I learned how to find them 
 again. 
 
 Yet, this very animal forms the chief food of the 
 kestrel, and it is for that purpose that it hovers over 
 the fields, and winnows the air with its wings. Some 
 idea may, therefore, be formed' of the sharpness of 
 the kestrel's vision, for, when suspended some hun- 
 dred feet or so in the air, it will see the tiny mouse 
 creeping among the stalks of grass. Let a mouse 
 but poke its head out of its shelter, and down comes 
 the kestrel upon it. The piercing eye of this bird 
 can thus detect at a distance an object so small in 
 point of size, and so inconspicuous in point of 
 colour, that the human eye can hardly distinguish 
 
KESTREL, 113 
 
 it from the ground at a distance of a couple of 
 yards. 
 
 They are very useful birds, these kestrels, and it 
 always makes me feel angry when I pass by a country 
 barn and see the poor birds nailed on the doors, in 
 company with rats and stoats. The fact is, that to 
 the rustic mind, a hawk is a hawk, and must be killed 
 accordingly. 
 
 There is much the same idea prevalent in the 
 minds of sundry thrifty housekeepers, to whose cloth 
 and woollen loving eyes, a moth is one of , the most 
 horrid of sights. Consequently, as, in their opi- 
 nions, the moth eats the cloth and fur, it necessarily 
 follows that the bigger the moth the more it can eat, 
 and the more it ought to be killed. Supposing an 
 elephant to be deprived of its mouth, and dependent 
 for nourishment on its proboscis, I wonder how much 
 hay it could eat. And yet, for an elephant to devour 
 a whole hayrick under those unpleasant circum- 
 stances, would be an easier task than for a moth to 
 eat up the hundredth part of an inch of my coat- 
 sleeve. I have seen a worthy old dame " squdge," as 
 she termed it, a great huge moth, merely because it 
 had got into the house, and might eat some of the 
 great-coats that were hanging on their pegs. 
 
 Because Tinea vestianella is injurious to clothes, 
 the whole moth tribe are ruthlessly condemned to 
 death, and because Accipiter nisus, alias the sparrow- 
 hawk, is very fond of chickens, our useful little 
 friend Tlnnunculus alaudarius dies. 
 
 Kestrels are useful to us in other ways than by the 
 destruction of mice, for they are inveterate foes of 
 the cockchafers, and catch them on the wing with great 
 dexterity. This feat is accomplished by seizing the 
 flying beotle in the claws, from whence it is transferred 
 to the beak. Indeed, most of the carnivorous animals, 
 whether birds, quadrupeds, or man, have a great 
 taste for insects, and sometimes prefer them when 
 other substances can be procured. The hawk will 
 
 i 
 
114 HAWKS. 
 
 eat beetles, so will the eagles the lion and his allies 
 are great consumers of locusts, in which banquet man 
 bears them company. And even in our comparatively 
 locustless country, do not we eat highly-populated 
 cheese to say nothing of certain game ? 
 
 All the hawks appear to affect lofty trees or crags, 
 whereon they may form their nests in comparative se- 
 curity. The kestrel follows the example of his rela- 
 tives, but, if possible, saves himself the trouble of 
 making a nest, by taking possession of the deserted 
 home of a crow or magpie. He is especially partial 
 to the latter, as the magpie's nest is constructed in 
 a very artificial manner, and retains much of its 
 strength even in its ruins. 
 
 Now for a few words about that mischievous and 
 inconceivably audacious bird, the sparrow-hawk. Him 
 the farmers may well destroy, for he is cunning as 
 well as rapacious, and has such a very good idea of 
 taking care of himself at the farmer's expense, that 
 he deserves his gibbeting on the barn. The poultry 
 know the sparrow-hawk well, and the hen calls 
 anxiously for her chickens when the hawk is as yet 
 but a dark speck in the air. Even when the chicks 
 have been fairly under their mother 'swing, the hawk 
 has tried to snatch one away. And in such a case, 
 the mother has been seen to fly at the intruder, and 
 actually to drive him away ignominiously, despite of 
 his beak and claws. In fact, the hen fairly hates the 
 hawk, and in White's " Selborne" there is a very cu- 
 rious instance of the poultry exhibiting their hatred. 
 The experiment partakes somewhat of cruelty, but is 
 curious arid interesting notwithstanding perhaps 
 the more so even for that very fact. 
 
 "A neighbouring gentleman, one summer, had 
 lost most of his chickens by a sparrow-hawk, that 
 came gliding down between a fagot pile and the end 
 of his house to the place where the coops stood. The 
 owner, inwardly vexed to see his flock thus diminish- 
 ing, hung a setting net adroitly between the pile and 
 
SPARROW-HAWK. 115 
 
 the house, <nto which the caitiff dashed, and was 
 entangled. 
 
 " E-esentment suggested the law of retaliation ; he 
 therefore clipped the hawk's wings, cutoff his talons, 
 and, fixing a cork on his bill, threw him down among 
 the brood-hens. Imagination cannot paint the scene 
 that ensued ; the expressions that fear, rage, and re- 
 venge inspired were new, or at least such has had 
 been unnoticed before. The exasperated matrons 
 upbraided they execrated they insulted they 
 triumphed. In a word, they never desisted from 
 buffeting their adversary till they had torn him in a 
 hundred pieces." 
 
 The usual mode of destroying the sparrow-hawk is 
 by powder and shot, but in that method continual 
 watchfulness is requisite, together with an expendi- 
 ture of powder and shot, and the very great proba- 
 bility of missing the bird entirely, and so losing at 
 one fell swoop labour, ammunition, temper, hawk, 
 and chicken. So certain traps have been devised, in 
 which the bird becomes his own murderer. The ma- 
 chine most in use, as far as I know, is a combination 
 of traps. Two common steel traps, or gins, are 
 placed side by side, and between them is laid a dead 
 rat, or chicken, or similar creature, as a bait. The 
 bird is a suspicious creature, and it is not advisable 
 to leave the traps long in the same place, or the hawks 
 will find out their object. Precisely the same thing is 
 the case with mice and rats, of whom you may take 
 plenty when first the trap is set, but unless the posi- 
 tion of the trap is continually changed and the baits 
 altered, not a rat or a mouse will poke its nose into 
 the door. 
 
 The amateur hawk-catcher must take care that he 
 does not make himself the first victim to his own 
 snare. It may appear an absurd caution, but it is 
 really a necessary one, for I have seen many sets 
 of fingers grievously indented by the teeth of a steel 
 trap, which was sufficiently powerful to cause great 
 
 i 2 
 
116 HAWKS. 
 
 pain to the hand and detriment to the cuticle, 
 although not quite such a formidable affair as Mr. 
 Bertram's immortal engine, which, if a man got 
 into it, would break a horse's leg. 
 
 Also, I have seen a human being taken in a trap 
 that had been set for a stoat or hawk. I need not 
 say that the being in question was a boy, for boys do 
 continue to get themselves into such predicaments as 
 cannot be conceived even by the fondest of aunts or 
 grandmothers. I have seen a boy hanging on the face 
 of a precipice by three fingers and one toe, while 
 another boy had made that identical toe his own 
 chief support. I have seen a boy deliberately jump 
 from the top of a reasonably tall tree, and trust to 
 the branches to catch him, he having seen the game- 
 keeper in close proximity, and being engaged in 
 oological pursuits in a preserve. I have seen a boy 
 tumble off the parapet of a stone bridge, fall upon a 
 projecting stone some fifteen feet below, and thence 
 bound diagonally into the water, without receiving 
 the least injury. I have seen boys scramble after 
 martins' eggs up a soft sandstone rock, and thrust 
 their arms into the deep holes, never heeding that 
 if their fragile support should give way, their arms 
 would be snapped off like carrots. I have seen them 
 nine-tenths drowned, nine-tenths strangled, nine- 
 tenths burned, and entirely blown up as is likely to 
 be the case, when they pour gunpowder upon a bon- 
 fire out of a powder-flask, or fill a hole in the ground 
 with the same substance, and then light it with a 
 lucifer-match. 
 
 It would be an endless task to say what I have 
 known boys to do, and so I will sum up all by men- 
 tioning that there is one thing which I never yet 
 knew a boy to do, and that is, to take any care of 
 himself, his clothes, or his books. No, not even 
 myself, for, personally, I contrived to break three 
 bones and dislocate two joints, besides many in- 
 stances where I certainly ought to have, at least, 
 
MY TAME SPARKOW-HAWK. 117 
 
 broken my neck, while, as to the two latter items, 
 others were more interested than myself and conse- 
 quently better judges. 
 
 This little digression brings me round again to the 
 hawk trap. I was on a furze-covered and rabbit- 
 haunted hill, together with a party of boys, who of 
 course diverged in all directions. Presently a dread- 
 ful shriek rent the air, followed by the most dismal 
 and unmelodious howling imaginable. There was 
 immediately a convergence of the scattered boys to 
 the point from which the sound proceeded, and on 
 reaching the spot, I discovered one of the boys stand- 
 ing, much in the attitude of a dancing bear, with both 
 his hands dangling in front of him ; while from one 
 hand there hung a steel trap and its chain. I have 
 seldom seen a more ludicrous sight, for the poor boy's 
 eyes were quite round, and so was his mouth, from 
 which proceeded most doleful howls. It appeared 
 that he had seen the body of a rabbit lying, as he 
 thought, on the heath, and, stooping to pick it up, he 
 was instantly entrapped. 
 
 The sparrow-hawk is easily tamed, especially if 
 taken when young, and is often of essential service 
 in driving away or destroying the little birds that 
 damage the seeds and fruit in a garden. I once kept 
 one of these birds for this purpose, but I very much 
 regret to say, that he was not of the least use, and, 
 in fact, rather attracted than affrighted them. He 
 was the most extraordinary coward, and the little 
 birds knew it well. In consequence, they used to 
 assemble for the purpose of mobbing and persecuting 
 my poor hawk, and after chasing him up and down 
 the gravel walk, among the cabbages, and into the 
 woodhouse, they used to leave him cowering among 
 the beansticks, and then adjourned to the currants 
 and cherries for refreshment after their sport. 
 
 There were two birds especially that excelled in 
 persecution, the wagtails and the tomtits the former 
 out of the mere exuberance of their spirits, and the 
 
118 HAWKS. 
 
 latter from interested motives. The wagtails would 
 come over the wall with their peculiar jerking flight, 
 settle on the ground in the very face of the hawk, 
 wag their tails impudently, and then run at him open- 
 mouthed. Whereupon the hawk would utter screams 
 of fright, turn tail, and run away. But the tomtits 
 were very wise birds, and had an eye to the main 
 chance. As the hawk was afraid of little hirds, and 
 never seemed to catch any mice, it was evident that 
 he must be fed, and he was accordingly favoured with 
 a piece of raw meat every day. Now tomtits are quite 
 carnivorous in their nature, and thought that the 
 hawk had no more right than themselves to the meat. 
 So they were accustomed to assemble about noon, 
 and to wait until the hawk was fed ; then, unless 
 some one stood near while the bird was eating his 
 dinner, down came the tomtits, and bullied him until 
 he dropped the meat, with which they flew away, 
 quarrelling among themselves as bitterly as they had 
 harassed the hawk. 
 
 Audubon seems to have had better success than 
 myself in his experiment with a tame sparrow-hawk. 
 My own hawk was quite as fond of little birds as 
 that whose life is recorded below, but it always re- 
 quired them to be quite dead. I really think that if 
 its intended prey had retained sufficient life to give 
 even the feeblest struggle, my bird would have run 
 away. 
 
 Still, it is very possible that my hawk may have 
 been ill-treated before it came into my possession, 
 and so rendered cowardly. Audubon's account runs 
 as follows : 
 
 " No bird can be more easily raised and kept than 
 this beautiful hawk. I once found a young male 
 that had dropped from the nest before it was able to 
 fly. Its cries for food attracted my notice, and I dis- 
 covered it lying near a log. It was large, and covered 
 with soft white down, through which the young 
 feathers protruded. Its little blue bill, and great grey 
 
HISTORY OF NERO. 119 
 
 eyes, made it look not unlike an owl. I took it home, 
 named it Nero, and provided it with small birds, at 
 which it would scramble fiercely, although yet un- 
 able to tear their flesh, in which I assisted it. In a 
 few weeks it grew very beautiful, and became so 
 voracious, requiring a great number of birds daily, 
 that I turned it out, to see how it would shift for 
 itself. This proved a gratification to both of us ; it 
 soon hunted for grasshoppers and other insects, and 
 on returning from my walks, I now and then threw 
 a dead bird high in the air, which it never failed to 
 perceive from its stand, and towards which it 
 launched with such quickness as sometimes to catch 
 it before it fell to the ground. 
 
 " The little fellow attracted the notice of his 
 brothers, brought up hard by, who, accompanied 
 by their parents, at first gave it chase, and forced 
 it to take refuge behind one of the window-shutters, 
 where it usually passed the night, but soon became 
 gentler towards it, as if forgiving its desertion. My 
 bird was fastidious in the choice of food, would not 
 touch a woodpecker, however fresh, and, as he grew 
 older, refused to eat birds that were in the least 
 tainted. 
 
 " To the last he continued kind to me, and never 
 failed to return at night to his favourite roost be- 
 hind the window-shutter. His courageous disposition 
 often amused the family, as he would sail off from 
 his stand, and fall on the back of a tame duck, which, 
 setting up a loud .quack, would waddle off in great 
 alarm, with the hawk sticking to her. But, as has 
 often happened to adventurers of a similar spirit, his 
 audacity cost him his life. A hen and her brood 
 chanced to attract his notice, and he flew to secure 
 one of the chickens, but met one whose parental 
 affection inspired her with a courage greater than 
 his own. The conflict, which was severe, ended the 
 adventures of poor Nero." 
 
 The instinct that teaches little birds to mob hawks 
 
120 HAWKS. 
 
 and owls, appears to be much of the same nature as 
 the impulse which urges little boys to irritate and 
 teaze policemen. And, just as it sometimes happens 
 that the small boy oversteps the legal boundaries, 
 and is straightway captured by the blue-coated func- 
 tionary, so an unfortunate little bird presumes too 
 much on its own activity, and becomes a victim to its 
 own temerity, by falling into the clutches of the 
 hawk. 
 
 I rather fancy that the hawk takes advantage of 
 this propensity on the part of the little birds, and 
 permits itself to be mobbed, in order to get a chance 
 of securing one of the persecutors. For I am sure 
 that a hawk of ordinary capacity could outstrip any 
 little birds in a race of a few miles, not excepting the 
 swallows themselves. And, when hawks have been 
 thus mobbed, I believe that they almost invariably 
 fly vaguely arid slowly. I have seen such a case 
 myself, and was struck by the apparent imbecility of 
 the hawk's conduct, until the last minute or so, when 
 my opinion changed. 
 
 I was walking in a curious lane, that had been cut 
 through a red sandstone hill, so that the level of 
 the fields was some fifteen feet or so above. The 
 cattle were prevented from tumbling into the road 
 by a bushy hedge that was planted on the margin, 
 and which sent out long streamers of bramble, that 
 had taken root here and there down the rock, and 
 overhung the road in thick clusters. This was an 
 admirable locality for the sand-martins, who had 
 taken up their abode in great numbers, arid had 
 quite honeycombed the rock with their nest- tunnels. 
 It was a beautiful summer's day, and the martins 
 were flying about as thick as gnats under a tree, 
 filling the air with their weak but musical little 
 chirp, and glancing in the sun like white butter- 
 flies. 
 
 Presently their chirps ceased, the martins all disap- 
 peared, and a singular hubbub began on the opposite 
 
JOHN THE HAWK. 121 
 
 side of the hedge. The tumult increased, and in a 
 few minutes a sparrow-hawk came over the hedge, 
 and flew down the lane, accompanied and surrounded 
 hy a perfect cloud of the martins, who were scream- 
 ing with all the power of their throats, dashing by 
 him and striking him with their wings as they passed. 
 The hawk was apparently quite bewildered by this 
 treatment, turned round and flew back again, fol- 
 lowed by the martins, still buffeting him, and scream- 
 ing triumphantly. 
 
 Suddenly, there was a dead silence, all the martins 
 scattered off on every side, like the sparks from a 
 Catherine wheel, shrieking with fear, not with triumph. 
 And then I saw the hawk quietly sailing away, carry- 
 ing in his claws a wretched little martin, who was 
 vainly screaming for help from his terrified friends. 
 The hawk sailed up in the air and disappeared with 
 his prey behind the same hedge from which he had 
 come, and I saw no more of him. 
 
 I am acquainted with a tame sparrow-hawk who goes 
 by the name of John. Accident, however, told us 
 that the name ought more appropriately to have been 
 Joan, for one day the servant boy came running in, 
 blazing with excitement about something which he 
 held in his hand. "Look here, sir! John's laid a 
 hegg." And so she had, and the egg was a real one, 
 although it came to nothing, for John would not sit 
 upon it, or perform the duties of a mother to her 
 offspring. 
 
 I cannot make up my mind to pay to such an 
 unfeeling personage the deference generally due to 
 her sex, of which she is evidently unworthy, and, 
 therefore I shall follow the custom of the house, and 
 treat John as if she were he. When John w r as 
 younger, he was rather playful, and had struck up a 
 great friendship with a comical little puppy of the 
 Skye-terrier breed, whose name was Hose. These 
 two animals used constantly to play with each other, 
 and, indeed, it generally happened that Eose was 
 
122 HAWKS. 
 
 much more ready for a game than her friend, whom 
 she rather teazed in consequence. Their game con- 
 sisted of a mock fight, as indeed seems to be the case 
 with all the lower animals, and, not unfrequently, 
 with man himself, whose snowball matches in child- 
 hood, and love of boxing, single-stick, and fencing, 
 in youthdom, seem to be the necessary results of his 
 animal nature. In our days, and in our time, this com- 
 bative faculty generally subsides when the youth be- 
 comes a man, at all events, as far as its physical nature 
 is concerned. But there were times when to fight 
 was the business of life, to which everything else gave 
 way, as may be seen in the accounts of the manners 
 and customs of the twelfth century, in which days 
 the scholar and philosopher was either despised as a 
 book-worm, or dreaded as a magician, and he was the 
 finest gentleman who could strike the hardest blow. 
 
 So, carrying out this principle, John and Kosey 
 were accustomed to play with each other, their sport 
 ' now and then becoming earnest. The great point to 
 be played for was that either party should be able to 
 seize the opponent without suffering retaliation. In 
 this exercise the hawk was very clever, arid as it had 
 one wing clipped, always contrived to keep the dog 
 on the side of the shortened pinion, so as to give it as 
 little hold as possible. Thus they would dodge round 
 each other for some time, the dog trying to pass to the 
 side where the wing was left entire, and at which it 
 could snap with greater ease, and the hawk as care- 
 fully defeating the designs of the dog. Presently, 
 Eosey would be tired of the sparring, and rush 
 tumultuously at the hawk, who, throwing himself on 
 his back, stuck his claws in the fur of the dog's 
 throat, and suffered himself to be carried about, still 
 hanging on Rosey's throat, and boxing her ears with 
 his wings. Hosey would be half blinded by this pro- 
 ceeding, and after some violent struggles would shake 
 off the hold of the claws and try her success a second 
 time. 
 
YOUNG OF GOSHAWK. 123 
 
 On one occasion the hawk was miserably discom- 
 fited ; for in shifting to avoid a sudden attack at his 
 wing, he twisted round so fast that the snap intended 
 for his wing took effect in his tail Bosey was im- 
 mensely delighted at her unexpected success, and set 
 off at full speed round the yard, dragging after her 
 the unfortunate hawk, who screamed piteously for 
 help, and in vain tried to arrest his progress by grasp- 
 ing at the pebbles and sticks that were lying on the 
 ground. I think that the wretched bird would have 
 lost his tail entirely had not he been rescued by a by>- 
 stander. 
 
 This bird still retains many of the instinctive pro- 
 pensities of his wild life, although they are quite 
 useless in his state of comparative civilisation. He 
 always chooses some perch where his form and colour 
 harmonise with the shapes and tints of the objects 
 surrounding him ; so that an unpractised eye would 
 generally overlook him, even at a very short distance. 
 But he is much afflicted in mind at the presence of 
 strangers, and accordingly neutralises the effect of 
 his concealment by uttering ear-piercing cries if a 
 stranger should come near his perch. Those screams 
 of his are wonderfully loud, and seem to penetrate 
 through the head of any one who is near when he 
 chooses to exercise his voice. 
 
 Before proceeding to the harriers, the last species 
 of hawks of which I shall speak, I must here insert a 
 few remarks that I had inadvertently omitted, one 
 relating to the goshawk, and the other to the kes 
 trel. 
 
 The young of the goshawk is of a very funny 
 aspect, being something like a turkey chick in form, 
 while it is clothed with a dense plumage of white 
 down. It is not able to assume the bold and inde- 
 pendent carriage of the hawk until it is four months 
 old, at which time it first stands erect, the former 
 portion of its life being spent in a comparatively 
 stooping posture. Some of the habits of the adult 
 
14 HAWKS. 
 
 bird are very singular, even when it is confined in a 
 cage and necessarily deprived of much of its native 
 energy of character. The real nature of animals, 
 whether human or otherwise, generally shows itself 
 at meal-times ; and therefore the best time for watch- 
 ing living creatures in order to detect their disposi- 
 tions is when they are feeding or ready to be fed. As 
 to the human part of creation, the reader may here 
 draw his own deductions ; but as to the inferior crea- 
 tion, and more especially the goshawk, the mode in 
 which it seizes and devours its food is sufficiently 
 curious. 
 
 When the owner of some captive goshawks pre- 
 sented to the bars of their cage a little bird, one of 
 the hawks would thrust his foot between the bars, 
 grasp the bird, and drag it forcibly into the cage. He 
 then carried it into one of the corners of the cage, 
 laid it down, and spread his wings over it, much in 
 the same way as a bat cowers with outspread wings 
 over a fly or piece of meat. This is a necessary pre- 
 caution on the part of the hawk, whatever may be the 
 reason for the conduct of the bat ; for the other hawks 
 were accustomed to make charges at the happy pos- 
 sessor and try to carry off his prize. It was noticed 
 that the hawk always grasped the little bird tightly 
 round the neck with its claws, and then killed it by a 
 stroke of the beak upon its head, which part it de- 
 voured first. 
 
 Thus much for the goshawk, who must now give 
 place to his humble relative the kestrel. 
 
 It is not often that we see wild animals suffering 
 from infirmities, as they generally die when very 
 young if they are afflicted in any way. And besides, 
 the natural instinct that teaches birds and brutes to 
 fight for their partners usually secures the benefit of 
 strong and healthy parents. But I have now to relate 
 a curious example of a bird suffering under a disease 
 very rarely seen even in man, and almost entirely 
 exiled from the brute creation. 
 
DEFORMED KESTREL. HEN-HARK IEK. 125 
 
 This bird was a young kestrel, whose character and 
 habits so closely resemble those of the legendary fairy 
 changelings, that if there were such things as hawk 
 fairies, the accipitrine poets and romancers might have 
 made much of such a foundation for verse or prose. 
 It was tame enough, but of weird-like aspect, having 
 strange angles in its anatomy in unexpected places. 
 It did not stand or walk like its brethren. It was 
 always hungry, and ate great quantities of meat, which 
 did not appear to have much effect in quenching its 
 eternal hunger, and none at all in bringing it from 
 its gaunt, ungainly aspect to a respectable, hawk- 
 like shape. At last it finished its life by dying in 
 spasms. 
 
 The owner dissected it, in order to obtain some clue 
 to its peculiarities, and on removing the integuments 
 a most singular state of things presented itself. 
 Hardly a single bone in the body of the poor bird had 
 escaped fracture, scarcely a joint had escaped disloca- 
 tion. One of its thigh-bones had been broken in five 
 places, and the other in four. The spine was crooked, 
 and the legs were twisted out of all shape. There 
 were more than twenty fractures in the large bones 
 alone. It was thought that the bird might have thus 
 suffered from want of- food in sufficient quantity or 
 quality ; but on inquiry it was found that it had been 
 brought up with other hawks, and fed like them on 
 mice and small birds. All its companions were 
 perfectly healthy, while it alone was afflicted with 
 this singular disease. 
 
 The last hawk which I shall mention is the hen-har 
 rier. The harriers can easily be recognised among the 
 hawks, as they possess a partially-developed feathery 
 disk round the eye, something like that of the owls,. 
 but not quite so large or so conspicuous. They are 
 usually found about forests and on extensive heaths. 
 The night of these birds is low, and they are clever 
 at detecting game, although they seem to have but 
 little power over it unless it takes to wing. When 
 
5 HAWKS. 
 
 * ;ssed by hunger they are very bold, as will be seen 
 m the account given by Gilbert White : 
 "A neighbouring gentleman sprung a pheasant in 
 ii wheat-stubble and shot at it, when, notwithstanding 
 the report of the gun, it was immediately pursued by 
 the blue hawk, known by the name of the hen-harrier, 
 but escaped into some covert. He then sprung a 
 second and a third in the same field that got away in 
 the same manner, the hawk hovering round him all 
 the while that he was beating the field, conscious, no 
 doubt, of the game that lurked in the stubble. 
 
 "Hence we may conclude that this bird of prey was 
 rendered very daring and bold by hunger, and that 
 hawks cannot always seize their game when they 
 please. We may further observe that they cannot 
 pounce on their quarry on the ground, where it might 
 be able to make a stout resistance ; since so large a 
 fowl as a pheasant could not but be visible to the 
 piercing eye of a hawk when hovering over the field. 
 Hence this property of cowering and squatting until 
 they are almost trod on, which no doubt was intended 
 as a mode of security, though long rendered destruc- 
 tive to the whole race of gallinte by the invention of 
 nets and guns." 
 
 As to the name of " harrier " which is given to it, I 
 believe that it is on account of its habits when hunting 
 game, which are thought to resemble those of the 
 harrier hounds when in pursuit of the hare. How- 
 ever that may be, the boldness and activity displayed 
 by these birds will a.cquit them of the charge of effi- 
 minacy that is bestowed upon harrier hounds by en- 
 thusiastic fox-hunters. I remember that there is a 
 story of a thorough-bred Galway fox-hunter, who had 
 come over to England and was invited to join the 
 hunt. He found out that he was to hunt the hare 
 with harrier hounds, and appeared at the meet 
 equipped for the occasion in evening dress, wearing 
 morocco slippers on his feet, and gravely bearing an 
 open umbrella over his head. 
 
THE GENTLE SHEPHERD. l^g 
 
 Absurd as he might have looked, I have seen Qg 
 jects quite as mal-apropos. I have seen a sailor wa^ 
 ing in a* shower of rain under the shelter of a b*. 
 umbrella ; and, if it be possible, a still more unex- 
 pected sight. A flock of sheep was passing under my 
 window, and as there is a junction of four roads, there 
 was necessarily a turmoil, on account of indecision 
 on the part of the sheep. The dog was in great force, 
 and not at all sparing of his voice, so that I went to 
 the window to watch the result. There was a sharp 
 shower falling, and to my very great astonishment I 
 beheld the shepherd standing in the middle of the 
 road and issuing his directions from beneath an um- 
 brella, which the worthy man had lashed to the butt 
 end of his crook. Arcadian deities ! The shepherd's 
 crook was decorated with a gingham umbrella instead 
 of blue ribbons, and the .pipe in his mouth was of 
 clay. Call him Strephon, and the thing is complete. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OWLS. 
 
 Wizards and Owls. Pallas Athene. Barn Owl. Why called 
 Jonathan.- Oxford Owls. Peculiar Flight of the Owl. The 
 Pellets. Mode of eating Mice. Mobbed by little Birds. 
 
 Gilbert White on the Barn Owl Captive Owl. Mode of 
 
 Fighting.^-Owl and Cat. Structure of Eye. Rough Sur- 
 face of Egg. Owls and Pigeons. Owls and Magpies. 
 Respectability of the Owl. Duck -hunting. The baffled 
 Rustic. Owls used as Decoys. 
 
 THE falcons are essentially birds of day, and the 
 owls, their relatives, are as essentially birds of night. 
 For this object they are peculiarly formed, both in 
 their plumage and their general anatomy. So com- 
 pletely are they birds of night, that they have been 
 almost generally acknowledged emblems of darkness 
 and the works of darkness. What incantation scene 
 is considered as complete, without the presence of the 
 owl, the cat, and the toad. Master Owl has to glare, 
 puss has to swell visibly, make her eyes green, and 
 mew horribly, while the duty of the toad is limited, 
 and consists chiefly in sprawling. 
 
 And, should circumstances prevent the attendance 
 of this worthy trio, their stuffed skins were found 
 nearly as efficacious as the living animals, and pro- 
 bably, had quite as powerful effect on the minds of 
 the uneducated who resorted to the wizard. For 
 owls are generally inclined to sleep just when they 
 are wanted to remain awake, and their quadrupedal 
 friends the cats are also troubled with somnolency. 
 But when they are stuffed, it is always possible to 
 make them a pair of beautiful green glass eyes, and 
 to light them up on occasions. 
 
OWLS. 1*29 
 
 I must confess that the authors of these practices 
 were very clever personages, for they certair/ly con- 
 trived to get together every natural object to which a 
 superstitious interest had been given, and to employ 
 it for the benefit of their own purses. In former 
 days, too, owls were much more common than they 
 are now, so that they had a greater hold on the pub- 
 lic imagination. 
 
 There is something very wizard-like about the 
 entire aspect of the owl, and it presents an appear- 
 ance of preternatural sagacity, that well warrants the 
 ancient Athenians in terming it the bird of wisdom, 
 and giving it as a companion to Pallas Athene. It 
 is a bird peculiarly adapted to be placed on coins, for 
 its form is so distinct from that of any other bird, 
 that even when rudely stamped on copper, it stares 
 out of the metal unmistakably owlish and wise. It 
 is one of the creatures that any child can draw a 
 big round head, two corresponding eyes, a short 
 hooked beak, and there is your owl. Consequently 
 it figures largely in the hieroglyphic characters both 
 of past and existing nations. 
 
 Of the British owls, the barn or white owl is per- 
 haps the most common. It is possessed of a most 
 unmusical voice, which it loves to exert at night- 
 time, from which custom it is also called the screech 
 owl. When captive, I observe that many people call 
 it Jonathan, without the least reference to sex, just 
 as a cat is always termed " puss," and a parrot, 
 " Polly." It is a peculiarly useful bird, as it feeds 
 largely on mice, although not exclusively, as it has 
 no hesitation in eating a finch if such a thing should 
 fall in its way, and it also picks up plenty of beetles 
 and other insects, probably by way of dessert. 
 
 It frequents barns, old buildings, the towers of 
 churches, hollow trees, and similar localities, pre- 
 ferring to place its habitations in darkness, as the 
 light of day offends its eyes. There are great num- 
 bers of owls about Oxford, as the public buildings 
 
 K 
 
130 OWLS. 
 
 afford them admirable roosting places among the 
 stonework, where however they are rivalled by the 
 starlings and jackdaws. There are also great num- 
 bers of old trees in which the owls make their nests 
 if nests they can be called. In the long vacation, 
 the colleges are deserted; and I have repeatedly 
 been the only inhabitant of my own college except 
 the porter. The owls used then to come sailing 
 about the quadrangles, and repeatedly brushed against 
 my windows, to which they were attracted by the 
 light, or probably by the moths that are always to be 
 found hovering near a light on summer nights. 
 
 The flight of the owls is very curious, and, in my 
 eyes, very beautiful. I have often stood against the 
 trunk of a tree to observe the owls as they flew about 
 the place, searching every yard of ground for game. 
 As I was in a line with the trunk of the tree, and 
 Absorbed in its shadow, the birds very seldom saw 
 me, and used to act as fearlessly as if they were lords 
 and masters of the place. They were especially 
 beautiful on fine moonlight nights, as they were appa- 
 rently wafted among the shadows of the trees, for 
 their white plumage would at one time appear myste- 
 riously from the shadows like an animated snowball, 
 and then, in a moment, disappear as mysteriously. 
 No sound of wings gave notice of their approach, 
 and they might pass within a couple of yards without 
 calling attention. 
 
 Their flight is not by any means rapid, probably 
 to guard them against injury from objects against 
 which they might strike themselves, and they hardly 
 seem to have any definite object when on the wing, 
 but appear to be blown about by the breeze as pur- 
 poseless as a bunch of thistledown to which, indeed, 
 they bear no small resemblance on a dusky night. 
 It is rather curious, too, that the twilight apparently 
 diminishes their size. 
 
 Their noiseless flight is evidently intended to pre- 
 vent the mice from hearing the approach of their de- 
 
FOOD OF OWLS. 131 
 
 stroyer, for the mouse is a nocturnal animal too, and 
 goes abroad looking for a breakfast precisely at the 
 time when the owl wants a breakfast for himself. 
 And the natural result is, that instead of finding a 
 meal, it becomes one. 
 
 It is a custom with predacious birds to eat perfectly 
 innutritious substances together with the flesh of their 
 prey, and to reject those portions which they are 
 unable to digest. On account of this circumstance, 
 it is easy to discover the nature of the food of the 
 owls, as they always deposit their rejectamenta in their 
 nests, where they dry, and serve as a soft floor on 
 which the eggs are laid. I have often found and ex- 
 amined them, and there discovered the fur and bones 
 of mice, the remains of several insects, but mostly 
 of beetles, principally of the genera Agonum, Abax, 
 Steropus, and Carabus. I think too that I have de- 
 tected the wing bones of bats, but will not be quite 
 certain, as my specimens were thrown away as rub- 
 bish by a worthy old person, afflicted with a mania 
 for clearing up and putting to rights. It is said that 
 feathers are never found in them, but I certainly have 
 seen the feathers of some small bird adhering to the 
 pellet, although they might have become attached to 
 it after its rejection from the stomach. 
 
 That the barn owl will eat little birds is quite cer- 
 tain, as I used to feed my own specimen with mice 
 and birds, which it always devoured in two distinct 
 modes. If a mouse were presented, the owl would 
 seize it by the bill across the back, and give several 
 sharp bites or snaps. It would then wait for a minute 
 or two with the mouse in its beak, then throw it in 
 the air and catch it by the head. Another jerk then 
 disposed of the entire mouse with the exception of 
 the tail, which remained hanging out of the side of 
 the owl's bill, where it was rolled and twisted about, 
 as if it were a halfpenny cigar in the mouth of a boy 
 learning to smoke against the grain. After the bird 
 has smoked the tail to its content, it gives its head 
 
 K 2 
 
188 OWLS. 
 
 another jerk, and the tail follows the ;st of the body 
 not to be pulled out by the tail, as befell the mouse 
 that nearly choked the cheese-loving Welshman. 
 
 I have given the bird very many mice, and never 
 saw it deviate from its established rule. But if a 
 small bird were given to it, the owl always tore it to 
 pieces, and swallowed it by morsels, including many 
 of the feathers. If, then, it will always eat little 
 "birds when it is domesticated, it may very probably 
 do so occasionally in its wild state. 
 
 Whether it is naturally an enemy to the smaller 
 birds is thus left an undecided case, but they are at 
 all events an enemy to the owl, and if they catch a 
 glimpse of an unfortunate owl that has by mistake 
 shown himself in open daylight, they come round 
 the poor bird in troops, and persecute him unmerci- 
 fully, while the owl is so blinded by the unaccustomed 
 light, that he does not know where to turn or what to 
 do. 
 
 Gilbert White was a great admirer of the owls, and 
 watched their manners closely, even noting their 
 mode of taking their prey, and shifting their hold as 
 they entered their nest. 
 
 " We have had, ever since I can remember, a pair 
 of white owls that constantly breed under the eaves 
 .of this church. As I have paid good attention to the 
 manner of life of these birds during their season of 
 breeding, which lasts the summer through, the follow- 
 ing remarks may not perhaps be unacceptable. About 
 an hour before sunset (for then the mice begin to run) 
 they sally forth in quest of prey, and hunt all round 
 the hedges of meadows and small inclosures for 
 them, which seem to be their only food. In this 
 irregular country we can stand on an eminence, and 
 vsee them beat the fields over like a setting-dog, and 
 often drop down in the grass or corn. 
 
 " I have minuted these birds with my watch for an 
 hour together, and have found that they return to 
 their nests, the one or the other of them, about once in 
 
A CHAINED EAGLE. 
 
 five minutes ; reflecting, at the same time, on the 
 adroitness that every animal is possessed of, as far 
 as regards the well-being of itself and offspring. 
 
 " But a piece of address which they show wheft 
 they return loaded, should not, I think, be passed 
 over in silence. As they take their prey with their 
 claws, so they carry it in their claws to their nest ; 
 but as their feet are necessary in their ascent under 
 the tiles, they constantly perch first on the roof of 
 the chancel, and shift the mouse from their claws to 
 their bill, that the feet may be at liberty to take hold 
 of the plate on the wall, as they are rising under the 
 eaves." 
 
 The particular tame owl to which I have already 
 referred, succumbed to the fate of most pets, and 
 came to an ultimely end, but in a very singular 
 manner. 
 
 When I first had the bird I kept it in a hamper 
 for some days, but my heart smote me for confining 
 the poor creature to such narrow limits. So I pro- 
 cured a very light chain about six feet long, put a 
 ring round the owl's leg, and fastened one end of the 
 chain to the ring and the other to the hamper. Nexi 
 morning when 1 went to inspect my owl, I naturally 
 expected to see it looking happy at its comparative 
 liberty, and was rather surprised to see nothing of 
 the bird at all. However, the chain was still there, 
 and by following it up I found the owl at the other 
 end hidden among a heap of coals, quite black 
 externally, and what was much worse, with its leg 
 cut quite to the bone by its constant tugging at the 
 chain. 
 
 At much risk to my fingers I secured the bird v 
 removed the ring from its leg, and, sewing a piece of 
 soft leather round the uninjured leg, fastened the 
 chain to the leather. But the injury was too severe 
 even for a bird to get over, for the unfortunate owl 
 had struggled with such pertinacity that the skin- 
 was separated quite round the leg, which had swollen- 
 
134 OWLS. 
 
 alarmingly, both above and below the injured part. 
 I kept the bird for some time after the misfortune, 
 but it never recovered its spirits, although I sent it 
 to live in a large yard in company with some other 
 owls. Its appetite failed, and one day it was found 
 dead. On dissection it appeared that the bird had 
 contrived to swallow a large stone, which was the 
 proximate cause of its death. 
 
 It appears that, although the owls reject the fur 
 and bones of the animals which they eat, yet their 
 presence is necessary for right digestion, and if the 
 bird is deprived of them its health fails. Dogs in 
 the same manner, absolutely require bones. 
 
 I mentioned just now that I caught the owl with 
 some danger to my fingers. It seems to be a propen 
 sity common to most of the sharp-clawed carnivora, 
 whether quadrupeds or birds, to throw themselves 
 on their backs when attacked without hope of 
 escape, and to fight by striking with their claws in 
 preference to using their teeth or beaks. Any one 
 who has played with a kitten can remember how the 
 little creature turns over, and grasps the hand with its 
 forefeet, while it strikes at them with the claws of its 
 hinder feet. The leopard rips up a sheep in exactly 
 the same way ; and the owl is very partial to this 
 mode of combat, and is an enemy not to be despised. 
 It kicks, and flaps, and screams, and snaps with 
 such vigour and rapidity that the hand must be 
 sharply moved to escape from either the beak or the 
 claws, both of which can cut like a knife. 
 
 The force with which the owl can use its weapons 
 may be imagined from the following anecdote, related 
 by Mr. Crosse : 
 
 " Some time since, one of my servants brought me 
 an owl which he had captured. It was a fine vigorous 
 bird. I placed it on a side table, where it sat with 
 the solemnity of a judge ; but a cat that happened to 
 be ; in the room eyed his lordship with no sort of 
 reverence, and watching her. opportunity, when she 
 
OWL AND CAT. 
 
 P. 135. 
 
EYE- CIRCLET. 135 
 
 thought he was wrapped in his intensest day-dream, 
 she sprang on the table, and seizing the breast of the 
 dignified bird, was about to devour him ; but, with 
 surprising activity, he instantly liberated himself from 
 the claws of his antagonist, and rising into the air a 
 few feet, darted down rapidly on the back of the 
 astonished cat, who ran round the room in an agony, 
 with her assailant riding triumphantly upon her back, 
 and pinching her severely with claws and beak." 
 
 In order to permit it to use these claws and beak 
 on its prey with full effect, the owl is furnished with 
 a pair of huge eyes, so that if the mouse were to put 
 to the owl the question that Little Eed Kiding-Hood 
 put to the wicked wolf, " Why have you such great 
 eyes?" the answer and result would be precisely the 
 same, " To see you the better, my dear," followed by 
 practical proof. Bound the eyes is a large radiating 
 circle, or shallow funnel of feathers, respecting 
 which structure all naturalists have the same opinion, 
 which opinion, I humbly venture to suggest, is not 
 correct. 
 
 It is said that the use of this circle is to collect 
 the rays of light and throw them upon the eye, a 
 provision necessary in dark nights. This principle 
 is apparently carried out in the case of the barn owl, 
 where the feathery circle being of a whitish hue may 
 be supposed to act as a reflection of the light. But 
 it must be remembered that in the brown owls this 
 circle is also brown, and therefore would rather 
 absorb than reflect the light. Besides, objects are 
 seen by the light reflected from them to the eyes, 
 while light reflected upon the eyes from the sky 
 would rather distract than aid the vision. When, on 
 a bright day, we put our hands to our eyes in order 
 to view a distant object, we do so, not to collect 
 scattered rays and to force them to converge upon the 
 pupil, but rather to keep these scattered rays from 
 interfering with those that proceed directly from 
 the object of vision. The same thing may be 
 
136 OWLS 
 
 observed when people look at a picture through a 
 tube. 
 
 In my own opinion the radiating feathery circle is 
 very simple in its operation, being only a kind of circu- 
 lar splay window cut through the thick mass of plu- 
 mage in which the head of the bird is enveloped, in 
 order to give it a wider sphere of vision, just as archi- 
 tects cut a splay window in the thick wall of a fort so as 
 to permit a musket barrel to be pointed in any direc- 
 tion. And the radiating formation of the feathers is 
 preserved because the natural elasticity of their stems 
 presses aside the softer downy plumage of the head, 
 and preserves the circular form complete. If 
 examined they will be found to be formed in a very 
 peculiar manner, and quite distinct from those on 
 which their extremities press. 
 
 In order to aid the sight, the hearing of the owls 
 appears to be very acute, and the ears are largely 
 developed. 
 
 The nest of the barn owl is generally easy enough 
 to discover, although it is very seldom to be seen, as 
 it is situated in some dark hole, where the sense of 
 touch must be employed instead of that of sight. 
 The eggs are three or four in number, and rest upon 
 a mass of the disgorged pellets. They are quite 
 white, of a peculiar chalky look and rough on the 
 surface, so that at first sight they appear to have been 
 carved out of chalk and to have been left unpolished. 
 The hand alone can distinguish an owl's egg without 
 the assistance of the eye. 
 
 These owls are rather prolific, for they have been 
 observed to be engaged in feeding one brood of young 
 at the same time that they are hatching another. 
 They feed their young with the same food that they 
 themselves eat, and in the service of their children 
 are said to commit much depredation among the 
 families of other birds. At least, so says White, even 
 of the bam owl, and, curiously enough, with regard 
 to the veiy species of bird which another naturalist 
 
OWLS AND PIGEONS. 137 
 
 avers is never eaten by the owl, old or young. This 
 bird is the pigeon, of which White says, that he has 
 known a dove-house infested by a pair of white owls, and 
 that they made great havoc among the young pigeons. 
 One of the owls was shot, but the survivor soon 
 found another mate, and the depredations were re- 
 newed until a final stop was put to their proceedings 
 by the destruction of both birds. 
 
 Waterton, on the other hand, declares that the 
 barn owl does not eat pigeons, and confirms his 
 opinion by the events of his own pigeon-house. 
 
 " When farmers complain that the barn owl destroys 
 the eggs of their pigeons, they lay the saddle on the 
 wrong horse. They ought to put it on the rat. 
 Formerly I could get very few young pigeons till the 
 rats were excluded from the dovecote. Since that 
 took place it has produced a great abundance every 
 year, although the barn owls frequent it, and are 
 encouraged all around it. The barn owl merely 
 resorts to it for repose and concealment. 
 
 " If it were really an enemy to the dovecote, we 
 should see the pigeons in commotion as soon as it 
 begins its evening flight, but the pigeons heed it not, 
 whereas if the sparoow-hawk or hobby should make 
 its appearance the whole community would be up at 
 
 once I am amply repaid for the pains I have 
 
 taken to protect and encourage the barn owl ; it pays 
 me an hundredfold by the enormous quantity of 
 mice which it destroys throughout the year." 
 
 There is an apparent discrepancy between these 
 accounts ; but they may be reconciled by supposing 
 that the owls mentioned by Mr. White were not suc- 
 cessful in obtaining a sufficiency of the ordinary kind 
 of food to supply the demands of their young families, 
 whereas those who took up their abode in Mr. Water- 
 ton's dovecote found rats and mice ready at hand, and 
 did not therefore risk a battle with the pigeons in de- 
 fence of their young. 
 
138 OWLS. 
 
 However that may be with the barn owl, the tawny 
 owl certainly does eat birds, and as we shall soon see, 
 does not confine himself to the young. The hardi- 
 hood of the owl must be exceeding, for all birds, even 
 the weakest, will fight desperately in defence of their 
 offspring, urged by that mysterious storge that, 
 although so transient in the brute creation, is so 
 powerful while it lasts. Under these circumstances 
 the dove herself becomes a furious enemy, and, re- 
 gardless of her own safety, launches herself boldly 
 against an intruding hand. My fingers have suffered 
 somewhat from the sharp beak of the little blue 
 atom of a tomtit, as she sat in her tunnelled cell, 
 watching over the safety of her tiny eggs. The 
 peewit that would at another time keep high in the 
 air, wheeling in great circles, displaying the black 
 and white plumage, and uttering its most mournful 
 cry, will, when its young are hatched, come and 
 tumble along close by the feet of any one who ap- 
 proaches, while the little ones scamper away in ano- 
 ther direction. 
 
 It may therefore be imagined that if birds, compa- 
 ratively weak and defenceless, can fight so well in the 
 good cause, the resistance of a bird like a magpie 
 would be sufficiently formidable to deter even an owl 
 from assaulting it. I should be very sorry to put my 
 hand into a magpie's nest when the lady of the house 
 is at home, at any time of the year ; but when she is 
 bringing up a family, I would almost as soon put my 
 hand into a hornet's nest. I am sure that there 
 would not be a square half-inch of uninjured skin 
 left on my fingers. Madame Mag is at any time 
 rather given to biting, and that with some force, but 
 when she does so in defence of her young, she is 
 gifted with tenfold power. 
 
 I suppose that the pertinacious courage which 
 seems to have characterised the attacks of the 
 owl upon the magpies, must have been inspired by 
 
MAGPIE EATEN BY OWLS. 139 
 
 precisely the same impulse urging them on in the 
 feeding of their young, that would have inspired 
 them in their defence. 
 
 The anecdote is related by Mr. E. Carr, and is as 
 follows : 
 
 " In 1844 a pair of tawny owls reared and ushered 
 into the world three hopeful young, after having fed- 
 them assiduously upon the trees for many weeks 
 after they had left the nest. The food must often have 
 consisted in great part of worms, snails, and slugs, 
 for the old birds brought it every minute from the 
 ground in the immediate vicinity of the trees where 
 the young were perched. This, however, might only 
 be considered as a whet to their appetites before 
 dinner ; for the parents made repeated and persever- 
 ing attacks upon three or four magpies' nests, some- 
 times during half-an-hour at a time. As the defence 
 was gallant and spirited, they were often repulsed ; but 
 finally I found the remains of young magpies under the 
 favourite perch of the young owls, and one morning 
 the bloody head and feathers of an old magpie, con- 
 spicuous for its size and the want of any cerous skin 
 about the beak. This, then, I thought, must have 
 been taken when roosting. 
 
 "In 1845 the old owls alone were seen, and they 
 passed the summer in sedate retirement, and seemed 
 to rest from the labours of propagation ; neither did 
 they molest the magpies. But in 1846, they began 
 to be veiy active early in the spring, and by the 
 beginning of May again had their young owlets out 
 upon the branches. Walking about nine o'clock one 
 evening, I heard a pertinacious attack going on 
 against a pair of magpies that had their nest in the 
 top of a very tall sycamore. At last, instead of the 
 frantic chattering of the poor magpies, one of them 
 began to shriek in agony like a hare when caught in 
 a noose ; and it was evident that the owl was trying 
 to drag it out the mother bird by the head from 
 the entrance of the nest. 
 
 " I ran down in time to separate the combatants, 
 
340 OWLS. 
 
 by striking against the stem of the tree with a stick. 
 Before the next morning, the young of an only pair 
 of rooks had disappeared from the nest, in a situation 
 where nothing but the owls could have injured them. 
 This was too bad ; a decree went forth against the 
 young owls, and they paid the penalty of their vora- 
 cious appetites. 
 
 " It is thus evident that the magpie's instinct in 
 arching over her nest is necessary to enable her and 
 her mate to defend it against rapacious birds. Pro- 
 bably the raven, the buzzard, and the kite, may all 
 be disposed to make unfriendly visits, wherever their 
 race has not been extirpated by pitiless gamekeepers. 
 But it is evident that the tawny owl is a formidable 
 enemy. The reluctance of the rook to build out of so- 
 ciety may also be better understood, as it cannot defend 
 its open nest against the owl at night ; and also one 
 reason why the instinct of the daw leads it always to 
 seek the shelter of a hole ; although, as Mr. Water- 
 ton remarks, it appears to be as hardy a bird as the 
 rook. That wisdom and beneficence which never err 
 may have given them instincts for other and more 
 important ends than human eyes may even be able 
 to descry, but it is always gratifying when we think 
 we can in part understand the utility and design of 
 differences so striking." 
 
 I may mention, that in my own limited experience of 
 owls and their habits, I have not known them to eat the 
 young pigeons, although there was every opportunity 
 for so doing, the nest of the owl being within a few 
 yards of the pigeon-house, and within the same farm- 
 yard. 
 
 Mr. Thompson bears similar evidence to that of 
 Waterton. He says that the barn owl is a constant 
 inhabitant of and visitor to the pigeon-houses, in the 
 recesses of which it seems to find an appropriate 
 resting-place for its twilight-loving young. There 
 was one instance that strongly corroborates his views. 
 In a pigeon-house in Belfast a pair of owls had 
 
VORACITY OF THE OWLS. 141 
 
 taken up their abode, and had at one time four young 
 in the nest rather a large family, and entailing 
 much exertion on the part of the parents to supply 
 their wants. Yet, although the pigeons and their 
 young were within a foot or two on every side, 
 not a single pigeon was destroyed by the owls. 
 
 Those who took the trouble to mount a ladder 
 and make a close inspection of the large-headed 
 family always found the shelf by their nest strewn 
 with dead rats and mice, but they never saw a bird 
 of any kind brought to the young owls. There 
 were never less than six or seven rats and mice, and 
 sometimes as many as fifteen have been counted. 
 These, it must be remembered, were only the remains 
 of the owls' meals, for these birds feed during the 
 night. So we may fairly say that each young owl 
 could eat at least two mice during the night, and 
 that each old one found its appetite capable of 
 accommodating three. That will give us a total of 
 twenty-seven rats and mice killed by the indefatigable 
 pair during each night. 
 
 I very much regret that some years ago the ovtl 
 was the subject of many systematic cruelties and in- 
 dignities, probably on account of its solemn coun- 
 tenance, a peculiarity of feature which always seems 
 to excite mirth and contumely in the minds if minds 
 they may be called of the vulgar. 
 
 Sydney Smith touches most happily on the 
 miseries that occasionally befall solemnity in situa- 
 tions where a disreputable individual would escape 
 ridicule entirely. " If," he says in his Essay on " Wit 
 and Humour," " a tradesman of a corpulent and 
 respectable appearance, with habiliments somewhat 
 ostentatious, were to slide down gently into the mud 
 and dedecorate a pea-green coat, I am afraid we should 
 all have the barbarity to laugh. If his hat and wig, 
 like treacherous servants, were to desert their falling 
 master, it certainly would not diminish our propen- 
 sity to laugh. But if he were to fall into a violent 
 
14$ OWLS. 
 
 passion, and abuse everybody about him, nobody 
 could possibly resist tbe incongruity of a pea-green 
 tradesman, very respectable, sitting in the mud, and 
 threatening all the passers-by with the effects of his 
 wrath." 
 
 Now, I am sure that we cannot point out any 
 bird of so respectable an appearance as the owl, 
 for, as if to add to the effect of his round, sleepy 
 face and his nose-like bill, the radiating circles round 
 his eyes give him the aspect of wearing spectacles 
 than which custom nothing can be more respectable. 
 I have heard of " fast " undergraduates who, when 
 quailing before the terrors of the examination, for 
 which their three years of dissipation had hardly 
 qualified them, dressed themselves decorously in 
 black, and wore spectacles with plain glasses, in the 
 vain hope of tricking the lynx-eyed examiner into 
 an idea that they were steady-going, hard-reading 
 men. 
 
 The poor owl, then, being respectable, pays the 
 penalty of his respectability. There was formerly a 
 sport, which I hope has now died away, but which I 
 remember in full force in the north of England in 
 my boyish days ; this sport was termed Duck-hunt- 
 ing, and curiously enough, no one hunted a duck. 
 But a wretched duck was procured, and a more 
 wretched owl, and the latter bird being tied firmly on 
 the back of the former, the duck was put into a 
 pond. Of course, the owl, not being used to the wa- 
 ter, became uneasy, and testified his disapprobation 
 by pecking and kicking. The duck being equally 
 uncomfortable, on account of the superincumbent 
 weight, was terrified by the commotion on its back, 
 and instinctively dived to get rid of its unwelcome 
 load. Then, when the pair rose to the surface, the 
 poor owl, with its draggled feathers, and dripping 
 face, presented an appearance not unlike that of the 
 pea-green tradesman, very, respectable, and was 
 greeted \vith sfyouts of laughter and applause. The 
 
THE BAFFLED RUSTIC. 143 
 
 noise and the cold-bath at first bewilder the owl, but 
 he soon becomes angry, and commences a furious 
 assault on the duck, who, by diving, cuts short the 
 attack as before. And so the " sport " goes on, until 
 the poor owl is either drowned or contrives to 
 struggle from its bonds and to escape. 
 
 There was another cruel sport, which has now 
 entirely fallen into disuse, that of throwing at cocks 
 on Shrove Tuesday. This sport consisted in tying 
 a cock to a stick, and throwing at the poor bird from 
 a regulated distance certain short cudgels, something 
 like those which the gipsies produce at fairs or race- 
 courses for the purpose of aiming at tin boxes set 
 on sticks. And so systematic were the players that 
 they actually had in readiness pieces of stick to tie 
 on the unfortunate bird's legs when they were broken 
 by the cudgels, so as to enable it still to stand up- 
 right, for as long as the bird could stand it remained 
 the property of the owner, who received a small sum 
 for each throw. 
 
 There was a modification of this sport, which, 
 although not very pleasant to the object of it, was 
 not quite so cruel as that already mentioned. The 
 bird was put into an earthen pot, in such a way that 
 his head projected at one side and his tail at the 
 other. This pot was then suspended some twelve or 
 fourteen feet from the ground, and he who could 
 break the vessel and deliver the inmate, received him 
 for his skill. The cock, in this case, might escape scot 
 free, or if he were hit death would be instantaneous. 
 Once upon a time, some wags contrived to take out 
 the living prize, and supplied its place with an owl. 
 They then fixed to the jar the head and tail of a dead 
 cock, and replaced it in its exalted situation, where, 
 from its height, the deception was invisible. Candi- 
 dates came forward, and, at last, a labouring man, 
 after several trials, fairly hit the crock and broke it to 
 pieces. But, instead of the expected prize, down 
 
144 OWLS. 
 
 dropped a severed head and tail, together with a 
 choice collection of potsherds, while a living owl ex- 
 hibited his rotund countenance in the vacant spot, and 
 then took to flight. 
 
 It is said that the man who was unfortunate 
 enough to succeed in his aim, fared worse than the 
 owl, for his companions and neighbours pursued him 
 with as much banter respecting his discomfiture 
 by the owl, as Mr. Oldbuck exhibited towards his 
 nephew with respect to the memorable " phoca." 
 The neighbours, however, did not possess the anti- 
 quary's forbearance, and so pestered the man that he 
 could find no peace in the village, and was forced to 
 migrate elsewhere. 
 
 When kites were more common in England they 
 used to form objects of sport to the falconers, and to 
 be regularly flown at by the hawks thus contradict- 
 ing the Scottish proverb, that " hawks do not pike 
 out hawks e'en." Even in comparatively modern days 
 this sport has been followed, and, curiously enough, 
 the owl was brought into requisition. The reader 
 must not imagine that the owl was used as the 
 immediate means of taking the kite, nor that the 
 bird was, like Shakspeare's eagle, by a mousing owl, 
 hawked at and killed. The owl played a secondary, 
 but important, part in the matter, and would be only 
 too glad to get out of the way altogether. The ob- 
 ject of the owl is to act as a kind of decoy to the 
 kite, who comes to inspect the strange creature, and 
 is then attacked by the falcons that are held in readi- 
 ness until it makes its appearance. The falcon is 
 generally the jer-falcon, on account of its size and 
 strength. 
 
 It was thought necessary to tie the tail of a fox 
 to one of the legs of the owl, partly for the pur- 
 pose of retarding its flight, and partly to make it 
 a more conspicuous object. The kite may well be 
 surprised at the appearance of the object presented 
 
DECOY OWLS. 145 
 
 to its gaze, and to the eyes of a kite, or indeed of any 
 bird, the spectacle of an owl sailing through the air 
 in broad daylight, with a fox-brush dependent from 
 its feet, must be as bewildering a spectacle as the 
 paper lantern appended to a paper kite's tail was to 
 Sidrophel Irmself. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OWLS Continued. 
 
 Capital Punishment. Strong-minded Swallow. The Brown 
 Owl. Its Ears. American Mode of killing Owls. 
 'ofaos ovnpo$. Note of the Hoot Great American Owl. 
 Its Discomfiture. Its uncanny Cry. The Siowy Owl 
 caught on board Ship. Sailors' Pets. The Owl and the 
 Crows. Real Size of Owl. The Owl a Fisherman. Hoot 
 versus Screech. Luminous Eye of Owl. Davy Jones 
 aloft. 
 
 THOSE who have the opportunity of visiting really 
 rural districts, will frequently see the walls of barns 
 covered with dead rats, mice, stoats, weasels, hawks, 
 and owls, which have been nailed there in terrorem, 
 the rustics fondly imagining that the survivors will 
 take warning, and keep out of the way. But hang- 
 ing up a bird is just as successful a warning to its 
 companions as is hanging up a man, that is to say, 
 it conveys no sense of warning at all. And just as a 
 class of human beings contrive to benefit themselves 
 by means of these miserable culprits who have paid 
 the penalty of their crimes with their life, so is it with 
 birds. In White's " Selborne " is narrated a rather 
 curious circumstance respecting the owl. 
 
 A dead owl had been hung to the rafter of a barn, 
 and was seen by an economical and strong-minded 
 swallow, who considered that the feathers of the owl 
 were plentiful, soft, and warm, and would form a 
 good place for her young to live in. So she built 
 her nest between the wings of the dead owl, as the 
 dried carcase hung from the beam. She laid her 
 eggs in the nest, but succeeded no farther, as the 
 owl, nest, and eggs were carried off as a curiosity 
 
" EARS " OF HORNED OWLS. 147 
 
 and placed in Sir Ashton Lever's museum. The per- 
 son to whom this curious object was brought had a 
 large conch shell fixed in the same place whence 
 the owl had been taken. On the following season 
 a pair of swallows, who were probably the very pair 
 whose nest had been taken away, built in the shell. 
 It was rather hard upon the swallows, for the second 
 nest was also carried off, and deposited in the mu- 
 seum, together with its predecessor. 
 
 The brown owls are equally singular in aspect 
 with their white relatives, but, owing to the darkness of 
 their plumage, their external appearance is not quite 
 so imposing. The common long-eared owl is nearly 
 as amusing a bird as the white owl. It derives its 
 name of long-eared from two tufts of feathers upon 
 its head, which it can erect or depress at pleasure, 
 and which, being placed nearly in the position 
 which ears occupy in some of the quadrupeds, are 
 commonly termed " ears." They give a very cun- 
 ning look to the bird, especially when, after lazily 
 blinking and winking with his eyes only half open, 
 and his head quite round, he suddenly opens both 
 eyes to their fullest extent, and puts up both his 
 ears. 
 
 All owls appear to have the habit of snapping 
 their bills sharply when they are irritated or an- 
 noyed ; just as rabbits stamp their feet, hawks 
 scream, and cats spit. And candour obliges me to 
 confess that owls, although externally meek and 
 benevolent of aspect, are, like many of their biped 
 but featherless fellow-creatures, very touchy and irri- 
 table, in spite of their looks. 
 
 The vertebrae of the owl's neck are very mobile, 
 and permit the bird to turn its head through an 
 entire semicircle, so that it can look directly to its 
 rear without moving the remainder of its body. 
 This property is probably given on. account of the 
 importance of silence and quiet while it watches the 
 movements of its prey, whom the slightest noise 
 
 L 2 
 
148 OWLS, 
 
 would alarm. And, as the owl is fully aware of its 
 advantages of colour and form, it sits on stumps or 
 branches where it completely harmonises with the 
 lines and tints of surrounding objects. 
 
 While turning round its head in the manner 
 which I have related, the feathers of the neck and 
 breast are so similar in colour, and are so sym- 
 metrically arranged, that the bird appears to have 
 been born into the world a monster, having its head 
 turned the wrong way. No perceptible twist exists 
 in the feathers, and not the least external sign that 
 the head is not in its natural attitude. There is an 
 American tradition that nothing is easier than to kill 
 an owl sitting on a stump. All you have to do is to 
 look him full in the face until his attention is quite 
 fixed. You then walk slowly round the stump, and 
 the owl's gaze continues to follow your movements, 
 until, at the third or fourth circuit, his head falls off. 
 
 I was acquainted familiarly with a pair of these 
 owls, but, as I have not seen them for some eight or 
 nine years, their manners and customs have faded 
 from my memory. They were generally accustomed 
 to sit within some cask hoops that hung upon a nail 
 in the wall, and when seated there, they coincided so 
 well with the wall and the hoop, that a casual visitor 
 would probably overlook them. Afterwards, a more 
 respectable habitation was provided for their accom- 
 modation, consisting of a couple of perches and a 
 roof. And the proprietor, being a classical scholar, 
 prepared a label, with this remarkably felicitous in- 
 scription : 
 
 'OYAO2 "ONEIP02. 
 
 Horn. II. B'. 6. 
 
 It is a perfectly untranslateable piece of wit, and I 
 will not blunt its point by attempting any explana- 
 
NOTE OF THE HOOT. 149 
 
 tion. Homeric readers, however, will fully appre- 
 ciate it, especially if they have ever seen an owl 
 blinking and dozing in the light of day. I know 
 that it spoiled my dissections that morning, for I 
 could not resist a laugh whenever the idea crossed 
 my mind, and it is ruination to laugh while dissect- 
 ing a wasp or a bluebottle. 
 
 White instituted some experiments as to the note 
 used by the owls in hooting. One of his friends 
 tried their note with a pitch-pipe, and found it to be 
 almost invariably B flat, only one choosing another 
 note, which was nearly, but not quite, A flat. Ano- 
 ther observer remarked the notes of the owls to vary 
 through G flat, B flat, and A flat. Two owls were 
 heard hooting and answering each other, one taking 
 A flat for its note, arid the other B flat. 
 
 Our British owls, that is to say, the really British 
 owls, are not of any very great size, but some of the 
 foreign species are very large birds, and can attack 
 animals of some size. There is one large species, 
 common in many parts of America, that absolutely 
 attacks and kills, not only the poultry in the farm- 
 yard, but even the powerful and wary wild turkey, 
 Audubon gives some admirable sketches of the 
 character of this bird, one of which I here present 
 to the reader. " It is during the placid serenity of a 
 beautiful night, when the current of the waters moves 
 silently along, reflecting from its smooth surface the 
 silver radiance of the moon, and when all else of 
 animated nature seems sunk in repose, that the 
 great horned owl, one of the Nimrods of the 
 feathered tribes of our forests, may be seen sailing 
 silently and yet rapidly on, intent on the destruction 
 of the object destined to form his food. 
 
 " The lone steersman of the descending boat 
 observes the nocturnal hunter, gliding on extended 
 pinions across the river, sailing over one hill and 
 then another, or suddenly sweeping downwards, and 
 again rising in the air, like a moving shadow, now 
 
] 50 OWLS. 
 
 distinctly seen, and again mingling with the sombre 
 shades of the surrounding woods, fading into ob- 
 scurity. 
 
 " The bird has now floated to some distance, and 
 is opposite the newly-cleared patch of ground, tho 
 result of a squatter's first attempt at cultivation in a 
 place lately shaded by the trees of the forest. The 
 moon shines brightly on his hut, his light fence, the 
 newly-planted orchard, and a tree, which, spared by 
 the axe, serves as a roosting-place for the scanty 
 stock of poultry which the new-comer has procured 
 from some liberal neighbour. Amongst them rests 
 a turkey hen, covering her offspring with extended 
 wings. 
 
 " The great owl, with eyes keen as those of any 
 falcon, is now seen hovering above the place. He has 
 already espied the quarry, and is sailing in wide 
 circles, meditating his plan of attack. The turkey 
 hen, which, at another time, might be sound asleep, is 
 now, however, so intent upon the care of her young 
 brood, that she rises on her legs, and purrs so loudly, 
 as she opens her wings, and spreads her tail, that she 
 rouses her neighbours, the hens, together with their 
 protector. The cacklings which they at first emit, 
 soon become a general clamour. 
 
 " The squatter hears the uproar, and is on his feet 
 in an instant, rifle in hand ; the priming examined, 
 he gently pushes open his half-closed door and peeps 
 out cautiously, to ascertain the cause by which his 
 repose has been disturbed. He observes the murder- 
 ous owl just alighting on the dead branch of a tall 
 tree, when, raising his never-failing rifle, he takes 
 aim, touches the trigger, and the next instant sees 
 the foe falling dead to the ground. The bird is 
 unworthy of his further attention, and is left a prey 
 to some prowling opossum or other carnivorous 
 quadruped. In this manner falls many a horned 
 owl on our frontier where the species abounds." I 
 confess that I rather pity the owl than otherwise. 
 
GEE AT OWL AND WILD TURKEY. 151 
 
 Supposing, however, that he is fortunate enough 
 to wing his flight in a direction where there is no 
 squatter armed with a rifle, he comes at last upon a 
 flock of wild turkeys, roosting, according to their 
 custom, in the branches of a tree, Now is his time 
 for a dinner, and his mode of securing it is to wheel 
 in the air until he is behind the destined victim and 
 well above him. Then down he comes, with one 
 fell swoop, and the turkey becomes owl by the 
 process of digestion. 
 
 Sometimes the owl is not so fortunate, and meets 
 his match even in the unarmed turkey, who conquers 
 by non-resistance, just as a pillow stops the sword 
 more effectually than a breastplate, and as the owl 
 has not the dexterity of Saladin, he cannot pierce 
 through the cushion, that is to say, the feathery 
 surface of the turkey. For when the owl has selected 
 his victim, and makes his stoop, the turkey suddenly 
 ducks down its head, and spreads its tail over its 
 back. The consequence is, that the owl, instead of 
 meeting with the expected resistance, is received 
 upon a hard and somewhat slippery inclined plane,. 
 composed of the tail-feathers of the turkey. Along 
 this dorsal or caudal shield he glides harmlessly, and 
 shoots off the turkey like water from a duck's back. 
 Down drops the turkey on the instant, and before the 
 owl can recover himself, is concealed among the 
 brushwood, without suffering any harm except per- 
 haps the loss of a feather or two. 
 
 None of the owls have pleasant voices, some- 
 scream, some hoot, and all, I believe, hiss and snore, 
 but this great horned owl is perhaps the most 
 disagreeable vocalist of the whole family. Its notes 
 appear to be almost supernatural, and, as Wilson 
 remarks, his cry of " Waugh ! Waugh O ! " is 
 enough to startle a whole garrison. And as if to 
 show how correct he was in his idea, a whole gar- 
 rison, or, at all events, a whole body cf soldiers, was 
 startled by that very bird. 
 
152 OWLS. 
 
 A party of the Scottish Highlanders had halted for 
 the night in one of the North American forests, and 
 being in want of some dry wood for their fire, had 
 used for that purpose part of a small edifice that was 
 situated close to the spot where they were resting. 
 Now this edifice was the tomb of an Indian, who 
 had been buried there. At dead of night there came 
 horrible screams from the airy regions about, accom- 
 panied with guttural sounds, like those of a person 
 half strangled and crying out for help. The High- 
 landers at once concluded that the sounds were 
 produced by the ghost of the departed Indian, who 
 was thus revenging himself for the desecration of 
 his grave. And they consequently passed a night 
 of extreme agony of mind. 
 
 Probably from the cry of the bird, one of its 
 native Indian names is O-to-wuck-o-ho. But in 
 another part of America the aborigines give it a less 
 harsh name, Ne-to-ky-o-me-sew. Owing to its sin- 
 gular aspect, the medicine men think much of its 
 powers as a means of necromancy, and carry about 
 with them a stuffed or dried skin, to which they give 
 an appropriate wizard-like expression, by inserting 
 false eyes. 
 
 There is one of the large owls that is now and 
 then seen in England, the snowy or great white owl. 
 This is so large a bird, that a peasant who saw one of 
 the few that have favoured us with their presence, 
 mistook it for a milestone, as it sat motionless at 
 the side of a road. This individual had probably 
 strayed from some of the northern parts of Europe, 
 or been blown by the wind against its will. The 
 expanse of wing of this bird is no less than four 
 feet, and it is very often two feet or even more in 
 length. 
 
 A bird of this size requires a corresponding 
 amount of food, and accordingly the snowy owl 
 makes prey of animals as large as hares and rabbits, 
 to which it gives regular chase as they run, and 
 
WLS ON A VOYAGE. 153 
 
 strikes at them with its feet. Grouse and ptar- 
 migans also fall victims to its voracity. 
 
 Some years ago, severaLof these birds were caught 
 on board a ship which was many miles from land. 
 Some fifty or sixty owls were seen hovering about the 
 vessel, and must have presented a beautiful appear- 
 ance. They seemed very tired, and settled on the 
 yards of the vessel like so many sparrows oil a barn. 
 And it is rather remarkable that even under these 
 circumstances, their bird-like tempers did not desert 
 them, and they quarrelled for places on the yard- 
 arms, just as most birds make a practice of doing 
 before they finally settle down to roost. It is a veiy 
 curious habit, and almost universal among birds. 
 In some cases it has a very pretty effect, as with the 
 starlings, who will settle and rise again some twenty 
 times before they are finally located in their 
 respective situations* Rooks have the same habit, 
 and are very clamorous in their proceedings. I sup- 
 pose that it is a kind of exercise that disposes them 
 to sound sleep. 
 
 These owls of which I have been speaking suffered 
 the loss of four of their number, who were surprised 
 by the sailors when asleep on the rigging, too 
 thoroughly wearied to exert their usual watchfulness. 
 These necessarily became great pets with the sailors, 
 who I do believe would pet a rattlesnake if they got 
 one on board, and probably teach it to drink grog. 
 As to the owls, the sailors managed well enough as to 
 the feeding part of the task, for when the owls would 
 not eat they held their beaks open, and crammed the 
 birds with meat by main force. At the end of ten 
 days or so the owls found out that they would be hap- 
 pier if they reconciled themselves to their situation, 
 and so took their meals voluntarily. 
 
 One of the American owls was made the means of 
 inflicting vengeance on a flock of crows. The mode 
 employed was cruel but peculiar, and the scene must 
 have been rather comical withal. 
 
154 OWLS. 
 
 The crows had done great damage to the crops, 
 and being very clever birds knew better than to como 
 within gun-shot distance of any suspected human 
 being. But sharp as crows are, the intellect of man is 
 still sharper, and quite discomfited them. A man had 
 caught one of the large owls in a hollow tree, and 
 knowing the propensity that the crows possess to mob 
 and buffet any large bird that comes in their way, 
 especially if it be a heron or an owl, he took his cap- 
 tive into the field, tied it to a post, and hid himself, 
 gun in hand, behind a stack. 
 
 True to their corvine propensities, the crows came 
 thronging from all quarters about the owl, and fell upon 
 him unanimously. They were so heartily engaged in 
 their work that the concealed gunner was enabled to fire 
 more than one shot before they noticed him, so much 
 were they blinded with their rage. But the fall of 
 some of their number gave them warning, and they 
 were just taking their departure when a parting shot 
 brought down a crow merely winged. The successful 
 marksman picked up the dead birds as well as the 
 wounded one, which latter he was about to immolate, 
 when a strange idea entered his head. 
 
 He took the owl, and by means of pegs and string 
 fixed it to the earth on its back, leaving only its claws 
 at liberty. To these claws he then held the crow, 
 which was immediately enclosed in their gripe. The 
 squalls which the poor crow emitted may be imagined 
 but cannot be described. There was no necessity now 
 for the man to hide himself, for all the crows collected 
 from the circle whither they had dispersed themselves, 
 and flew to the rescue ; and as to the cries of the 
 victim were added those of the would-be rescuers, the 
 alarm spread far and wide, and every crow for miles 
 round came, first to see what was the matter, and then 
 to give their assistance. 
 
 The very sky seemed black with crows, and the air 
 was filled with their screams. The author of all this 
 disturbance stood quietly within a few yards, firing, 
 
SINGULAR STRATAGEM. 155 
 
 reloading, and firing again, until the ground was co- 
 vered with dead and wounded. For so earnest were 
 the crows, that all their fears of gunpowder were for- 
 gotten, and they literally piled themselves over the 
 owl and its victim, quite regardless of the leaden 
 showers that relentlessly poured upon them, and of 
 the recurring reports of the gun, which at another 
 time would have sent them scattering off in terror. 
 
 I really hardly know whether the owl or the victim 
 rook was more the subject of compassion; but in my 
 own opinion, the being most to be pitied is the man 
 who could do such a deed. 
 
 Large as the owls appear to be, and really large as 
 some of them are, their actual dimensions are not 
 nearly so great as they seem to be. Their thick 
 covering of soft, downy feathers, which lie loosely 
 upon each other, and are often raised at a consider- 
 able angle to the skin, adds extremely to the size of 
 the bird. The common barn owl, for example, ap- 
 pears to be at least as large as an ordinary domestic 
 hen, but when skinned is found barely to equal a 
 pigeon in actual size. Its strength is in proportion to- 
 its apparent, and not to its real size, but that effect is 
 produced by the firm and compact structure of the 
 muscular system, by which, as in the case of the 
 feline tribe, considerable power is compressed into a 
 small space. 
 
 An eagle, a lion, or a hawk, when deprived of its 
 skin, and with all the beautiful structure of its muscles 
 exhibited, always reminds me of a locomotive steam- 
 engine, for neither object seems adequate to the work 
 that it can achieve, and all of them perform their task 
 with such seeming ease that the mind at first fails to 
 see the real power that is required for the purpose. A 
 lion can crush a dog into a flat shapeless mass by an 
 unconcerned wave of his paw; an eagle can kill a 
 swan with a single blow, and by the same effort drive 
 it many yards out of its course through the air until 
 it falls on some appropriate spot; and the falcon can 
 
156 OWLS. 
 
 attack and kill the heron in spite of his beak. Then, 
 the locomotive engine just moves a bar backwards and 
 forwards with almost graceful ease and noiselessness, 
 and by that gliding movement, which a finger could 
 apparently check, a whole train of railway carriages is 
 whirled along the iron road. 
 
 Unfitted as the feathers of the owls may appear to 
 sustain immersion in water, there have been several 
 instances of their catching fish by dashing upon the 
 surface of the water and seizing the finny prey with 
 their claws, although they did not immerse themselves 
 so deeply as the osprey or other birds whose plumage 
 is better adapted to that purpose. 
 
 The great white owl was seen by Audubon to pur- 
 sue a systematic course of fishery, and to exhibit 
 great skill in the mode of watching for, seizing, and 
 carrying off its prey. 
 
 " At the break of day one morning, when I lay hid- 
 den in a pile of floated logs, at the Falls of the Ohio, 
 waiting for a shot at some wild geese, I had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing this owl secure fish in the following 
 manner : while watching for their prey on the bor- 
 ders of the ' pots,' they invariably lay flat on the 
 rock, with the body placed lengthwise along the bor- 
 der of the hole, the head also laid down, but turned 
 towards the water. 
 
 " One might have supposed the bird sound asleep, 
 as it would remain in the same position until a good 
 opportunity of securing a fish occurred, which I be- 
 lieve was never missed ; for as the latter unwittingly 
 rose to the surface near the edge, that instant 
 the owl thrust out the foot next the water, and, with 
 the quickness of lightning, seized it and drew it out. 
 The owl then removed to the distance of a few yards, 
 devoured its prey, and returned to the same hole ; or, 
 if it had not perceived any more fish, flew only a few 
 yards over the many pots there, marked a likely one, 
 and alighted at a little distance from it. It then 
 squatted, moved slowly towards the edge, and lay as 
 
HOOT VKRSUS SCTEECH. 157 
 
 before, watching for an opportunity. Whenever a fish 
 of any size was hooked, as I may say, the owl struck 
 the other foot also into it, and flew off with it to a 
 considerable distance. 
 
 " In two instances of this kind I saw the bird carry 
 its prey across the Western or Indiana Shute into the 
 woods, as if to be quite out of harm's way. I never 
 heard it utter a single note on such occasions, even 
 when two birds joined in the repast, which was fre- 
 quently the case when the fish that had been caught 
 was of a large size. 
 
 "At sunrise, or shortly after, the owls flew to the 
 woods, and I did not see them until the next morning, 
 when, after witnessing the same feats, I watched an 
 opportunity, and killed both at one shot." 
 
 There is rather a controversy about the sweet 
 voices of owls, some saying that the barn owl hoots, 
 and some that it is only capable of screaming. Put- 
 ting aside the sesthetical view of the case, it is rather 
 a curious subject, for there are a host of observers 
 who declare that it does not hoot, and as far as I know, 
 there is only one who advances the contrary opinion. 
 But one proved affirmative is worth a host of nega- 
 tives, which, however, cannot be proved ; and a well- 
 known naturalist declares that he not only heard a 
 white owl hoot, but settled the matter by shooting it. 
 There the matter appears to rest. In a musical 
 point of view, there is not much to choose between 
 the two sounds, and there seems to be about the same 
 distinction between the hoot and the scream, as be- 
 tween the drone of a bagpipe and the upper notes 
 thereof. 
 
 Perhaps there may be an object in the unmelodious 
 note, which derives its efficacy from it, just as a railway 
 whistle is purposely made to give forth so horrible a 
 scream, that it cannot be mistaken for any other 
 sound in nature or art. Mr. Mudie conceives that 
 the object of the hoot, or scream, is to startle the 
 little birds from their slumber, but as the barn owl 
 
158 OWLS. 
 
 has not been proved to eat birds at all, this opinion is 
 hardly tenable. The snoring sound referred to, is 
 not produced by the owls in their sleep, as might seem 
 to be the case, but although it is a tolerably fair imi- 
 tation of similar sounds that issue from human 
 throats, it is only the cry of the young birds, impa- 
 tient for the coming of their parents with food. 
 
 The eyes of owls, like those of most nocturnal 
 animals, even including the nocturnal insects, are 
 made very large, and capable of collecting every ray 
 of light. And that light is reflected from the interior 
 of the eye in such a manner as to shine with a phos- 
 phorescent light. Every one has seen how the eyes 
 of a cat, or even a dog, shine with a greenish light 
 if they are placed in a partially- dark room, and it is 
 the same with the owl, which is a kind of feathered 
 cat. And those who have had an opportunity of 
 seeing an owl at night will not be surprised at the 
 terror exhibited by a certain sailor who was sent aloft 
 at night, but descended hastily, exclaiming that he had 
 seen " Davy Jones " aloft. Davy Jones turned out to 
 be a great white owl, that had perched upon the yard 
 through weariness. It would have had a curious 
 effect, if the sailors of the ship, mentioned on page 
 153, had unexpectedly seen sixty Davy Joneses sitting 
 aloft simultaneously. 
 
 I am unwilling to leave the owls, for I have rather 
 a fancy for them, but we must now proceed to another 
 class of birds. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 PARROTS. 
 
 Construction of Beak, and its Uses. Representative Language. 
 Powers of Imitation. Street Cries. Polly a Practical 
 Joker. Polly Intoxicated. Polly cross. Col. Kelly's fa- 
 mous Parrot. The Parrot who had seen the World. Polly 
 in the School-room. Crisp Bits and Buttery Touches. 
 Why called Polly 1 Vanity Fair. Parrots at Sea. 
 
 I HAVE long regretted that my domestic menagerie 
 has been destitute of a parrot, for the parrots, to- 
 gether with some of the Qorvidse, possess an amount 
 of intellect, a power of imitation, and a strength of 
 memory, which I should very much have liked to 
 cultivate. Only there is one great danger in procur- 
 ing a parrot, and that is, that the cause of morality 
 is sometimes much injured by the very profane con- 
 versation of the bird. It is a great pity that our 
 sailors hardly seem able to utter the shortest sentence, 
 without decorating it according to their ideas, with a 
 string of oaths and profane expressions. The sailors, 
 finding that the parrots which they bring home are 
 capable of imitation, carefully train them in their own 
 peculiar language, and, indeed, some people appear 
 to think that a parrot is worth nothing if it does not 
 swear. 
 
 The construction of the bill, tongue, and other 
 corresponding organs of the bird is very curious, as 
 it is that construction, together with its implanted 
 imitative instinct, which enables it to give utterance to 
 articulate sounds. The resonance of human words 
 is produced by the hollow construction of the beak, 
 
I GO PARROTS. 
 
 and the thick and fleshy tongue gives its aid in the 
 formation of the consonants. 
 
 The bill and the tongue, however, have other uses 
 besides those of talking, which is quite an adventi- 
 tious and exceptional accomplishment. The parrot 
 tribe are all scan serial, or climbing, birds, and they 
 seem to make much the same use of their bills that 
 the spider monkeys make of their tails. Most per- 
 sons have seen a parrot climbing about its cage, or its 
 perch, and have noticed how the bird assists itself 
 with the beak, both in ascending and descending. 
 And for this purpose, the bill is formed in the shape 
 of a hook, so that it may affix itself to a branch or a 
 projecting surface without any definite effort on the 
 part of the bird. In the skeleton of a parrot, the 
 bill has a most singular appearance, for although the 
 feathery covering of the parrot's head and neck pre- 
 vents any apparent disproportion between the bill and 
 the body, yet when the skeleton stands bare and 
 bony before the eyes, the thin vertebral column form- 
 ing the only junction between the head and the body, 
 the bill appears to be almost absurdly dispropor- 
 tioned to the remainder of the body. 
 
 Yet, the size and power of the appropriate muscles 
 exactly correspond to the size and power of the beak, 
 and with reason, for the beak of the parrot is to the 
 bird the analogue, though not the type, of the hand 
 in man. With that singular beak the parrot can work 
 wonders. It can easily crack a nut of some strength, 
 and then, by adroit management of its tongue, pick 
 out the kernel, permitting the fragments of shell to 
 fall to the ground. It has Jbeen known to clear out 
 the interior of a pea, and to reject the outer skin, 
 soft though it be. 
 
 There was one very large parrot resident in the 
 Rue des Capucins, in Paris, whose domicile I gene- 
 rally passed once or twice every day. I struck up 
 quite a friendship for the bird, and was accustomed 
 to save for it the stones of the peaches that arc so 
 
THE PARROT'S BEAK. 161 
 
 - 
 
 plentiful in that city. Polly always looked out for 
 his peach-stone, which afforded him amusement for 
 several hours, in much the same way that we enter- 
 tain ourselves with eating walnuts. Peach-stones are 
 very rough, and some quantity of the soft substance 
 of the peach generally lurks in the interstices. To 
 extract these remains was Polly's delight, and if I 
 passed the place again, an hour or two afterwards, I 
 generally saw him still engaged in rolling the peach- 
 stone in his beak, and probing its hollows with his 
 tongue. I used to give him all kinds of fruits, and 
 similar substances, all of which he would eat, but he 
 cared for nothing as long as he could get a peach- 
 stone. I believe that his exertions to crack it consti- 
 tuted part of his amusement. He was accustomed 
 to become very angry at each failure, for he never 
 succeeded in breaking so solid a substance, although 
 he could crack a nut with perfect ease. 
 
 A parrot delights in nibbling and pecking at ob- 
 jects, partially for the same reason that cats are given 
 to scratching the legs of tables and chairs, and the 
 effect produced upon the object is much the same. 
 The beak is very peculiarly formed, and the upper 
 mandible is capable of a rather extended upward 
 movement, consequent on its anatomical construction. 
 When, therefore, such an instrument as the beak is 
 put into the power of so clever a bird as a parrot, sin- 
 gular results may be expected. And of all the cu- 
 rious achievements that have been done by a parrot's 
 beak, the following is perhaps the most curious that 
 I have yet known. The parrot in question is thus 
 recorded by Mr. Smee : 
 
 " The extent to which experience may be carried, 
 to regulate the action of animals, is truly extraordi- 
 nary. A short time ago, I lent a presentation copy 
 of a book to a near relative, who kept a parrot. This 
 book was left upon the table, and upon entering the 
 room, I found Polly sitting upon the table, and I ob- 
 served that she had torn the cover of my book to 
 
 1C 
 
162 PARROTS. 
 
 % 
 
 pieces. I was at first inclined to be very angry, but 
 on ringing the bell, the servants stated that they be- 
 lieved Poll had been shut up, and that she had 
 opened the spring, as lately she had found out the 
 way to let herself out whenever she pleased. We 
 agreed that this process must be stopped, and there- 
 fore it was determined to place a padlock upon the 
 cage, which opened by pressing upon the spring. 
 The next day she was again found outside the cage,, 
 with the padlock at the bottom, although she had 
 been duly fastened up. She was again put back in 
 her cage, and the door padlocked, but she walked de- 
 liberately down, took hold of the padlock, opened it, 
 and walked in triumph out of the cage, with the pad- 
 lock in her beak. When I saw the proceeding, I was 
 so delighted with the feat, that I thought it more 
 than compensated for the injury done to my book." 
 
 I must take this opportunity of observing that I 
 have very great difficulty in writing about the parrots, 
 because, if I were to tell many anecdotes which I 
 know to be true, no one would believe them, and I 
 should suffer from reviews. So I have only selected 
 a few anecdotes and those of comparatively mild 
 character. Indeed, throughout all my works, I have 
 been obliged to omit very many circumstances which 
 had come under my personal notice, solely on account 
 of popular incredulity. 
 
 For it is so difficult to make the popular world 
 understand that all animals in whom is the breath of 
 life, possess reason, and that from the same source 
 as ourselves, although its quality is different. It is 
 quite certain that many animals, such as dogs for ex- 
 ample, learn much of our language, even exclusive 
 of inflection and accent, although they cannot form 
 corresponding sounds. The speech taking its rise 
 from their reason, is a representative language of 
 action, and those who are much in company with the 
 inferior animals, attain the power of understanding 
 their language in no small degree. 
 
BEPKESENTATIVE LANGUAGE. 163 
 
 My own dog, for example, could tell me that he was 
 hungry or thirsty, that he was happy or the reverse ; 
 if he had clone wrong he could express penitence, 
 and ask forgiveness, and more than that, could show 
 his knowledge that he was forgiven. He could let 
 me know his desire to take a walk, and when in the 
 open air, would not chase anything without asking 
 my leave. Thus I could understand his language, 
 while it is evident that he could understand mine, 
 because he would do what he was ordered, even when 
 the words were very similar. If, for example, I told 
 him to fetch the cat, or to fetch the. slippers, or to 
 shut the door, he never mistook one command for 
 another, and if I happened to mention casually that 
 he must stay at home to-day, he immediately looked 
 sorrowful. No one can look into a dog's eye, with- 
 out feeling that there is a community of thought be- 
 tween himself and the animal. 
 
 Although I have never yet been able to call any 
 parrot my own, I have formed acquaintances with 
 many gentlemen and ladies of that nation. One 
 very amusing bird had its residence exactly opposite 
 my window at Eamsgate, while I was there for a few 
 weeks one summer. 
 
 The parrot's cage was placed in a kind of balcony 
 overlooking the harbour, and in consequence, there 
 were plentiful opportunities for imitating sounds. \ 
 had been there for some time before I discovered 
 that a bird was the origin of the various nautical and 
 piscatorial phrases and sounds that were heard just 
 outside the window, so exactly had it caught their 
 tones. Polly was especially fond of imitating the 
 fishermen, who came through the streets selling 
 prawns. Their rough, hoarse cry of " Prawns ! Fine 
 prawns ! Fine prawns ! " she exactly mimicked, even 
 to their pronunciation of the object of sale, which 
 they always call "prams." 
 
 I find, by the way, that most itinerant dealers 
 seem to affect an indistinctness of pronuncia- 
 
 M 2 
 
164 PARRCTS. 
 
 tion in their cries, while some rise into metaphor. 
 Of the latter assertion there is a daily proof in the 
 person of a costermonger who passes several times 
 daily under my window, and sets up a cry of "Beauti- 
 ful ! .... Fine large brown 'uns ! " by which he 
 means that he sells shrimps. I did think that I had 
 discovered one fish-dealer who spoke plainly, for he 
 always cries " Smoking hot herrings ! " but on look- 
 ing out of the window, I found that he dealt in 
 whitening. There is another order of cries, which I 
 term the obscure, such as " Taploin," which I lately 
 discovered to represent dust, and a very singular 
 cry of " Ow . . . yup . . . nollikins," the signifi- 
 cation of which is yet a mystery to me, although I 
 have devoted some time to its solution, and have even 
 watched the utterer through a telescope. Lastly 
 comes the concise order, who concentrate a vast 
 amount of meaning into a monosyllable, just as a 
 Bramah press squeezes a truss of hay into a quart 
 pot. Of this order, two examples will suffice. One 
 of these gentlemen comes under my window, and 
 gives vent to a single startling shriek, " Yah !" while 
 the other is equally forcible in the monosyllable 
 " Zah ! " Now Yah comprises the information that 
 knives and scissors may be ground at twopence per 
 blade, and Zah signifies that cat's-meat can be 
 bought for a halfpenny per slice skewer included. 
 To return to the Eamsgate parrot. She has the 
 power of imitating the working of a windlass, and 
 hits exactly the metallic tone of the catch falling be- 
 tween the cogs as the winch is turned. I could 
 hardly believe that the bird was capable of producing 
 the sounds, until I watched her carefully. Just oppo- 
 site her cage is a tall flagstaff, on which is hoisted 
 daily one of those brilliant flags in which Eamsgate 
 rejoices during the season, and which give it so cheer- 
 ful an appearance. The sheave, or pulley of the 
 block through which the haulyards pass had become 
 very rusty, and used to emit grievous creakings, 
 
POWERS OF IMITATION. 165 
 
 something like the sounds that are produced by the 
 breaks of a railway carriage. Polly was quite an 
 adept at creaking in precisely the same tone as the 
 rusty sheave, and she always delivered the sounds at 
 just the intervals that were caused by the alternate 
 change of hands as the man below hauled up the 
 flag. 
 
 Polly however found her principal forte to lie in 
 squeaking and creaking, and cultivated her natural 
 talents with singular success. There were three dif- 
 ferent kinds of creaks that occurred daily, one pro- 
 duced by the rusty sheave as before stated, another 
 by the wheel of an old wheelbarrow that was much 
 in use in that locality, and the third emanated from 
 the axle of a fish truck that passed by the cage three 
 or four times daily. And Polly exhibited such nice 
 discrimination of character, that she never confused 
 the three. The wheelbarrow was painfully true. 
 
 Then she had also learned how to imitate the 
 sound of a saw passing through wood, but of that 
 accomplishment she was rather chary. She could 
 also blow off steam quite in the manner of the 
 various steamboats that thronged the harbour, and 
 occasionally indulged her neighbours with a repro- 
 duction of the alarm whistle. The usual amount of 
 parrot phraseology was at her command, such as 
 " Pretty Poll," &c., and she was much given to calling 
 for some imaginary Eliza, but it is not worth while 
 to note accomplishments that seem to be attained 
 naturally by all parrots. Perhaps her best point was 
 to enact a dog whose foot had been run over by a 
 cart wheel. It is the more extraordinary, because 
 she was not likely to have heard the sound more 
 than once or twice at the utmost, and yet the 
 imitation was perfect. There was no mistaking the 
 peculiar misfortune that had befallen the dog. First 
 there came a loud shriek, then a long howling, 
 such as is usually termed " pen and ink," and then 
 the wounded brute seemed to subside into a series 
 
166 PARROTS. 
 
 of yelps, and to vanish somewhere round the corner. 
 It was an astonishing performance, and very rarely 
 vouchsafed. 
 
 Parrots seem to have a perfect appreciation of 
 practical jokes, of which propensity I have seen 
 many instances, and heard of more, which I refrain 
 from narrating for the reasons already given. Here 
 1 must insert another parrot anecdote from Mr. 
 Smee's work on Instinct and Keason, as it shows this 
 peculiarity. 
 
 " A parrot caught the note of a chaffinch so accu- 
 rately that it was impossible to tell the one from the 
 other. In summer-time Polly used to be indulged 
 by being placed in a tree, where she took much 
 delight in climbing about the branches. At these 
 times she would frequently repeat the chaffinch's 
 note, when the birds would come from all quarters 
 and settle upon the tree. It was then highly 
 amusing to hear the parrot and chaffinches mutually 
 call each other. 
 
 " After a time, however, Polly, in the exuberance 
 of delight at the sight of so many winged creatures 
 around her, would suddenly call out ' Pretty Poll ! ' 
 when the chaffinches, startled at so human a sound, as 
 much as Robinson Crusoe in his uninhabited island, 
 instantly took flight, and made their escape from so 
 terrible a sound as rapidly as possible, when Polly 
 looked woefully astonished to find that all her visitors 
 had so suddenly deserted her." 
 
 From my acquaintance with the character of 
 parrots, I rather fancy that Polly quite intended to 
 frighten her visitors, and that she called them for the 
 express purpose of scattering them again. 
 
 There is a grey parrot whom I very often see, 
 and who whistles, Mid sings capitally. Only, if he 
 sees that he is watched, he abruptly ceases, and tries 
 to look as if he had been quite silent. His chief 
 amusement is to sit in the window behind some 
 green shrubs, and to startle passengers, especially 
 
PRACTICAL JOKES. 167 
 
 ladies, by uttering a tremendous scream close to 
 their ears. He imitates a canary, whose cage hangs 
 near his window, and has managed to catch the song 
 of the little bird very well. Only he has a habit 'of 
 spoiling the effect of the music by breaking off arid 
 laughing in the middle of his song. 
 
 However he does not seem to be a bird of very 
 considerable genius, for during some twenty years of 
 acquaintance with him, I have not known him add 
 to his accomplishments anything except the canary 
 song above mentioned. But there are other birds 
 who really display some reflective powers in their 
 practical jokes. 
 
 For example, a soldier was entering a courtyard 
 of a gentleman's house, when a hoarse rough voice 
 uttered in a commanding tone the word " Attention ! " 
 or rather its abbreviation " 'Shun ! " With the instinct 
 of discipline the man sprang into position, according 
 to regular routine palms of hands to front, little 
 fingers feeling for the seams of the trousers, chest 
 out, chin well drawn in, heels drawn together with a 
 " tell," body leaning on the fore part of the feet, &c. 
 Immediately, the same voice bawled out, "You're a 
 fool, sir ! " and on turning round in great wrath, the 
 soldier found that his commander was only a bird 
 after all. By the way, it is very amusing to read the 
 Hindostaiiee translations of British words of com- 
 mand, which are used in drilling the Sepoys. 
 Among the specimens, we have "Shoulder arms!" 
 contracted into " Sholdrams," while "Attention" is 
 abbreviated into "Telchun." 
 
 Then there is, or was, another parrot, who had 
 been placed at an open window, while some painters 
 were engaged upon a row of posts that crossed the 
 pathway. They were constantly calling out "wet 
 paint ! " to the pedestrians, and the parrot, seeing 
 that people were inconvenienced by the wet paint, 
 learned the phrase forthwith. And from that time 
 one of his chief pleasures was to call out *' wet 
 
168 PARROTS. 
 
 paint," and to see the passers-by start and thread 
 their way cautiously between the posts. 
 
 Each parrot seems to have a decidedly individual- 
 ized mind, although there is a great family likeness 
 running through them, and each therefore chooses 
 his own peculiar mode of playing precisely the same 
 toick. One of these birds, of whom, unfortunately, 
 nothing remains now except the memory of his deeds, 
 and his stuffed skin eternally sitting under a glass 
 case, was exceedingly fond of amusing himself at the 
 expense of strangers. His habit was to wait until 
 some one was near his cage, and then to begin talking 
 at a great rate. Of course, the passenger stopped, 
 and began to talk to the parrot. Polly then immedi- 
 ately became quite silent, and would not speak a word. 
 After trying to join in conversation for some little 
 time, the passenger gave up the attempt and walked 
 away. Directly his back was turned, the parrot 
 testified his amusement by a loud laugh. Some- 
 times his dupe would be attracted by the laugh, and 
 come back, when the whole scene was enacted 
 afresh. 
 
 He was a very remarkable bird altogether, and I 
 have collected one or two facts of his life, which I 
 here present to the reader. 
 
 Liberty was now and then accorded him, and the first 
 personage whom he sought on leaving his cage was the 
 cat. His mode of addressing her was by biting her ears 
 or her tail, a method of salutation very agreeable to him- 
 self, but not particularly so to a cat, whose most deli- 
 cate members are her ears and tail. But he was best 
 pleased to find the cat asleep, because he then had an 
 opportunity of alarming her. This he used to accom- 
 plish by stealing up very quietly to the spot where she 
 was lyin, and then screaming in her ear, "Who are 
 you ? " This never failed to startle the cat, and, of 
 course, was very gratifying to the parrot. 
 
 Once, some little boys came to pay a visit, and 
 were admitted into the room where the parrot was 
 
POLLY INTOXICATED. 169 
 
 placed. Boy-like, they began to romp, and to make 
 no small noise. Now Polly had an objection to any 
 noise that he himself did not make, and, accordingly, 
 was heard to scream out, " Sarah, here 's a row ! " and 
 on another occasion of a similar nature, he ejaculated 
 " Hullabaloo ! " with great decision. 
 
 I very much regret to state that he was given to 
 profane swearing, and the ladies of the family tried 
 to break him of his bad habits, but not knowing how 
 to manage parrots under those circumstances, did not 
 succeed. One of them took him to task severely on 
 the subject, and remonstrated with him, asking who 
 taught him. And to her amazement, the answer was 
 " You did." 
 
 Swearing and drunkenness generally seem to be 
 companions, and it was so in this case. For Polly 
 was very fond of beer, and sometimes an evil-dis- 
 posed person would indulge him in this bad propen- 
 sity, and give him some beer in a teacup. He held 
 the cup in one of his claws, and so managed to drink 
 the contents. The cup was decorated with represen- 
 tations of flowers, and, in a short time, the parrot 
 became rather hazy in his intellect, and, taking the 
 flowers for realities, would endeavour to peck them 
 out of the cup. Then the cup would fall from his 
 grasp, one foot slipped from the perch, soon 
 followed by the other, and poor Polly was fitted for 
 the station-house, and a fine of five shillings. He 
 was a very discriminating bird, by the way, and, 
 utterly rejecting all beer that was brought from the 
 public-house, would touch none except home-brewed. 
 
 He could not endure neglect, or even its sem- 
 blance, and courted constant notice, even though he 
 would take no notice of the person who spoke to 
 him. His cage was often hung on the branches of a 
 tree in the garden, and there he used to sit, and 
 wait to be noticed. If no one came, he began to 
 pity himself in plaintive tones, uttering the words 
 " Poor, poor Polly ! " in every imaginable cadence of 
 
170 PARROTS. 
 
 sorrow. His imitations of human sounds, such as 
 coughing or sneezing, were perfect. 
 
 He was much attached to his mistress, and if she 
 were not present at the breakfast table, he always 
 noticed her absence, and used to ask for her. 
 
 One of the ladies of the house was one of those 
 individuals that go by the term of " a little teaze," 
 and she used to carry out the principle towards the 
 parrot, who hated her cordially in return. For some 
 unexplained reason, nothing made him more angry 
 than calling him an Irishman, and, in consequence, 
 the word Irishman was sure to occur very often in 
 conversation. Sometimes she was accustomed to 
 play the parrot a trick, by winding a handkerchief 
 round her finger, and putting it through the bars of 
 the cage. Polly immediately made a dive at the 
 handkerchief, from Avhich the finger was rapidly 
 withdrawn, so that the parrot only had the satis- 
 faction of biting an empty handkerchief. This never 
 failed to incense him beyond all bounds ; he beat his 
 wings against the bars of his cage, and screamed 
 like a fury, while his eyes seemed on fire with excite- 
 ment. I believe, though, that he had his revenge 
 more than once. 
 
 It was not very easy to feed him, because he was 
 accustomed to look out for feeding time as a good 
 opportunity for a practical joke. The seed pan was 
 duly filled and put into the cage, but before it could 
 be secured in its place, the wilful bird would dab at 
 it with his beak, knock it over, aad cry out, " Won't 
 have it, turn it out ! " 
 
 I have often heard of a most peculiar parrot, but 
 have never yet seen it. This remarkable bird has 
 found himself so much at a loss for occupation, that 
 he has devoted his time to pulling out his own 
 feathers, and by patience and perseverance has 
 plucked himself quite clean with the exception of 
 his head, and so much of his neck as is out of the 
 reach of his bill. Those who have seen him, 
 
COL. KELLY'S PARROT. 171 
 
 describe him as the most ludicrous object that the 
 mind can conceive. One may imagine a, wretched 
 fowl to walk after being plucked, and that bird would 
 be sufficiently absurd. But the idea of a parrot with 
 a perfectly naked body, and a well-feathered head and 
 neck, is almost too much for the conception. The 
 only analogue that I can imagine, is the Hottentot 
 who was seen marching in great state, 'dressed in 
 jack boots and a grenadier's cap. 
 
 The parrot was a bird known to the ancients, for 
 there are many references to the bird. But it was 
 exceedingly rare both in Greece and Kome, and 
 almost fabulous sums were paid for a single speci- 
 men. Yet it is hardly possible that more extravagant 
 sums could have been demanded than have been 
 actually refused in our own times. It seems almost 
 impossible that any one would give an hundred 
 guineas for a parrot. But that sum was given, and 
 moreover, if the owner had chosen to consider it a 
 mercantile transaction, it would have been one 
 returning an interest such as the wildest companies 
 would never dare to advertise. The name of the 
 purchaser was Colonel Kelly, and several public 
 showmen offered to pay him five hundred guineas 
 annually merely for the hire of the bird. He never 
 accepted any of the offers, as he was too fond of his 
 bird to permit her to be carried about as a show, and 
 he retained her for thirty years, at the expiration of 
 which period she died. Mr. Brookes, the celebrated 
 anatomist, dissected her throat and organs of speech, 
 and it was found that long practice had considerably 
 strengthened and enlarged the muscles of the 
 larynx. 
 
 The bird could whistle and sing many tunes, 
 beating time while it sang, and if it by chance mis- 
 took a note, it would revert to the erroneous passage, 
 and repeat the melody. It was a very accomplished 
 conversationist, being able to answer questions so ap- 
 propriately that it seemed to rise above birds, and to 
 
172 PARROTS. 
 
 approach man. Its death occurred in 1802, and the 
 bird was so public and celebrated a character that a 
 paragraph in the General Evening Post announced 
 its demise to the world, and recorded its virtues. 
 
 In India, tame parrots are very common, and, 
 indeed, almost universal pets, for the natural cha- 
 racter of the Hindoo is gentle and amiable, delighting 
 in pets of all descriptions. Even the wild birds 
 know that they have little to fear from the dark- 
 skinned natives, and so it is a common spectacle to 
 see numerous flocks of ducks, partridges, and pea- 
 cocks, some wild, and some domesticated, but all so 
 tame that it is not an easy matter to distinguish 
 between them. 
 
 The parrots and grakles, or Mina-birds, are perhaps 
 the greatest favourites, on account of their conver- 
 sational powers, which are cultivated with great care. 
 And in this point, as in many others, the poor 
 benighted heathen, as we somewhat superciliously 
 term them, afford us an excellent example, if we 
 would only condescend to take advantage of it. I 
 have already mentioned the notorious fact that nearly 
 every English parrot who is celebrated for his talking 
 powers, has been instructed in the art of swearing, 
 and is anything but a moral or a decent bird. Now, 
 the Hindoo thinks it below the dignity of himself as 
 teacher, or of the parrot as pupil, to impart to it 
 any language but that of a sacred character. He 
 teaches the bird his creed, and to proclaim the 
 praises and the glory of some of the myriad deities 
 that are to be found in his mythology. And when 
 the workman is at his daily task, he either listens to 
 the pious ejaculations of the bird or beguiles the 
 time by teaching it another series of religious phrases. 
 I am so far a heathen myself, as to think that a Hin- 
 doo who blesses in the name of a false God, is a 
 better Christian than any man who curses in the 
 name of the true. 
 
 Parrots in general are very capricious, and object 
 
CUPBOARD LOVE. 173 
 
 to exhibit their accomplishments when they are 
 most needed. I nave made visits to several parrots, 
 whose gift of speech had been strongly developed, 
 but it generally happened that the bird was obsti- 
 nately silent during the whole of my stay. There 
 was one especial parrot, whom I was very anxious to 
 hear talk, because it was so clever, but it always 
 held its peace during my visits, and contented itself 
 with screwing its head round knowingly, and almost 
 winking at me, as if in derision. The peculiar gift 
 of that parrot was its wonderful memory for names. 
 When it saw a stranger, it never seemed to rest until 
 it had learned his name, and ever after it ap- 
 peared to connect the name with the individual. 
 And it had profited so well by hearing its mistress 
 ask her friends or acquaintances for their names, that 
 it was accustomed often to take that task upon 
 itself, and to call out to any strange child, " What 's 
 your name?" But, I believe, that it never did so 
 towards a man or woman. 
 
 The parrots all appear to be very long-lived birds, 
 eighty or ninety years being apparently an ordinary 
 age. They generally die from the immediate effects 
 of some accident or from ill-treatment, and it is 
 very possible that in their own native country they 
 may live much longer. 
 
 Parrots are generally very capricious in their at- 
 tachment, and their love often partakes of the ' cup- 
 board' character. As an example of this fact, I may 
 mention a parrot that belonged to a relation of Buffon, 
 the naturalist. This bird was very tame with some 
 people, but his chief affections were set on the cook 
 maid. He would follow her everywhere, and if out 
 of her company for any length of time became un- 
 easy and instituted a search after her. When he had 
 found her, he would climb to her shoulders by cling- 
 ing to her dress with his beak and claws, in parrot 
 fashion, and was very lavish of his caresses. 
 
 Once, she injured her finger, which was a long time 
 
174 PAKEOTS. 
 
 in healing, and being very sore indeed, caused her 
 to moan and scream with pain. Inuring this time, 
 the parrot used to pay her a visit every morning 
 and to stay with her until night-time, and exhibited 
 every mark of the most sincere attachment. 
 
 At last, the cook left the situation, and bade adieu 
 to her friend the parrot, who, however, treated the 
 separation quite philosophically, and transferred his 
 attachment to her successor immediately on her ar- 
 rival. 
 
 A very amusing story of an escaped parrot is told 
 in Edwards's " Voyage up the Eiver Amazon." The 
 travellers had stopped their boatman near a spot from 
 which issued an extraordinary noise of chattering and 
 swearing, which suggested the idea that a band of 
 parrots had caught some miserable owl and were 
 mobbing it. So they took their guns, and crept 
 quietly to the tree from which the turmoil proceeded, 
 and on reaching it, they found that the fable of the 
 monkey who had seen the world was being realised. 
 For parrots are the monkeys of the feathered tribes. 
 
 On the topmost branch was seated a large green 
 parrot, while on the neighbouring branches were 
 perched a host of his companions, whom he was 
 teaching to talk. His language was the Portuguese, 
 and in that tongue he occasionally gave out a short 
 sentence which was imitated by the crowd below. 
 Then he began to dance and to roll his head and 
 to laugh, all which gestures were repeated by his au- 
 dience. Unfortunately, one of the school descried the 
 human intruders, and, giving notice to his compa- 
 nions, they all flew away, accompanied by their in- 
 structor. 
 
 The ringed parrakeet is not an uncommon bird in 
 this country and bears its enforced banishment from 
 its native land with tolerable hardiness. One of 
 these birds belonged to a pupil in my school, and 
 was generally an inhabitant of the school-room. He 
 was a very handsome bird, and very tame, and after 
 
POLLY IN THE SCHOOLROOM. 175 
 
 some instruction, he learned to keep silence during 
 lesson time. At first, the sight of his playmates 
 seated round him became very exciting, and he used 
 to dance about in his cage to attract attention 
 from them, and failing to obtain it, uttered loud 
 shrieks of disappointment. But we soon broke him 
 of that bad habit, for no sooner did he utter a screech, 
 than we either put him into a dark closet, or covered 
 his cage with a cloth, and he soon learned to com- 
 mand himself. 
 
 He was very fond of most fruits, but his great 
 ^avourite was a walnut. His beak could not open 
 wide enough to take an entire walnut at once so as to 
 crack it, and therefore I used to split the nut and 
 to give him half of it at a time. With that he was 
 delighted, and showed his gratification by a short 
 inward chuckle, which lasted until the nut was 
 finished. One half walnut would last nearly three 
 hours before he could pick out the entire contents. 
 This he did in a very scientific manner. He held 
 the nut tightly in one claw, and then, by means of 
 the tip of his beak, he picked out small morsels, and 
 conveyed them to his mouth by the tongue. He 
 seemed to use his beak in much the same manner as 
 a miner uses a pickaxe, namely, by driving the point 
 of it into the substance of the nut, and tjien prizing 
 out a morsel on the lever principle. If I wished to 
 be very kind indeed, or to reward the bird for good 
 conduct, I was accustomed to -remove the shel] , and 
 present him with the kernel already extracted. This 
 caused him singular gratification, and he used to 
 dance with delight, and pour out quite a stream of 
 chuckling, as he held the nut on the point of his 
 sharp beak. 
 
 Poor Polly ! he met with a sad fate. The school 
 was situated in a rural village of the most primitive 
 description, where there was a shop, and even the 
 word " squire" was never heard. Polly thought that 
 his cage was a restriction, and so he got out of it one 
 
176 PARROTS. 
 
 day, and flew into a tree. There he was espied by a 
 neighbouring farmer, who positively shot him, for 
 what reason could never be definitely ascertained. 
 
 I have already mentioned that several species of 
 parrot were known to the ancients. Aristotle for 
 example, speaks of the bird ^wra*??, the Indian ari- 
 thropoglot as he calls it that last word meaning that 
 the bird spoke with a human voice. The word 
 psittace, which is the Anglicised rendering of the 
 Greek word given above, seems to have undergone 
 various mutations. Among the Eomans, it became 
 " psittacus," as is seen in various poets, especially 
 Martial and Ovid. Arrian calls it o-iVra/cos (sittacos), 
 and Clesias gives it the name of IBirraKos (bittacos}. 
 Why we call it a Poll-parrot, or, according to some 
 pronunciations, Paul-parrot, I never could under- 
 stand. 
 
 Lately I was told cf a parrot, who took a great 
 fancy to a baby that made its appearance in the 
 family. To this child it was accustomed to talk, and 
 in fact seemed to consider itself a proper instructor 
 for the little one. The baby died, and from that 
 time the parrot was silent. The account was given 
 to me by a person who was acquainted with the 
 bird. 
 
 Every one knows the story of the parrot, who was 
 silent until asked the reason, and then replied that 
 he ** thought the more." Many responses from 
 parrots are so apt as to induce the same idea as 
 that which entered the mind of the interrogator, 
 namely, that the parrot understood human speech. 
 I know of many instances, but will content myself 
 with one. There was a certain family, in which 
 lived a parrot. Now the abode of the parrot was in 
 the nursery, and there he was quite in his element. 
 He was accustomed to hold conversation with him- 
 self and an imaginary interlocutor, a kind of 
 psittacine Mrs. Harris. And when addressed by a 
 human speaker, his answers were generally so apt, 
 
"CRISP BITS" AND "BUTTERY TOUCHES." 177 
 
 as to startle them a little. Various reports were 
 brought to his mistress of his accomplishments, and 
 she determined to put some questions to the bird. 
 
 In pursuance of this determination, she went to 
 the nursery, and not seeing one of the maids there, 
 went to the cage and said, " Polly, where is Wilson ?" 
 The parrot instantly responded " Down stairs," which 
 answer astonished the lady so much that she went 
 down stairs too, and did not ask another question. 
 
 I do not think that she ever quite believed that the 
 bird was not something more than it seemed. 
 
 The fact that parrots delight in practical jokes has 
 already been mentioned, and there are also instances 
 where advantage has been taken of the natural 
 talents of the bird, to carry out a joke on the part of 
 its master. One of these jokes is related by Mr. 
 Simpson, in the once celebrated work " Paris after 
 Waterloo." It appears that a certain connoisseur in 
 painting was rather pedantic in his phraseology, after 
 the general habits of connoisseurs. Among his 
 favourite terms were two phrases, which he was 
 accustomed to produce whenever the colour had run 
 into knots. These spots he was accustomed to de- 
 signate as " crisp bits," and " buttery touches." 
 Now his Christian name was David. 
 
 He had a friend, who was no pretender, but an 
 artist of eminence, and who determined to cure him 
 of his absurd habit. This task he accomplished 
 through the medium of his parrot, whom he taught 
 to repeat the obnoxious words, whenever his hand 
 was placed upon the toast rack and butter. When 
 the bird had quite learned his lesson, the pedantic 
 individual received an invitation to breakfast. Polly 
 was present as usual and looked on composedly. 
 Presently the guest stretched out his arm towards the 
 toast rack, and its accompaniment, the butter plate. 
 No sooner had his fingers been laid on them, than 
 the parrot screamed out, " Crisp bits, Davie, buttery 
 touches !" 
 
178 PARROTS 
 
 Just as these pages were going to press, I was 
 favoured by a lady with the following account of her 
 parrot: 
 
 " When a child, I had a fine grey parrot, called 
 'Ben.' He was a funny, good-natured fellow, with a 
 dash of vanity in his composition, which manifested 
 itself in a love of dress. You could not please him 
 more than by attiring him in a doll's hat and cloak, 
 and when so arrayed, he would strut about the room 
 in the most dignified manner, evidently admiring his 
 exceedingly comical appearance. 
 
 " He would also enter thoroughly into the fun oi 
 the game of make-believe, for, if told to go to sleep, 
 he would instantly shut his eyes and appear perfectly 
 unconscious, even when called by name. But if we 
 maintained an unusual degree of silence, he would 
 slily peep about, to see if he were being observed, 
 and if he found us watching him, he would again 
 close his eyes, and become oblivious. But if he saw 
 that we were engaged, he would turn his attention to 
 botanical researches among the flowers, or some other 
 equally destructive occupation. 
 
 " The same bird would also simulate death when 
 ordered, and would permit himself to be pulled about 
 by the feathers as he lay on the floor, without any 
 signs of life. But he would not permit a stranger's 
 hand to approach him ; and being aware of the pre- 
 sence of the strange fingers by some internal instinct, 
 greeted them with a sharp snap. And so fond was 
 he of the hat and cloak aforesaid, that when the doll 
 was dressed in her own property, he was accustomed 
 to untie the strings with his beak, and rob poor 
 dolly." 
 
 I conclude the account of the parrots with a 
 humorous description of the difficulties incidental on 
 bringing home a cargo of these birds. The narrator 
 is that same Mr. Edwards to whom reference has 
 been made on page 174. 
 
 " Thus far, our parrots had been left pretty much 
 
PARROTS AFLOAT. 179 
 
 to their own discretion, and the necessity for an 
 immediate setting up of family government was 
 hardly more urgent. 
 
 " The macaw, nowise contented with his elevation, 
 had climbed down, and was perpetually quarrelling 
 with a pair of green parrots, and all the time so hoarsely 
 screaming, that we were tempted to twist his neck. 
 The parrots had to have a pitched battle over every ear 
 of corn, and they and the macaw had repeatedly flown 
 into the water, where they but narrowly escaped a 
 grave. 
 
 " There were two green paroquets, and one odd one, 
 prettiest of all, with a yellow top, and they could not 
 agree any better than their elders. Yellow-top 
 prided himself on his strength, and considered him- 
 self as good as a dozen green ones ; while they 
 resented his impudence, and scolded away in ear- 
 piercing tones, that made the cabin an inferno. At 
 other times, they all three banded together, and 
 trotting about deck, insulted the parrots with their 
 impertinences. 
 
 "When a flock of their relatives passed over, the 
 whole family set up a scream that might have been 
 heard by all the birds within a league ; and if a duck 
 flew by, which was very often, our geese would call 
 in tones like a trumpet, and the guan would shrilly 
 whistle. When we came on shore, we were obliged 
 to shut up our proteges in the tolda, or they were sure 
 to scramble up the nearest limb, or fly into the water 
 and swim for the bank. Really it would have trou- 
 bled a Job, but we could see no relief." 
 
 However, by management, some relief was found, 
 and the "family government" was commenced as 
 follows : " A rope was crossed a few times in the 
 tolda. Upon this, the avava and the parrots were 
 placed, with the understanding that they might look 
 out at the door as much as they pleased, and be 
 invited thence at regular hours to their meals, but 
 that further liberties were inadmissible and unattain- 
 
180 PARROTS 
 
 able ; so there they sat, scarcely knowing whether to 
 laugh or to cry. 
 
 i The paroquets were stationed at the after part of 
 the cabin, and the change which had come over one 
 of the green ones from Barra, was amusing. She 
 had been the wildest and Grossest little body on 
 board, always resenting favours, and biting kindly 
 hands. But since the lately-received young ones 
 had been put with her, she had assumed all the 
 watchfulness of a mother, feeding them, taking hold 
 of their bills, and shaking them up to promote diges- 
 tion, and generally keeping them in decent order. 
 She had no more time to gad about the deck, but, 
 soberly inclined, with the feathers of her head erect 
 and matronly, she stuck to her corner, and minded 
 her own business. Meanwhile Yellow-top looked on 
 with the calm dignity of a gentleman of family." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 MAGPIES. 
 
 Beauty of Plumage. Juvenile Magpie. Mag of the Seven 
 Dials. Mag and the Dressing-case. The Magpie's Trea- 
 sury. A Happy Family. Feud between Mag and the 
 Hawk. A Magpie's Revenge. The Bell hanger and the 
 Magpie. The hidden Halfpenny. A cool Promenade. 
 Objection to clean Floors. Dissection of Cushion. Hawk 
 in the Stocks. Mag at Drill. What 's o'clock 1 ? Imitation, 
 of Pigeons. Predilection for Cheese and Milk. Hawk in 
 the Stocks. 
 
 I PREFER to take the Corvidse, or Crow family, next to 
 the parrots, because many of them are accomplished 
 talkers. And, as the commonest example of the 
 conversational faculty is found in the magpies, they 
 shall have the advantage of position. 
 
 There is not a more singular bird in existence 
 than the magpie, and I know hardly any bird that so 
 well repays the trouble of examination. For it is a 
 bird of large character, so to speak, and combines in 
 itself the accomplishments, both mental and external, 
 of many birds. It is in fact a neatly-bound compen- 
 dium of some half-dozen birds. 
 
 Few birds, whether foreign or British, can surpass 
 the magpie in the exquisite beauty of its plumage. 
 This may seem a bold assertion to make respecting a 
 bird whose feathers are only black and white. But I 
 must remark that the feathers are not black, and 
 indeed I doubt whether the magpie wears one single 
 black feather about him. We must not judge of the 
 plumage of the magpie by those miserable, dingy, 
 bedraggled specimens that are generally seen cooped 
 up in cages, whose only exercise is that of hopping 
 off th'jir perch to the floor and back again; and 
 
18$ MAGPIES. 
 
 whose instincts are confined to eating the food that 
 is placed in the cage. 
 
 Take a gentleman, radiant in evening dress, put 
 him into a narrow cell, feed him with one kind of 
 food for a year, give him no opportunity of washing 
 or of changing his clothes, and at the end of the 
 year tell a friend that you have a capital specimen of 
 a fashionable gentleman at home ; then take your 
 friend to the window of the cell, and let him inspect 
 the fashionable gentleman through the bars. Suppose 
 that friend to be Prince Le Boo, or other trans- 
 marine celebrity, and that the only opportunity of 
 seeing the fashions is that which you have afforded 
 him. Then his idea of a fashionable gentleman 
 would be analogous to the idea that many people 
 entertain of a magpie. 
 
 I never pass the cage of one of those most dolorous 
 magpies without an earnest wish to let him out by 
 mistake, or, as the next best blessing that could be 
 given him, to wring his neck. Can it be believed ? 
 1 have actually seen a magpie living in a cage that 
 was hung close to some stables, and the bird never 
 even neighed like a horse, barked like a dog, or swore 
 like an ostler ; all because of the cage. 
 
 But let a magpie have free exercise, fresh air, and, 
 if possible, good grass, and then show me a hand- 
 somer bird if you can. For, although at a distance 
 many of his feathers appear black, it is only from the 
 very richness of their colouring, which absorbs the 
 light and retains it, except at certain angles. The 
 dark feathers are of the deepest green, alternated, or 
 as the ladies call it, "shot" with equally deep purple, 
 so that either predominates according to the position 
 of the light. These, contrasting with the pure white 
 spots, and shown to such perfection by the elegant 
 shape, and exquisite contour of the plumage, make an 
 ensemble that in my eyes is surpassed by no bird in 
 existence, although the colours of many birds are 
 more immediately striking to the eye. 
 
A JUVENILE MAGPIE. 183 
 
 Then, putting aside the outer form, where shall we 
 find birds of greater mental development than the mag- 
 pie, whose fertile hrain supplies such cunning that the 
 bird often matches itself against its owner, and comes 
 off victorious. Let me give a few instances before 
 we proceed to more scientific points. 
 
 I have the pleasure of an acquaintance a distant 
 one certainly, on account of the bird's hauteur with 
 a magpie belonging to one of my friends. I regret 
 to say that he declines my advances, and usually 
 keeps out of the way when I speak to him. I sup- 
 pose that he has an indistinct idea that he is going to 
 be put into a book, and thinking that 
 
 " A chiel's amang us taking notes, 
 And faith he '11 prent it," 
 
 avoids a nearer acquaintance, as being conscious that 
 his biography is not very creditable. 
 
 He is a very quaint bird indeed, especially just 
 now, as he has no tail, his body ending in a point, 
 much to the detriment of his equilibrium. I believe 
 that the loss of his tail was a hard trial for him, and 
 hurt his feelings of self-respect. Indeed his deport- 
 ment under his present loss reminds us of a very 
 particular elderly gentleman, whose coat tails have 
 been suddenly twitched off and swallowed by an ele- 
 phant for the sake of the oranges in the pocket. 
 
 His first introduction to the family partook of the 
 general oddity of his character. I must premise that 
 his ostensible proprietor is master of a school. " Sir, 
 sir," said one of the boys, " do come and look here." 
 Whereupon he was conducted into the kitchen, 
 where on a table lay, or sat, or sprawled a round, 
 pudgy lump, which, on his approach, set 3 up a 
 hideous squall, and opened its mouth to such an 
 extent that the greater part of its interior anatomy 
 was visible. The sight of the wide red abyss, to- 
 gether with the squall, rather discomposed the spec- 
 tator, who retreated to a distance in order to inspect 
 
184 MAGriES, 
 
 the curiosity in safety. This was the magpie in its 
 state of juvenile innocence. But alas ! its innocence 
 departed with its childhood. 
 
 Mag grew fast, and became a great favourite with 
 everybody, master, hoys, and servants. Of course 
 each and eveiy one was angry with the creature when 
 it hid their knives or pens, or tore their papers, or 
 played such like tricks ; only as no one sympathised 
 with the injured party the magpie was permitted to 
 continue his pursuits. 
 
 But, indeed, what can one do with a magpie? If 
 it were a dog it could be flogged, if it were a cat it 
 could be kicked, but as it is a bird, who gets out of 
 the way when it has done wrong, and laughs at the 
 aggrieved party into the bargain, there is nothing for 
 it but to kill, to banish, or to forgive it. And the 
 last is generally the magpie's portion, for it affords 
 great amusement to laugh at somebody else who has 
 been irritated by the mischievous creature. 
 
 I have always great misgivings about a magpie. I 
 am not exactly superstitious ; but yet magpies and 
 ravens are very fit companions to a witch. There is 
 something positively appalling in the extremely know- 
 ing glance with which a magpie screws its glittering eyes 
 round in their socket. Not long ago I saw a magpie 
 seated on a heap of coals in a back lane near Seven 
 Dials. It was black and dirty as its locality, and so 
 harmonised with the cinders that I did not distinguish 
 it until it called out some strange cry. As I passed, it 
 put its head on one side, almost winked at me, 
 looked down among the coals, and I knew that it 
 had all kinds of concealed treasures there. I have 
 often seen that magpie, and I feel sure that when 
 those coals are removed, a marine-store shop that 
 exists close by will recover some amount of missing 
 goods. The bird looked a regularly bad character, 
 and I would not have had him in my house on any 
 account. I do not know whether he talks ; if so, I 
 would rather not hear him. 
 
THE MAGPIE'S TREASURY. 185 
 
 However, my acquaintance is not of such a dispo- 
 sition, probably because he has been bred in a more 
 honest neighbourhood. But even as it is, he is a 
 terrible thief, and is never happy unless he is stealing, 
 or hiding, or destroying something. He is not very 
 particular about the object, but is better pleased if it 
 possess one of two qualifications either of being 
 valued, or looking brilliant. A diamond ring would, 
 indeed, be an acquisition to him, but he would be 
 equally satisfied with a Bristol stone more so if it 
 were large. 
 
 He has lately acquired a bad habit of going up- 
 stairs, where he has no business at all, and ma-king 
 the most extraordinary confusion. It is quite a com- 
 mon tiling . to hear objurgatory sentences addressed 
 apparently to a boy at the top of the stairs and gra- 
 dually descending, but in fact directed towards the 
 magpie, who has been discovered in a forbidden 
 room, and is being driven down stairs again. 
 
 An escapade of this nature occurred quite re- 
 cently, and on going up to see what mischief the 
 bird might have perpetrated, the master of the house 
 found that his dressing-case had been emptied, and 
 its contents scattered about the room, probably an 
 arrangement preparatory to their interment in the 
 garden. 
 
 For the garden is his great treasury. I do not 
 know whether he remembers one-tenth of the localities 
 in which he hides his ill-gotten goods, but if he does 
 so I should be very glad to be possessed of such a 
 memory myself. If all the objects that he has 
 planted only took root and grew, what a splendid 
 harvest there would be. Perhaps he may have some 
 notion of that kind. I remember that such was the case 
 with a very young brother of mine, who used to plant 
 all his halfpence in hopes of a good crop next year. 
 
 Mag is not the only representative of the feathered 
 tribes at the school. There is quite a little mena- 
 gerie there, consisting of three dogs, as many cats, 
 
186 MAGPIES. 
 
 two hawks, one magpie, several pigeons, a canary, 
 and every now and then a thrush or a starling. These 
 creatures all form an united " happy family," and, with 
 the exception of the canary, eat out of one dish. 
 
 I believe that when hawks and magpies live to- 
 gether there is always a comic 'kind of feud between 
 the two. The hooked beak and formidable claws of 
 the hawk would annihilate the magpie if matters were 
 ever to come to a decided fight. But Mag knows 
 better, and measuring his wits against the hawk's 
 weapons, generally comes off victorious in the end. 
 
 The usual feud is in force in the present case, and 
 Mag carries it on single-handed against both hawks. 
 These two birds are unpleasantly given to shrieking, 
 and on the approach of a stranger set up such 
 piercing cries that the ear can hardly bear them. 
 These screams seem to give the magpie unmitigated 
 pleasure, and he generally contrives to testify his 
 amusement in an unmistakable manner. 
 
 On one occasion I was trying to make the hawk 
 perch on the end of my stick, and the bird was as 
 usual testifying its disapprobation by those ear- 
 piercing screams. As I persisted in plaguing it, the 
 bird flew from its perch and settled on the ground 
 just behind a stable door, still continuing its cries. 
 
 Mag at that time was busily employed somewhere 
 in-doors, but on hearing the hawk scream he came 
 tumbling along in hot haste, overbalancing himself 
 every minute on account of his lost tail, and hurrying 
 in all eagerness to see what was the matter. On 
 entering the stable he screwed his head sideways 
 round the corner, inspected the hawk, walked up to 
 him, flapped his wings, executed a kind of dance, 
 and then, turning his back upon the hawk, strutted 
 deliberately away to his former occupation. 
 
 Mag has a certain wicker cage, which he considers 
 to be his own freehold, and resents its occupation by 
 other tenants, or even its removal to another place. 
 This he is pleased to consider an insult, and under 
 
REVENGE. 187 
 
 such circumstances sulks on his perch until it is 
 restored to its accustomed locality. 
 
 On one of these occasions he recovered his spirits 
 by a nice little revengeful bite. There were alterations 
 going on in the house and garden, and Mag took them 
 to heart, especially as his accustomed haunts were 
 desecrated with bricks and mortar, his favourite trees 
 grubbed up, his buried treasures ruthlessly exhumed, 
 or covered so thickly with gravel that he could not get 
 at them. 
 
 In consequence of the gardening operations May 
 got sulkily into his cage, and declined to leave it. 
 Neither would he talk, and on being offered a piece 
 of meat he threw it indignantly on the floor, his 
 temper was so seriously disturbed. But his wrath was 
 excited to the highest pitch when the offending gar- 
 dener sat down in the kitchen, and was regaled with 
 bread and meat. 
 
 However he betrayed no external signs of indigna- 
 tion, but sidled very, very slowly along his perch, 
 still retaining his sulky demeanour. Suddenly, just 
 as the gardener had raised a tankard to his lips, 
 Mag darted his beak through the bars of the cage, 
 seized the man's ear, gave it a twist, and then resumed 
 his former composed demeanour. 
 
 He thoroughly detested the entire alterations, and 
 spent his life in hanging about the scene of opera- 
 tions. The workmen were obliged to keep a watchful 
 eye upon him, for he was so swift and unexpected in his 
 movements that nothing seemed safe from him. If 
 they laid a stone, and did not keep him out of the way, 
 he set to work and picked out the mortar before it was 
 dry, besides doing any other damage that might occur 
 to his fertile brain. 
 
 Among other alterations and additions a new bell 
 was being put up. This was a great point with Mag, 
 who prowled about the workmen, and watched their 
 proceedings with much interest. Presently they 
 came to a standstill. They had inserted two long 
 
188 MAGPIES. 
 
 screws, but one of the nuts that were to be passed 
 over their ends was missing. And the probability is, 
 that if some one had not been looking out for the 
 magpie, it would have shared the fate of other 
 missing objects, and been buried in the garden. 
 
 But that indefatigable robber was closely watched, 
 and his designs frustrated. He had been keeping 
 carefully out of sight of the workmen, and appearing 
 perfectly unconcerned in the matter. But his master 
 knew his disposition, and augured that he was too 
 quiet not to have some mischief in view. And such 
 was the case. For the workmen brought their tools 
 and wires and laid them on the ground, while they 
 bored the necessary holes through the wall. Tlio 
 tools were in general too heavy for him, but the two 
 screw nuts were just the very thing. So, when the 
 workmen were fully engaged, he hopped swiftly to 
 the tools, picked up one of the nuts, and set off with 
 it to the other end of the garden for the purpose of 
 interring it. There was a chase after the thief, 
 and when he had been penned up in a corner, at the 
 expense of much exertion and combination, he con- 
 descended to give up the property. 
 
 I feel sure that these birds have a perfect apprecia- 
 tion of mischief. If it were only that they stole 
 everything stealable, one might attribute their pro- 
 pensity to mere instinct, but as they seek every 
 opportunity of destroying or injuring anything that 
 they know is particularly valued, surely it must be 
 allowed that they do mischief merely for its own 
 sake. 
 
 It is generally said that as the eagle is the lion 
 among birds, so the parrot is the monkey. But 1 rather 
 doubt it, and would name the magpie as the analogue 
 of the monkey. There appears to be just the same 
 spirit in both creatures, the same love of mischief 
 without any ostensible object, and the same determi- 
 nation in carrying out their plans. 
 
 Only there is this distinction. The monkey always 
 
MAG'S SAVINGS' BANK. 189 
 
 performs his mischievous tricks with an air as if he 
 were conscious of doing wrong, and expected the 
 punishment that used to come afterwards. Indeed, 
 when a monkey has been behaving badly he looks so 
 conscious, that there is no doubt that he is the 
 delinquent. 
 
 Whereas a magpie take matters in a very different 
 point of view. He sets about his piece of mischief 
 with a grave and deliberate air, as if it were a positive 
 act of duty to which he is urged by conscience. It 
 is true that he always avoids observation while he is 
 at work, but that probably arises from a natural wish 
 not to be disturbed in an important task, to which he 
 desires to devote the whole powers of his mind. 
 Then, when his object is completed, he looks rather 
 proud of it than otherwise, or assumes an air of un- 
 concern, as if he had nothing to do with the matter 
 at all. 
 
 This peculiar trait of character is well exemplified 
 in the case of the aforementioned magpie. He likes 
 to come and ask for something to carry away, and 
 gets all kinds of things given to him bits of orange 
 peel, scraps of slate pencil, ends of string, and the 
 like objects, which are generally to be found in a 
 boy's pocket. 
 
 On one of these occasions a halfpenny was pre- 
 sented to him. This was a great prize, and he 
 hopped off with much exultation. His master was 
 curious to discover what the bird would do with 
 the halfpenny, especially as he intended to reclaim it, 
 and therefore watched his proceedings. 
 
 Mag carried it about in his bill for some time, 
 enjoying the sense of possession, and possibly calcu- 
 lating the possibility of finding a good hiding-place 
 for it. Having made up his mind on the subject, he 
 took the coin to a log that was lying on the ground, 
 and pushed the halfpenny under it. He then hopped 
 off, and inspected the effect from a distance, and, 
 being satisfied with his work externally, returned to 
 
190 MAGPIES. 
 
 give it a closer inspection. For this purpose he put 
 his head sideways on the ground, and discovered 
 that his hidden treasure was thus visible. In order 
 to remedy this defect, he went off and fetched a flat 
 stone, which he pushed into the opening in which he 
 had placed the halfpenny, and so entirely hid it from 
 view. An other inspection satisfied him that the conceal- 
 ment was complete, and he then turned his back upon 
 the log, began to preen his feathers, and assumed an 
 unconcerned air, as if there were no such thing as a 
 halfpenny in the world. 
 
 After he had gone away the legitimate proprietor 
 reclaimed his property. Mag found it out, and came 
 for more money, and, curiously enough, repeated the 
 very same process, even to the fetching the flat stone 
 and pushing it after the coin. 
 
 Mag has a wonderful perception of any mischief 
 that can be done, and having discovered it he gravely 
 goes through it even at the risk of discomfort to him- 
 self. Within the last few weeks from this time (Jan. 
 ], 1856) he exhibited himself to great advantage, dis- 
 playing the unselfishness of his character, and his 
 devotion to his work. 
 
 The weather had been very cold, several sharp 
 frosts had taken place, and the boys had seized on 
 the opportunity to make themselves a good slide. 
 After exercising themselves for some time, the hour 
 for school arrived, and they were obliged to leave 
 their slide. In order to restore it to its original 
 freshness, they poured water over it, so that it would 
 have plenty of time to freeze before they came out of 
 the schoolroom. The school window opened upon* 
 the playground, and after a while there arose indig- 
 nant murmurs among the boys. Their master in- 
 quired what was the matter. " Look at him, sir," 
 said the boys ; "he is walking up and down our slide." 
 There was 110 necessity to name the offender, for 
 every one knew that none but the magpie could 
 think of such a thing He had seen the boys actively 
 
A COOL WALK. 191 
 
 engaged on the slide, and decided that they must 
 value it very much. Accordingly, he promenaded the 
 slide in a slow and dignified manner, breaking up the 
 half- frozen mass into innumerable elevations and 
 depressions, and so quite destroyed the smooth sur- 
 face which had been so carefully preserved. And it 
 is the more curious that he should do so, as the 
 freezing liquid must have been anything but agree- 
 able to his feet during his walk. 
 
 He is a great plague to the household department, 
 for he makes it a point of honour to undo whatever 
 they have just been arranging. For example, one of 
 the servants had been employing herself in beating 
 the dust out of a doormat, and when she had com- 
 pleted her task replaced the mat. But Mag had been 
 looking on, and instantly set to work. He hopped 
 off into the yard, and returned with a beakful of 
 dust, which he threw down on the mat. For this 
 piece of impudence he was reviled and pushed out of 
 doors with a broom, while the dust was shaken off 
 the mat. But Mag was not to be beaten, and again 
 returned with a supply of dust, which he threw on 
 the mat, and jumping upon it, scraped and scattered 
 it over the surface in an instant. 
 
 Again : the floor of the dining-room had been just 
 washed, when Mag walked in with a beakful of mud, 
 and deposited it on the floor. This was soon scraped 
 off, and Mag went off for a further supply, which he 
 put down behind the sen-ant, and then uttered a loud 
 screech. She stepped hastily back, and, putting her 
 foot on the mud, spread it over the floor herself. 
 
 Now I do not pretend to say that Mag in this case 
 intended that she should step upon the mud. I 
 only relate the facts ; but it does seem rather more 
 than a mere coincidence, especially after the tokens 
 of sense which the bird has so often given. 
 
 There is also on record another exploit of a 
 similar nature. The presiding genius of the kitchen 
 is very proud of her domains, and especially piques 
 
192 MAGPIES. 
 
 herself on the cleanliness of the floor. One day 
 she had cleaned the floor as usual, and had rubbed 
 the surface of the bricks with some red composi- 
 tion, in order to give them a brilliant appearance. 
 This was a capital opportunity for Mag, who ran into 
 the yard, plunged into a puddle until he had covered 
 himself with mud, and then paraded over the floor, 
 printing off numerous and faithful representations of 
 his feet in brown on the red ground, exactly resem- 
 bling the impressions of the feet of birds that are 
 often found in fossils. 
 
 In the garden frequented by this mischievous bird 
 is a rustic seat on which a cushion used to be placed. 
 Bat this cushion has lately been discontinued, for 
 the magpie has found out that it is great fun to rip it 
 open and pull out the stuffing. At first the boys 
 were supposed to be the delinquents, but they all 
 denied the charge, and the matter looked rather 
 mysterious. But Mag was one day detected in the 
 very midst of his occupation. He was seen to watch 
 from his post in an espalier apple tree, the occupant 
 of the seat. Hardly had he left the cushion than 
 Mag pounced upon it, tore out several beakiuls of the 
 stuffing, scattered it over the seat, and then tried to 
 look as if the hawk had done it. The whole affair 
 was the work of an instant. The bird gradually 
 pulled the cushion to pieces, and it was thought 
 unnecessary to procure another merely to undergo 
 the same operation. 
 
 Mag is a very decent linguist, and can hold a 
 conversation tolerably well, although he never 
 deigned to exhibit his accomplishments in my 
 presence. He learns the names of the masters, of 
 the boys, and of the servants, and practises them in 
 private before he exhibits his powers publicly. He 
 is sadly puzzled at military language, and while the 
 boys are at drill, sits in his tree, and watches their 
 performance with the air of a critic. But he has 
 never yet learned one of the words of command, and 
 
WHAT'S O'CLOCK. 193 
 
 I do not blame him for it, as none but the initiated 
 can comprehend them, and they only by the ring or 
 chime of the words, and not by distinguishing the 
 syllables themselves. 
 
 One morning Mag was missing, to the sorrow of 
 the boys, and nothing was heard of him for some 
 time. At last he was brought back by a neighbour, 
 to whom he had been paying a morning call. The 
 whole of his proceedings that morning had been 
 rather quaint. 
 
 The man had been working in his garden, when 
 some one behind him asked, 
 
 "What 's o'clock?" 
 
 " Half-past ten," said the man, taking out his 
 watch. Having given the information, he returned 
 to his work. Presently the same voice again asked, 
 
 "What's o'clock?"' 
 
 " Half-past ten, I told you just now." 
 
 "What 's o'clock?" repeated the voice. 
 
 On this he turned round to demand why his 
 interrogator would not take an answer, or whether 
 he was deaf, and, instead of a man, only saw the 
 magpie gravely watching him from the adjoining 
 hedge. 
 
 As I have already mentioned, the establishment 
 includes some pigeons. Mag is on friendly terms 
 with them, and condescends to walk about in their 
 company. Their feeding-time appears now and then 
 to excite his envy, especially as he cannot eat the 
 beans and peas on which they are fed. But one day 
 he took a bright idea into his head, and at the 
 pigeons' feeding-time tripped about like them, ran 
 after the peas as they were thrown on the ground, 
 and put on ridiculous airs of being one of them- 
 selves, nodding his head like the pigeons, and 
 picking up the peas. At one time he had his bill 
 completely full of peas, all of which he was obliged 
 to throw down again. But he seemed to feel im- 
 mense satisfaction in his performance. 
 
 o 
 
194 MAGPIES. 
 
 He is very fond of milk and cheese, and by means 
 of the latter comestible he can be induced to ap- 
 proach when other means of persuasion fail. Call 
 " Mag ! " and he will come if he chooses to take the 
 trouble. But call " Mag ! Che-e e-se ! " and he comes 
 fluttering and tumbling over the ground in his anxiety 
 to procure the delicacy. As to the milk, he looks out 
 for that himself every day when the milkman goes his 
 rounds. There is a little green pan placed by the side 
 of the door, which he considers as his own property. 
 After the milkman has furnished the quantity required 
 by the house, he pours a few spoonfuls into the pan 
 for Mag. 
 
 Mag is grateful for the kindness, and usually 
 escorts the man as far as the door. After the gate is 
 shut, he thinks the obligations of hospitality satisfied, 
 and peeps underneath to see if there is any chance 
 of pecking anybody's ankle. , 
 
 For he has a great predilection for ankles, especi- 
 ally those of females or small boys, and displays 
 much ingenuity in finding opportunities to peck 
 them. If a female visitor is hardy enough to take a 
 seat in the kitchen, Mag is delighted. He hides 
 himself under the chair, and then watching his op- 
 portunity, administers a severe peck to the ankles. 
 The aggrieved party jumps up, but sees nothing, for 
 Mag takes good care to keep himself out of view. 
 This goes on until he is discovered and driven away. 
 
 Neither is he content with pecking human ankles. 
 I have mentioned the jealousy with which he guards 
 against any occupation or disarrangement of his 
 cage. Now the cage, being a large wicker one, affords 
 a very good perch, and of this one of the hawks 
 took advantage. Mag disapproved of the liberty, 
 and showed his disapprobation in his own peculiar 
 way. 
 
 He got into his cage, and sulked, as he generally 
 does when he chooses to consider himself insulted. 
 Meanwhile the hawk sat on the top, looking stolid 
 
MAGPIE AND HAWK. 
 
 P. 195. 
 
HAWK IN THE STOCKS. 195 
 
 and unconcerned. But presently the hawk set up a 
 tremendous scream, and began to flutter his wings 
 in a way that showed that something was wrong. 
 And something was wrong indeed, for Mag had slily 
 crept under the spot where the hawk was sitting, 
 had seized one of his feet, had dragged his leg com- 
 pletely through the bars, and was hanging on it spite- 
 fully. The hawk was struggling and kicking to loose 
 himself from the bird's beak, but unsuccessfully. 
 When Mag at last condescended to loosen his hold 
 the hawk went off as fast as he could, and doubt- 
 lessly took the lesson to heart. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 Anti-Teetotalism. Human Magpie. Offended Dignity. Cold 
 
 Bathing. Ankle-biting Propensities. Bird-preceptors 
 
 Mag Gardening. Hawk Persecution. A Robber and his 
 sad End. The Laundress's Friend. An aristocratic Thief. 
 Nest of Magpie. A narrow Escape. Egg-robbing. 
 A Thief caught in his own Trap. Carnivorous Propensi- 
 ties of Magpies. The Magpie and the Birds. Professor 
 Pica's Lecture and its Results. Choice of Trees. 
 
 AMONG Mag's virtues, temperance cannot be reckoned, 
 for more than once he has been overcome. It so 
 happened that for several days he had been observed 
 to be very lively after dinner, and after he had played 
 a great many pranks, to become suddenly dull, and 
 to go to sleep. The reason of this strange conduct 
 was explained afterwards, for it appeared that after 
 dinner the cups and glasses were placed on the 
 ground before being washed. Mag had found this 
 out, and used to go round and find out those in 
 which some beer had been left, drinking as much as 
 he could. I never saw him on these occasions, for 
 after he had been discovered, precautions were taken 
 and he was forced to adopt more temperate habits. 
 But I think that his behaviour must have resembled 
 that of a very small boy, in company with whose 
 parents I made a picnic visit to St. Cloud. 
 
 He was rather a spoilt child, and seeing the rest 
 of the company taking brandy with their coffee, 
 insisted on having some too. Not only did he suc- 
 ceed in his object, but he also contrived to dip a 
 huge lump, or rather square of sugar into a neigh- 
 bour's brandy, and to eat it. Now French sugar is 
 
OFFENDED DIGNITY. 197 
 
 very porous, and absorbs a considerable quantity of 
 liquid in a short time, so that the young rascal must 
 have had a tolerable share of the spirit. He was 
 then rather noisy and troublesome, but became quieter 
 after a short time. After coffee we adjourned to the 
 grounds, and stayed there until nearly the hour for 
 starting, when the boy became more noisy than ever. 
 It was then discovered that one of the party had 
 missed his glass of kirschenwasser, and the boy was 
 found to have quietly drunk it while the legitimate 
 owner was absent. 
 
 His spirits soon rose to a wonderful pitch, and he per- 
 formed a series of the most absurd antics on the grass, 
 dancing with grotesque gestures, trying to stand on 
 his head, and always failing, so that even his mother 
 compared him to Mr. Punch. Suddenly he col- 
 lapsed, fell fast asleep, and had to be carried all 
 the way home, no very pleasant task, as the station 
 and his home were nearly three miles apart. 
 
 To return to our Mag. He seems singularly jeal- 
 ous, especially of the hawks, and resents any sup- 
 posed preference of his rivals. Both Mag and the 
 hawks are very fond of meat, and look out eagerly 
 for it. On one occasion, Mag took his piece of 
 meat, threw it down disdainfully, and would not even 
 look at it. The fact was that the hawk had a larger 
 piece than himself, and his dignity was offended. 
 So he set himself to persecute the unfortunate 
 hawk, and actually did so, until the poor bird gave 
 up the meat merely for the sake of quietude. Mag 
 carried off the meat, ate it, and then picked up his 
 rejected piece, which he finished in a calm and digni- 
 fied manner. 
 
 Like other magpies and birds of the same class, 
 he is very fond of bathing, but, as he has no fixed 
 bathing-place, he is forced to indulge this propensity 
 as he can. He displays much ingenuity in so doing, 
 and, indeed, does what appeal's almost impossible for 
 such a bird to do. There is a tolerably large cistern 
 
1 98 MAGPIES. 
 
 which supplies the house with water, and in this he 
 "bathes. Now, the wonder is, not that he should get 
 in, for that is easy enough, but how he gets out 
 again is a marvel that has yet to be explained. In 
 general, when non-aquatic birds get into water too 
 deep for them to wade, they are unable to get out 
 again, and, in consequence, are drowned. And the 
 wonder is increased when the shape of the vessel is 
 taken into consideration. Most birds would be 
 drowned even in a pond that -has shelving banks, but 
 in this case the sides of the cistern are perpendicular 
 and smooth, so that they can afford no hold for the 
 bird's feet. If possible, I intend to find out how he 
 manages it. 
 
 Why ankles should be so attractive to many birds, 
 I cannot tell, but such is really the case. Few 
 things appear to afford a parrot greater gratification 
 than to administer a smart bite to an unprotected 
 ankle; while most of the corvine family seem to 
 derive the same amusement from driving their sharp 
 beaks at the same object. Ravens, jackdaws, jays, 
 and magpies are all given to this propensity. 
 
 I never yet heard of a tame magpie that did not 
 seize every opportunity for thus exercising its' beak. 
 There was a tame magpie in a little village in Wilt- 
 shire who was gifted with this talent. He was espe- 
 cially fond of the ankles belonging to the females of 
 the establishment, and to a little boy who was yet in 
 the frock period of his existence. He was the terror 
 of the poor boy's existence, and made such raids on 
 his ankles, that he dared not pass the yard where the 
 magpie lived, unless he had first ascertained that the 
 coast was clear. Even then, the ankle suffered occa- 
 sionally, for Mag used to hide himself until his vic- 
 tim had passed, and then set off after him, chasing 
 him completely along the garden walk. 
 
 The female servants were so afraid of him, that 
 they did not venture to pass by his dwelling-place 
 without arming themselves with a broom or a stick; 
 
BIRD PRECEPTORS. 199 
 
 One of them had neglected this precaution, and was 
 actually reduced to sit down on the stones in order to 
 protect her ankles, and she was found in this absurd 
 position, the magpie pacing round her, and waiting 
 for his opportunity. 
 
 The same bird was given to destroying papers that 
 were left about. On one Sunday morning, after the 
 family came back from church, the papers in the 
 rector's study were found to be scattered about the 
 room, many of them being torn to pieces. At first, 
 the general impression was that thieves had been at 
 work, but the delinquent was soon discovered. 
 
 It was also fond of stealing and hiding anything 
 that it could carry away, and had for its treasury a 
 hole in the thatch of a barn. 
 
 There is a magpie in the Zoological Gardens, who 
 appears to be almost the only happy or contented 
 bird there. Nothing disturbs his equanimity, or 
 deprives him of his lively curiosity. There is not 
 much to be done in the way of imitating there, at 
 all events, there are few sounds that a bird can imi- 
 tate, but, as some poultry are kept near him, he 
 makes the best of his position, and imitates the 
 crow : Dg of the cock. He quite startled me one clay 
 when I was standing by his cage by the accuracy of 
 the intonation. I entered into conversation with 
 him, and we became capital friends. Before we 
 parted, he gave me a lesson in the art of crowing, 
 and was more successful as master than I was as 
 pupil. 
 
 Birds will often give lessons if properly encou- 
 raged. There is a bullfinch now living who has 
 displayed immense perseverance in teaching me to 
 whistle an air which he has learned. Sometimes I 
 break clown purposely, and then he becomes quite 
 angry, flits from perch to perch, puffs himself into a 
 round ball, and utters short discontented clucks. 
 When he recovers, he goes back to the erroneous 
 passage and repeats it. I often make him whistle 
 
SOO MAGPIES. 
 
 in that way when he displays any disinclination 
 to perform, for he becomes so excited at my 
 stupidity, that he dashes headlong into his song, 
 goes through it triumphantly, and then begins to 
 cluck. 
 
 It is curious to see what pains a magpie will take 
 to go through any mischievous task. I lately heard 
 of another Oxford magpie, who displayed great inge- 
 nuity and perseverance in his self-appointed tasks. 
 He professed a great friendship for his master, and 
 used to attend him in his garden promenades, 
 occasionally pecking his heels to remind him of his 
 presence. 
 
 It so happened that some delicate seeds had 
 arrived, and a part of the garden was prepared for 
 their reception. The proprietor of the garden and 
 the magpie was employed in sifting the earth, and 
 laying the stones on one side. He was occupied 
 with his task, and forgot the magpie entirely. Pre- 
 sently, he happened to look round, and there was the 
 magpie, as hard at work as if he were earning five 
 shillings per diem. The mischievous bird was 
 actually busying himself in replacing the stones that 
 had been sifted out. 
 
 This he did in a very scientific manner. One 
 scoop of his beak to the right, another to the left, 
 and there was a hole. He then picked up a stone, 
 dropped it in its place, scratched the earth over it, 
 and the business was done. 
 
 He also had a companion in the shape of a hawk, 
 and found great amusement in tormenting it. The 
 poor bird could never get its dinner in peace, for the 
 magpie w r as always ready to joke about it. Hardly 
 had the hawk his piece of meat, than the magpie 
 would set off after him, and begin to chatter and 
 dance round him, pretending to take the meat. At 
 last this irritated the hawk so much, that he let his 
 dinner fall and rushed at his persecutor. This was 
 just the object of the magpie, who hopped round the 
 
SAD END OF A ROB1EJ1. 201 
 
 hawk, pounced on the meat, and carried it off. Hav- 
 ing attained his object, he would run off with it, 
 followed by the hawk, who, although he could bite 
 harder, and scratch more fiercely, was not able to 
 compete with the magpie in running. 
 
 Now, the magpie was not a selfish bird, as might 
 be imagined. He did not want the meat for him- 
 self, and always restored it to its legitimate possessor. 
 But he liked to laugh at the hawk, and to enjoy the 
 chase that was sure to ensue. 
 
 He was an amusing bird enough, but often very 
 troublesome. It was never safe, for instance, to 
 point out a flower to any one, for the magpie would 
 have it off the stem directly. Nor did he confine 
 his depredations to flowers, for he was once detected 
 in the act of escaping with a bank-note which had 
 been laid on the table for a short time, and which he 
 evidently had understood to be valuable. 
 
 This poor bird came to an untimely end, being 
 drowned ignominiously in a water-butt, in which he 
 was found dead one morning 
 
 By the way, I forgot to mention another exploit of 
 Mag No. 1. One of his favourite haunts is by a 
 building that was formerly a stable, but is now ap- 
 plied to various purposes, the knife- cleaning depart- 
 ment being conducted there. The boy who was em- 
 ployed upon the task had indued a clean collar that 
 morning, and, being unwilling that it should be 
 soiled during his work, took it off, and laid it on a 
 chair. When he came to put it on again, it was 
 found to be covered with mud. Mag was, of course, 
 the agent, and had been watched. He seized his 
 opportunity to pounce on the collar without being* 
 seen by the owner, and carried it off into the yard, 
 where there was a nice puddle. He then deposited it 
 in the puddle, jumped on it once or twice, and carried 
 it back to the place where he had found it. 
 
 Not long ago, there was a magpie that lived in 
 Eccleston Street, Pimlico. Now as the bird resided 
 
202 MAGPIES. 
 
 in the odour of aristocratic Belgravia, its demeanour 
 ought to have corresponded thereto. But it was a 
 very wicked bird, a great thief, and ingenious in its 
 thefts. It was supposed to belong to some one, but 
 as it passed a nomad existence, its actual owner was 
 doubtful. There is a kind of parapet running along 
 the windows, and this parapet was the bird's usual 
 promenade. Along this it was accustomed to walk, 
 and pay visits as it passed, looking in at the windows, 
 and saying, " Maggie, Maggie, Maggie." If no one 
 were near, it took the opportunity of running off with 
 anything that was in the way. On one occasion it 
 carried off some letters, and having hidden them in 
 some secret spot, had the impudence to come back 
 for something else. The window belonged to a lady's 
 dressing-room, and once actually while she was in the 
 room, the bird hopped in, saying, " Maggie, Maggie, 
 Maggie," picked up a pair of earrings, and carried 
 them off also. Neither letters nor earrings were heard 
 of again. 
 
 In England, magpies generally build their nests 
 in the most inaccessible places, generally on the top 
 of lofty trees, the nest being placed on a branch that 
 will not well bear the weight of a man. I remember 
 nearly losing my life in an attempt to get a magpie's 
 nest. The birds had built in the top of a very tall 
 pine, growing in a paddock in Derbyshire. The tree 
 was devoid of branches until just at the summit, 
 where it branched off like a parasol. 
 
 From below, the nest appeared to be placed on a 
 branch about three feet distant from the stem, so 
 that if the tree could only be climbed, to take the 
 nest was an easy enough matter. But the tree was 
 very difficult to climb, from the absence of branches. 
 However, I got on with some difficulty for forty feet 
 or so, and then it became easy enough, as there were 
 knots projecting from the trunk, being the remains 
 of the branches tint had fallen off as the tree grew 
 higher. Just as I had reaqhed the top and was 
 
A NARROW ESCAPE. 203 
 
 stretching out my hand to take hold of one of the 
 lower branches, the knots on which I was standing 
 gave way, and had not my hold with the other hand 
 been firm, nothing could have saved me. 
 
 Even then it was no easy task to get at the nest, 
 which in reality was nearly twenty feet from the 
 trunk, although from the great height of the tree it 
 seemed so close. Moreover, the branch on which it 
 was placed was nearly horizontal, so that I had to 
 crawl along like a sloth, suspended under the branch. 
 And the worst of th^ business was, that when the 
 nest was at last reached, it was found to be an old one, 
 and perfectly empty. So there w r as the risk of life 
 for nothing at all, not to mention the scratched hands 
 caused by the thorns with which the nest was 
 surrounded. 
 
 But, although in England the nest of the magpie 
 is placed at so great an elevation, in Norway and 
 Sweden it is usually in quite a different situation. 
 There, it is mostly built in a low bush, in front of a 
 house. The fact is, that in those countries it is 
 deemed unlucky to kill a magpie, and so no one 
 would think of hurting the bird, or even destroying 
 its eggs. 
 
 But the magpie does not requite this forbearance 
 by similar conduct on its own part, for it is a shame- 
 less plunderer of the nests of other birds, carrying 
 off both eggs and young. The mode in which it 
 steals eggs is by driving its beak into them, and so 
 bearing them away, spitted. Sometimes the bird is 
 caught in its own trap, for it is a common trick to 
 empty an egg and fill it with bird-lime. Mag comes 
 by, sees the egg, pecks at it, and gets caught by the 
 lime. For it cannot get rid of the egg, and the 
 lime oozes out and sticks to its feathers. The bird 
 flies at random and dashes itself about, until it strikes 
 against some branch, when the egg is broken, and 
 the lime clogs its wings, so that it cannot fly. 
 
 Magpies have a great liking for the young of other 
 
204 MAGPIES. 
 
 birds, and have often been known to invade the pre- 
 cincts of the poultry-yard. Their beaks hardly 
 appear so fitted for the work of tearing the bird to 
 pieces as those of the hawk tribe, but, in reality, there 
 is little difference in the result or rapidity of the ope- 
 ration. The beak of the hawk acts as a hook and 
 tears the prey to pieces, but that of the magpie acts 
 like sharp pincers, and tears and cuts at once. 
 
 These butcher-like propensities are chiefly indulged 
 when the magpie has a family to support, and we 
 may suppose, requires better nutriment. Sometimes, 
 when pressed by hunger, it does not content itself 
 with destroying the young or the diseased, but 
 pounces upon full-grown, healthy birds, and carries 
 them off as ruthlessly as any hawk. A magpie was 
 once detected in the act of killing a full-grown red- 
 wing. The magpie was seen struggling with some 
 animal, but on being alarmed, it picked up its prey, 
 and flew with it for about sixty yards. The magpie 
 then dropped the wounded bird and flew off. On 
 examination, a full-grown redwing was found. It 
 had already been deprived of its eyes, probably in 
 order to prevent it from escaping. 
 
 White, in his " History of Selborne," mentions a 
 case where several magpies stormed the nest of a 
 missel- thrush. The parent birds fought bravely, but 
 were overpowered by the assailants, who tore the 
 nest in pieces, and swallowed the young alive. 
 
 But this hardly seems so strange an event as the 
 attack upon the redwing. It is true that the missel- 
 thrush is a large species of the thrush family, and 
 that the redwing is a small one. But then it must 
 be remembered that the magpies were many in the 
 latter case, whereas only a single magpie was engaged 
 in the former; and also that the object of the one 
 was to get at the tender young, whereas that of the 
 other was to destroy and eat an adult bird. 
 
 The nest of the magpie is a singular edifice, and 
 constructed with more art than that of any other 
 
NEST OF THE MAGPIE. 205 
 
 British bird, the long-tailed tit excepted. From the 
 peculiar shape of the bird, it is evident that the nest 
 must be large and roomy, or the poor creature's tail 
 would soon be rubbed to pieces against the sides. 
 Accordingly, the nest is veiy large, that is, in com- 
 parison with the nests of most birds. 
 
 It is a most ingenious structure, and well calcu- 
 lated to shield the young from the weather, to which 
 they would be especially exposed, on account of the 
 situation of the nest, and from the attacks of rapa- 
 cious birds, who are very fond of young magpies. 
 Yet, even the fortified nest, and the sharp bill of the 
 mother, are not always proof against an enemy, as 
 has already been recorded on p. 139. 
 
 The nest is externally composed of sticks, and 
 when viewed from below, looks much like that 
 of the rook. But the nest of the latter bird is 
 an open nest, while the domicile of the magpie is 
 regularly covered and thatched, the entrance being 
 merely a small hole just large enough to admit the 
 parent birds. And as the outer sticks are mostly 
 chosen from thorn-bushes, a strong knife is generally 
 required by any one who wishes to take out either 
 eggs or young. For, supposing the parent birds to 
 be away from home, and the nest safely reached, it 
 is no easy matter to abstract either eggs or young. 
 The open hand can generally be insinuated through 
 the chevaux de frize of thorns that barricade the 
 door, but the nest is so large, that the fingers seldom 
 achieve more than a mere touch of the eggs, which 
 roll about in a most tantalizing manner. Even if an 
 egg or two could be grasped in the hand, it could 
 not be removed, because the hole that leads to the 
 interior is so small, that a closed hand would not be 
 able to pass through it. 
 
 The nest is thoroughly and warmly lined with clay, 
 that stops up the interstices through which the winds 
 might whistle shrill, and give the poor little birds 
 bad colds 
 
206 MAGPIES. 
 
 The nest is altogether one of the best examples 
 of bird architecture in existence, Mnd is only rivalled 
 by the edifices of one or two species, such as the 
 wren and the long-tailed titmouse in this country, 
 and a few of the inhabitants of hotter climes. 
 
 Legends exist respecting most natural objects, and 
 there is a legend respecting the superiority of the 
 magpie's nest over those of other birds. It appears 
 that " once upon a time " the magpie was the ac- 
 knowledged professor of nidifi cation in the ornitho- 
 logical university, and to his lectures the other birds 
 resorted, in order to take lessons in that science. 
 Professor Pica belonged to the practical and experi- 
 mental school of philosophy, and, therefore, was 
 accustomed to receive his classes among the branches 
 of a fine tall pine-tree, having previously conveyed 
 to his theatre an ample supply of building materials. 
 There were present at one of these meetings the 
 rook, the jackdaw, the blackbird, the thrush, and 
 other gentlemen, all professing their willingness to 
 learn, but some, I regret to say, rather conceited. 
 
 "Now, gentlemen," said the professor, "you must 
 remember that there is a right and wrong way of 
 doing everything, and that, unless you begin at the 
 beginning, you will be tolerably certain to manage 
 your nests in the wrong way. The first object is to 
 find a good strong forked branch, and upon that you 
 lay your foundation, by placing two sticks across each 
 other thus." 
 
 " Any one might have known that,'" said the jack- 
 daw. 
 
 Taking no notice of the interruption, the pro- 
 fessor proceeded : 
 
 "On these cross-sticks, you then place seven or 
 eight others, interweaving them as you see me 
 doing, until you have a solid floor, on which you can 
 jump without throwing it down so." 
 
 " I shall not stop any longer to listen to this non- 
 sense," said the jackdaw ; " I knew all that long ago.'' 
 
A LECTURE ON NIDIFICATiON. 207 
 
 The starling coincided with him, and the two 
 went off together, thinking themselves uncommonly 
 wise. 
 
 "Now," resumed the professor, "comes a neat 
 piece of workmanship, and remember to watch me 
 carefully while I show you how it is done. You take 
 some slender twigs this time, and, insinuating them 
 among the rough ends of your platform, and then 
 working one into the other, you raise the sides of 
 the nest, or when you are married, and come to have 
 a family, your children will tumble over as soon as 
 they begin to walk, and what will their mothers 
 say then ? " 
 
 At this point the auditors were very attentive, for 
 the idea of being hen-pecked was not agreeable. 
 But the chaffinch, whose surname was Coelebs, and 
 was an old bachelor who never went in search of a 
 wife at all, took alarm at the idea of children, and, 
 grumbling out something about " a set of squalling 
 brats," made the best of his way out of the field. I 
 am happy to say that he afterwards married a regular 
 scold, who used to force him to stay at home and 
 take care of his five children, while she made calls 
 among her female acquaintance, who one and all 
 despised him. 
 
 ''- The next thing to be done," proceeded Dr. Pica, 
 "is to interweave a little moss, or hay, or anything of 
 a similar character, so as to make a soft bed for the 
 eggs to lie upon. For, gentlemen, you may not be 
 aware that the calcareous envelope of eggs is of a 
 highly brittle character." 
 
 " I could have told you that," said the rook ; and 
 straightway went off to dinner in a field, where he 
 was seen by two scientific gentlemen, one of whom 
 said that he ought to be killed for injuring the crops, 
 while the other contended that he ought to be pro- 
 tected as a friend to the farmer, as he only ate the 
 grains that were infested with worms. But I do not 
 Slink that the rook was much the better for the dis- 
 
208 MAGPIES. 
 
 eussion, as the latter gentleman shot him in order to 
 prove, by dissection of his crop, that he ought to be 
 protected. 
 
 By this time, Dr. Pica was beginning to lose his 
 temper at these desertions, but the report of the 
 scientific gentleman's gun restored his equanimity, 
 and he went on with his lecture : 
 
 " At this stage I would recommend the use of a 
 little clay, which might be nicely kneaded and 
 spread, and then some wool or feathers can be 
 worked into it when wet, so that they will be fixed 
 there when dry." 
 
 " I did that myself only yesterday," said the black- 
 bird. 
 
 " I won't stand this any longer ! " screamed the 
 professor, in a towering rage. " Get along with you 
 for a set of conceited hobbledehoys, who have only 
 just got your first tail-coats, and pretend to under- 
 stand nidification as well as your teachers ! " And 
 he drove them away in wrath. That is the reason 
 why the other birds can only build half nests, and 
 the jackdaw and starling cannot build a respectable 
 nest at all. 
 
 The wren, the dipper, and the bottle-tit, however, 
 called on him the next day, and, after making their 
 apologies, were admitted to private lessons. 
 
 To return to prosaic facts. The tree on which a 
 magpie builds is nearly certain to be a healthy, well- 
 rooted tree ; not, perhaps, because the magpie is 
 aware of the fact, but because he requires a thickly- 
 branched tree for the proper stability of his nest, 
 and trees that are thickly branched are generally 
 firmly rooted, in order to prevent them from being 
 torn up by the wind. 
 
 By the way, it is an invariable fact that, in a copse 
 or a wood, it is always possible to predict the direc- 
 tion which the roots of the trees will take. Those 
 that are placed on the outside send out strong hori- 
 zontal roots towards that direction from which the 
 
BOOTS OF TREES. 2U9 
 
 wind can attack them, while those in the centre drive 
 their roots almost perpendicularly downwards, hardly 
 throwing off even a single root-branch. So that, if 
 the copse is circular, the roots of the outer trees 
 radiate like the spokes of a wheel. And if a ditch 
 should happen to run across the path of the hori- 
 zontal roots, they dip under it, and come up again 
 on the opposite side, so as to preserve an uniformity 
 of depth. I have had practical experience of this 
 phenomenon, for on clearing away an orchard in 
 order to build a gymnasium upon its site, the outside 
 trees were managed easily enough, but when it came 
 to grubbing up those detestable tap-roots, as they 
 are called, the work was something to remember. 
 
 There is nothing like practical experience for fix- 
 ing ideas in the memory, and this experience was 
 very practical. For my boys and myself cleared 
 away an orchard, grubbed up the roots, chopped up 
 the branches and stacked them for fire-wood, pre- 
 pared the trunks for poles, levelled the ground, and 
 finished by borrowing a horse and cart, taking it up 
 the hills, quarrying the stones, and paving the floor, 
 entirely without assistance. I must admit that our 
 hands were not fit for a drawing-room afterwards, 
 but, as there were no drawing-roonis to enter, it was. 
 of little consequence. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 Superstition respecting Magpies. The "odd "Magpie. -Deriva- 
 tion of Name. Representative Names. The Battle of 
 the Frogs and Mice. The Pie used in Heraldry. Quarrel 
 between Courtenay and Dalzell. Set a Thief to catch a 
 Thief. Watchful over Sportsmen. Trial of Temper. 
 Mag curtailed. An arithmetical Magpie. Parental Love 
 and its Modifications. 
 
 PKOM the earliest times, much superstitious in- 
 terest has been attached to the magpie. This sub- 
 ject is so well handled by Mudie that I cannot do 
 better than copy his words : " Woe be to that beast 
 on whose back it perches, for the magpie perches on 
 dead beasts, and consequently when it perches on 
 living ones it wishes, prophesies, and even dooms 
 them dead ! The magpie is thus a bird which ex- 
 cites very mingled and opposite sensations ; it is a 
 bird of hope and confidence, and of fear and despair, 
 but the feeling towards it leans upon the whole to the 
 suspicious; and one set of the ignorant spare the 
 magpies and their nests for the same reason that an- 
 other class never mention the name of the devil except 
 in an under tone and with much respect lest they 
 should come by some heavy or bodily harm." 
 
 " And the magpie filches away money and other 
 little matters, and when they are again found they 
 have much of the peril of witches' money. Nay, 
 more; the magpies actually take counsel together, 
 conspire, and club their wits, for weal or for woe, as 
 it may turn out. If there is an even number, and all 
 are cheerily met, then happy times to the matrons, 
 
THE "ODD" MAGPIE. 311 
 
 high hopes to the maids, and health and long life to 
 all the family or the parish, if the place of meeting 
 is in or near the churchyard. But woe he to that 
 house before which there is an assemblage with an 
 odd masTjie sitting sulkily apart; and tenfold woe if 
 that sight crosses a lover on his path, or a party on 
 their way to the altar! 
 
 "A black pig crossing the door of a fisherman's hut, 
 or even a dead hare detected in his boat when at sea 
 is riot more perilous, nor half so much so ; for nei- 
 ther lord of the manor, parson of the parish, nor, 
 where these are effectual, bell, book, and candle, can 
 cast out the evil spirit of the ' odd magpie.' 
 
 " When magpies are numerous there must be mar- 
 riage parties in the spring, as well of the young ones 
 as of those that have been left single by casualty. 
 The meetings are for these purposes ; the odd one is, 
 of course, unpaired, and the rustic may very likely 
 have brought the terror of it updn himself by killing 
 its mate." 
 
 The word "magpie" is evidently compound; and 
 is one of the representative names, which, when 
 rightly applied, are most valuable, as well as most an- 
 cient. In^ the earlier ages, names always expressed 
 qualities, whether the creature named were animal, 
 vegetable, or mineral; and when mankind was the 
 subject the name was always a representative, whatever 
 the nation. Examples of Hebrew representative 
 names may be found in almost every page of the Old 
 Testament, and Egyptian representative names are 
 engraven on the monuments of that extinct and won- 
 drous race. And to pass to times of classic interest, 
 Homer and the Greek writers show abundant exam- 
 ples of this fact, and the Latin writers followed them 
 in after times. 
 
 Homer, by the way, has a most happy hit at the re- 
 presentative names in that excruciatingly comical 
 poem, the " Batrachomyomachia," the first, and pos- 
 sibly the finest of parodies. For he fills the poem 
 
 p 2 
 
MAGPIES. 
 
 with the most resounding names, of which the title is 
 an example. These names are composed of words 
 expressive of qualities belonging to the frogs and the 
 mice, whose warlike deeds are told in just the same 
 grand rolling language that had been employed in 
 narrating the war between the Trojans and the 
 Greeks. " Batrachomyomachia " simply means " the 
 battle of frogs and mice," and the names of the he- 
 roes on either side signify ranal or murine propen- 
 sities, such as " Mud-lover," " Cheese-scraper," and 
 " Pot-licker." 
 
 The American Indians and other uncivilised na- 
 tions retain the custom, and even change or enlarge 
 the name from time to time, according to the events 
 of life. I do not understand any of these dialects, or 
 I might know what the Cree Indians mean by calling 
 the magpie " Oo-ta-wa-kee-as-kee." As to our title for 
 the bird, it is compounded of " mag " and "pie," the 
 latter being the primary name, and the former super- 
 added. I suppose that we got the word " pie " from 
 the Latin " pica," or from the ancient British name, 
 " piogen." And the syllable " mag" is as probably 
 added on account of the chattering propensities of the 
 bird, for the word " mag " is used in many parts of 
 England to signify unmeaning talk. So that the 
 whole word simply means " chattering pie," which, it 
 must be admitted, is quite appropriate. Some people 
 fancy that the bird is called a " pie" on account of its 
 pied colour, but that is, in my opinion, just an inver- 
 sion of facts. For the magpie was in existence long 
 before colours were mixed, or a name given to mixed 
 colours, and thus alternate black and white were 
 called " pied " in honour of the bird. It is, however, 
 possible that there may be yet another reason for the 
 term magpie. Shakspeare calls the bird a " magot- 
 pie," from which "magpie" may possibly be derived. 
 Magot, in the French, signifies "monkey;" and as 
 the magpie is decidedly a very monkey among birds, 
 the term is appropriate enough. However, I give the 
 
TN GRAITH AND IN FAITH. 213 
 
 preference to neither, and will leave the reader to 
 choose for himself. 
 
 Even such a bird as the magpie has been pressed 
 into the service of -heraldry, that most representative of 
 all sciences. And, as if the very character of the 
 bird became infused into its painted image, its pre- 
 sence was, on one memorable occasion, the signal for 
 quarrelling and fighting. I here allude to the famous 
 meeting between Sir Piers Courtenay and Sir William 
 Dalzell. The former, an English knight, renowned 
 for his skill in the tournament, appeared in public 
 bearing as his crest a falcon, and for a motto the ar- 
 rogant words 
 
 " I bear a falcon, fairest of flight ; 
 Who pinches at her, to death is dight 
 In graith." 
 
 Now, Sir William Dalzell was a Scotchman ; and, 
 being instinctively opposed to an Englishman, burned 
 with a desire to put down the conceit of the English 
 knight. And this he accomplished by a stroke of 
 sublime impudence. Next time that Sir Piers was 
 seen in public, Sir William Dalzell made his appear- 
 ance in a suit of armour precisely copied from that of 
 the Englishman, with the exception of the crest and 
 motto, which were thus parodied. The crest was a 
 magpie seated on a marrow bone, and the motto 
 was : 
 
 " I bear a pie, pecking at a piece ; 
 Who pecks at her, I shall peck at his nese,* 
 In faith." 
 
 The natural consequences followed; and in the 
 ensuing combat the Scotch knight gained an absurd 
 advantage over his English opponent, conceived and 
 carried out in a manner quite in conformity with his 
 previous conduct. The challenger demanded perfect 
 equality of terms ; either party beginning the fray on 
 advantageous terms to forfeit a large sum of money. 
 
 * i. e. Nose. 
 
214 MAGPIES. 
 
 When the lists were drawn out Sir W. Dalzell delibe- 
 rately demanded that Sir Piers Courtenay should have 
 one of his eyes put out as a preliminary, because he 
 himself had lost an eye in a former battle. The whole 
 matter appears by this time to have subsided into a 
 skirmish of wits at all events in the eyes of the um- 
 pires, for they admitted the proposition, and the un- 
 fortunate Englishman had to suffer in pocket as well 
 as in reputation. 
 
 The magpie, although an inveterate thief himself, 
 seems to have sufficient appreciation of honesty to 
 object to any other thief except himself. If a fox 
 goes prowling along after some rabbits or pheasants, 
 or shows himself in the vicinity of a farmyard, down 
 comes Mag, and sets up such a chattering and squall- 
 ing just over the delinquent's head that the intended 
 victims take the alarm, and escape before the fox is 
 able to pounce upon them. 
 
 On the same principle, he will follow and worry a 
 cat who is looking after a sparrow in the hedge, and 
 if he comes across a stoat he thinks himself bound in 
 duty to persecute it until it dives into its den. Hawks, 
 kites, or owls all meet with the same fate at the 
 hands, or rather at the wings, of this most tender- 
 conscienced robber. He really reminds one of those 
 pious Italian bravos who would not on any account 
 pass a statuette or picture of the Madonna without 
 devoutly crossing themselves and muttering an Ave 
 Maria, probably emphasizing the prayer with a 
 dagger-thrust at the gentleman for whom they are 
 waiting. 
 
 Mag is also a horror to sportsmen, whether in search 
 of "game," strictly so called, or of such small deer as 
 blackbirds and thrushes. For birds have a general 
 knowledge of each other's language, even though 
 they may be of different nations, and if a thrush 
 hears a magpie cry out in picine language, " Look 
 out there ! here 's a fellow with a gun ! " he scuds off 
 without delay. 
 
SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF. 215 
 
 And as he is so sharp in taking care of others, it 
 necessarily follows that he has a very good idea of 
 taking care of himself. 1 know very few birds so 
 difficult to approach as a magpie, for the rascal is 
 perfectly aware of the range of a gun, and dodges 
 backward and forward among the branches, bobbing 
 his long tail up and down, and twisting his neck like 
 a corkscrew, at exactly twice the distance to which 
 the gun can carry. It is inconceivable how a magpie 
 will exasperate one by his impudence and coolness. 
 And at last the sportsman gets angry, loses all 
 patience, and bangs off his gun at the bird, who 
 seems to consider it a capital joke, flies up perpen- 
 dicularly, says " arack ! " in the most insulting 
 tone, and comes down again in precisely the same 
 place. 
 
 In my undergraduate days I was particularly 
 desirous of shooting a magpie in order to stuff the 
 skin, and knowing where the birds might be found, 
 went after them, and was wrought up to the extrem- 
 est pitch of irritation by their manoauvres. If they 
 would only have flown away, I would not have cared 
 so much, but there they kept about a hundred yards 
 in advance, or sometimes behind me, never coming 
 within shot themselves, and making such a dis- 
 turbance that no other bird would come near them. 
 
 Once I nearly shot a magpie, but that was quite by~ 
 chance, although I was going to look for them. 
 There is a tolerably deep railway cutting that must 
 be crossed, and the level ground at each side is 
 covered with trees. I was just crossing this cutting, 
 intent only upon trains, when a magpie suddenly 
 flew over the trees and came into view. " Wagh ! " 
 cried Mag, in a desperate fright, on seeing the gun, 
 and finding that he had not time to turn, put on the 
 steam, so to speak, and sped across like an arrow. 
 He was just in time, for my shot took off his tail 
 with remarkable neatness, scattering the feathers in 
 all directions, but there was no more damage done. 
 
2 I 6 MAGPIES. 
 
 Mag made a great outcry at the loss of his tail, and 
 steered wild, as the sailors say, without his rudder. I 
 suppose that he afterwards persuaded his friends that 
 tails were out of fashion. 
 
 T once did find a nest with the young birds in it, 
 but could not bring myself to shoot either them or 
 their parents until they had been deposed from their 
 eminence. But they were so crafty that, although I 
 never passed their tree without seeing them, I never 
 shot them. A pair of kestrels afterwards took posses- 
 sion of their nest and brought up a family there. 
 
 A curious experiment was once tried on the capability 
 of the magpie to count numbers. A man wished to 
 shoot a magpie, and for that purpose hid himself in 
 a hut near the nest. But the bird had seen a man 
 and a gun go in, and kept quiet until the man and 
 gim had gone out again. Next day two men entered 
 the hut, and after a time one of them left it and went 
 away. Mag, however, was not to be so cheated, and 
 remained hidden. The next day the experiment was 
 repeated, with the addition of a third man, two 
 leaving the hut, and one remaining, but to no pur- 
 pose, for Mag kept still out of sight. Four men 
 then entered, and three came away. I suppose that 
 the bird had reached her extreme point of numbers, 
 for she returned to her nest, and was shot by the 
 fourth man. 
 
 Perhaps she had felt tired of this repeated banish- 
 ment, and determined to run all risks to get back to 
 her home, like a brave wife and mother. And the 
 man who shot her was an unfeeling wretch, in spite 
 of Madam Magpie's thieving propensities, for which 
 her motherly love ought to have atoned. 
 
 For the maternal instinct, that scintillula of 
 Divine Love, is a wondrous thing, and ought to be 
 sacred in men's eyes, raising, as it does for the time, 
 the brute above its brute nature, and giving to it the 
 best property of man, that is, love for another. The 
 love of brutes is almost invariably self-love, each for 
 
PARENTAL LOVE. $17 
 
 itself; the storge, or fountain of parental love, only 
 lasting for a time. But while it lasts let it be held 
 sacred, because of the source from which it springs. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MAGPIES continued. 
 
 Our Friend again. Cold and warm Baths. Dialogue from 
 Lucian. The Allegory explained. Story of the Goat, the 
 Lion, and the Fox. Force of Intellect. Waiting on an 
 Invalid. Mag turned Gardener. Green Peas. Birds 
 understand human Language. The Magpie in the Cellar. 
 . Mag beaten at last. Cruel Custom. 
 
 I HAVE now a few more tales to relate of our friend, 
 the school magpie, of whom I have already spoken, 
 and I believe that there would be sufficient exploits to 
 fill a volume, if they were all noted down. But I am 
 unfortunately too far from him now, and therefore 
 my knowledge is limited. 
 
 His propensities for bathing have already been 
 noticed, but they have lately been carried to an asto- 
 nishing extent. As to bathing in a basin or a saucer 
 placed inadvertently on the carpet, and thereby 
 deluging it with water, it is too common an event to 
 be noticed. But there are two notable instances, 
 which must be recorded. 
 
 There was to be cold meat served up, and the cook 
 had cut some parsley ready for garnish. This she 
 washed, and put into a basin of cold water, in order 
 to have it green and fresh at the proper time. Mag, 
 however, had seen the preparations, formed his 
 own ideas on the subject, and watched his opportu- 
 nity. The cook was called away for a few minutes, 
 and when she came back, found the basin only one- 
 fourth or so filled with very discoloured water, the 
 surrounding space splashed copiously, all the parsley 
 in the fender, and Mr. Mag very comfortably before 
 the fire, shaking his feathers and preening himself 
 with great satisfaction. 
 
DIALOGUE FEOM LUCIAN. 219 
 
 That was bad enough, but there is yet worse to 
 come. There had been some culinary operation 
 performed, which, being intended for a school, was 
 necessarily on a large scale, and produced plenty of 
 dripping. This was poured into a basin and set 
 down. Mag thought that this was a capital opportu- 
 nity for a bath, but there was no time to be lost in 
 the usual preliminaries. So he flounced into the hot 
 grease with a great splutter, and then, discovering his 
 mistake in a very unpleasant way, dashed out again, 
 knocking himself about, partly in pain, and partly in 
 'bewilderment, at the strange sensation of the fat 
 cooling on his feathers. Poor Mag, it was a long 
 time before he got into good order again, not to 
 mention the floor and furniture which he plentifully 
 enriched at the same time. 
 
 Then, as to thieving, he is just incorrigible. He 
 never seems happy unless he is either stealing some- 
 thing, or hiding some stolen spoil. And he displays 
 such wonderful address and audacity in his robberies 
 that watching him is all but useless. Indeed, the 
 magpie, and of magpies, this particular specimen,, 
 ought to be the bird of Mercury, just as the owl was 
 the bird of Pallas Athene. 
 
 See what Lucian says of Mercury. Apollo is sup- 
 posed to be standing outside Vulcan's forge window, 
 and talking to him while he is at work, just as village 
 idlers always have done, and will do as long as there 
 are blacksmiths and forge windows. 
 
 " Vulcan. Have you seen, O Apollo, Maia's new- 
 born infant? How handsome he is, how he smiles 
 on everybody, and shows already as if he would be- 
 come a great benefit to the world. 
 
 Apollo. Must I call him an infant, O Vulcan, or 
 a great benefit to the world, who is older than 
 Jupiter as far as mischief is concerned? 
 
 Vulcan. And whom may he be able to injure, 
 seeing that he is but newly born? 
 
 Apollo. Ask Neptune, whose trident he has 
 
220 MAGPIES. 
 
 stolen ; or Mars fa; his sword, too, he unobserved 
 drew out of the scabbard not to mention myself, 
 whom he has disarmed of bows and arrows. 
 
 Vulcan. This infant do these things who has 
 scarcely moved himself in his swaddling-clothes ! 
 
 Apollo. You will know, Vulcan, if he only ap- 
 proaches you. 
 
 Vulcan. Nay, he has approached me already. 
 
 Apollo. What then ? have you all your tools, and 
 are none of them lost ? 
 
 Vulcan. They are all here. 
 
 Apollo. Look a little more carefully. 
 
 Vulcan. By Jupiter, I do not see my pincers. 
 
 Apollo. You will find them somewhere in that 
 infant's swaddling-clothes. 
 
 Vulcan. He is as light fingered as if he had been 
 long apprenticed to robbery. 
 
 Apollo. Have you not heard him already talking 
 fluently and volubly ? And he wishes, also, to wait 
 upon us. And yesterday he challenged Cupid to 
 wrestle, and threw him, by tripping up both his 
 heels in some way. Then, while he was receiving 
 our praises, he stole the cestus of Venus, as she was 
 embracing him on the victory, and the sceptre of Ju- 
 piter when laughing ; and if the thunderbolt had 
 not been rather too heavy and too hot for him, he 
 would have stolen that too. And Maia tells me that, 
 even at night, he will not remain in the sky, but, 
 through a great love of being busy, descends to 
 Pluto in order to steal something from him also, 
 you may be sure." 
 
 Now all these things are an allegory, teaching 
 great truths under the veil of ordinary language. 
 For Mercury is the abstract of Knowledge, which 
 brings to its possessor the arts, the sciences, admira- 
 tion, and power His residence in heaven signifies 
 his knowledge of things to come, principally in re- 
 ference to astronomical predictions ; his visit to 
 earth indicates his power over present things ; and 
 
THE GOAT AND THE FOX. 221 
 
 liis descending to the realms of the dead, and steal- 
 ing from thence, simply means that the knowledge 
 of the former generations may be attained by those 
 still living. 
 
 That these things should be done while in his 
 infancy, shows that even small knowledge triumphs 
 over physical force where there is ignorance ; and 
 his rejection of the thunderbolt signifies that there 
 are things too weighty and too dangerous to be handled 
 by the novice in science. All the heathen mythology 
 is allegorical, and there are greater truths in it than 
 is generally conceived. 
 
 There is an old Oriental story not, however, 
 found in the " Arabian Nights " which further il- 
 lustrates this subject. 
 
 In the days of old there was an ancient goat, 
 whose beard was white with age, and his hair grey. 
 Now he was a very wise goat indeed, but was unac- 
 quainted with the ways of the world. So it hap- 
 pened that he lost himself as he was walking out 
 one day, working out in his mind a problem which 
 had been lately proposed to the goat-nation, and 
 which had bewildered them exceedingly. And the pro- 
 blem was this : " If a cabbage and a half cost three 
 half-turnips, how many turnips must be paid for 
 twelve cabbages?" 
 
 After wandering about for many hours, until he 
 was nearly fainting with fatigue and the heat of the 
 sun, he espied the entrance of a dark, cool-looking 
 cave> into which he went for repose. But at the end 
 of the cave lay a huge lion, into whose home the 
 goat had intruded. 
 
 Now the lion had never seen a goat before, and he 
 was astonished at the long white beard, the curved 
 horns, and the grey hair. So he got up slowly, and 
 said in a very deep voice 
 
 " Who are you ? " 
 
 The goat was much more afraid of the lion than 
 
222 MAGPIES. 
 
 the lion of the goat, but he plucked up presence of 
 mind, and said, 
 
 " Have you never heard of ' Aix the White- 
 bearded ? ' I am under a vow to slay one hundred 
 tigers and one hundred lions ; I finished my tigers 
 yesterday, and am only at iny seventeenth lion, so 
 that I have no time to lose." 
 
 With that he sprung at the lion, who jumped over 
 his head, dashed out of the cave, and never stopped 
 running until he was met by a fox. 
 
 "What are you in such a hurry about, noble sir?" 
 said the fox. So the lion told him the whole story, 
 and the fox laughed at him. For the fox had stolen 
 too many kids not to know what a goat was. 
 
 The lion's fear now turned to rage, and, boiling 
 over with fury, he started back again for his cave, 
 followed by the fox, who thought that he should be 
 sure to come in for part of the goat after the lion 
 had eaten as much as he wanted. The goat sato 
 them coming, and was disturbed in his mind. But 
 he thought of a stratagem, went out, and stood 
 boldly iri the mouth of the cave. 
 
 As the lion and fox drew near, the goat cried in a 
 loud voice 
 
 " Thou traitor fox ! did I not pay thee for two 
 lions, and hast thou only brought me on'e ? " 
 
 The lion never stopped to hear further, but flat- 
 tened the fox with one blow of his paw, took to 
 flight, and was never seen in that neighbourhood 
 again. The goat took possession of the cave, and 
 lived there all his life, as we may see from the corro- 
 borative account of Eobinson Crusoe, who found 
 him at the end of his den, and was almost as much 
 frightened at him as the lion had been. 
 
 So, just as the goat overcame the lion by the force 
 of intellect, the magpie masters other birds or ani- 
 mals. Simply through the power of his mind, he 
 robs the hawks of their meat, which meat, by the 
 
WAITING ON AN INVALID. 223 
 
 way, he more than once contrived to poke among all 
 the clean linen, when the laundress deposited her 
 basket on the ground. 
 
 Some months ago, one of the boys was ill, and 
 was confined to his bed. This was capital fun for Mag, 
 who was accustomed to take advantage of the times 
 when the door was opened, and to slip into the dor- 
 mitory. There he would stay very quietly until 
 every one was well out of the way, and then would 
 commence a series of pedestrian exercises upon the 
 beds, over which he perambulated regularly, thus 
 going two- thirds around the room and back again 
 without touching the floor. And he got so bold at 
 last, that he positively abstracted the toast from the 
 plate standing within reach of the boy's hand. He 
 seemed to approve of toast, for he robbed the toast- 
 and-water in the same way. 
 
 Another time, when the servant came to attend to 
 the beds in the evening, she found that Mag had put 
 a stone or a piece of stick into every bed, and care- 
 fully covered it over. And once, when he was on 
 the point of being detected in some of these nefa- 
 rious proceedings, he dived under the clothes him- 
 self, and lay there concealed, until he was brought to 
 light by some one who was acquainted with his tricks. 
 
 Once, when he had obtained access to the dormi- 
 tory he was watched by some one whom he himself 
 did not see. He proceeded, as usual, to all kinds of 
 mischief, and, at last, seeing a tumbler full of water, 
 he deliberately pulled it over with his bill, and when the 
 water had run over the floor, he set the glass up again. 
 I once saw him try the same plan with a glass of 
 whisky and water, but he seemed to have an idea 
 that he was watched, and so, after pulling the glass 
 half over several times, he finally left it. 
 
 At the beginning of last spring, he was observed 
 to be very curious respecting the garden, and when 
 the spring flowers began to show themselves, the ob- 
 ject of his curiosity became apparent. He had gone 
 
224 MAGPIES. 
 
 the round of the flower-bed, and had pulled up by 
 the roots every crocus and snowdrop that had made 
 their appearance ; and, as if to show that he did so 
 from pure mischief, had laid each flower on the spot 
 where it ought to have been growing. 
 
 Lately he was in much the same predicament as 
 Mercury with the thunderbolt, at all events as far as 
 heat goes. Some peas had been boiled, and were still 
 in the saucepan, when the cook turned her back upon 
 them for a short time. It was always a portion of Mag's 
 tactics never to show himself when on the eve of mis- 
 chief, but to keep himself perfectly quiet in some inexpli- 
 cable place of concealment, from which he issued Justin 
 time to begin his pranks, and to which he generally 
 retreated immediately upon their completion. It was 
 just so in the present case, for, although the bird was 
 not to be seen when the saucepan was taken from the 
 fire, no sooner was the coast clear than he emerged 
 from some unknown cavern, and set to work at the 
 peas. But they were very hot, and scalded his 
 mouth, so that he was seen hopping about with a 
 hot pea held at the very extremity of his beak, and 
 shaking his head as if to cool it. 
 
 Birds most undoubtedly have a very tolerable 
 idea of the import of words, and I much doubt 
 whether the expression of learning " like a parrot " 
 is quite so forcible as is generally supposed. I have 
 known many talking birds, and heard of more, and 
 in almost every instance it is evident that the bird is 
 acquainted with the general idea, although not with 
 the grammatical construction of many sentences which 
 it repeats. 
 
 A parrot, for instance, who wants to have his cage- 
 door opened, or to see his food-vessel replenished, 
 often picks up the necessary phrases, and never 
 confuses them. I know of a great cockatoo, whose 
 chief delight is that some one should swing his perch 
 round as fast as possible, while he clings tight 
 with his claws. This performance seems to afford 
 
MAG TN THE CELLAR. 225 
 
 him the highest gratification, and during his progress 
 through the air he keeps up a constant cry of " Oh ! 
 what a lark ! Oh ! what a lark ! " 
 
 Our friend 'the magpie has often proved himself to 
 be possessed of this faculty For example : 
 
 There is a certain subterraneous abode of some dimen- 
 sions, comprising a larder, a beer-cellar, a coal-cellar, 
 and a general repository. Mag is very fond of getting 
 into this place, partly on account of the meat, and 
 partly because it is a forbidden locality the latter 
 being probably the stronger inducement of the two. 
 For if he knew that he was especially prohibited 
 /rom getting into the fire, it is my belief that he 
 would at all events push his tail between the bars. 
 One day Mag had anticipated the visit of a servant 
 to the cellar, and had contrived to smuggle himself 
 through the door when it was opened. Of course 
 the door was locked when Emma (the servant in ques- 
 tion) left the cellar ; but Mag would at any time 
 measure the imprisonment against the success, and 
 think himself a gainer. 
 
 On that same day a cargo of vegetables was pur- 
 chased, and the man who brought them was ushered 
 into the cellar, bearing them on his back. When 
 he got well into the dark cellar, he was startled 
 by a voice that suddenly yelled in his ear. He 
 involuntarily uttered some loud exclamation, which 
 called the servants to see what was the matter. 
 And when they came to look, there was Mag, seated, 
 or rather standing on tip-toe, on the top of a beer- 
 barrel, flapping his wings with indignation at the in- 
 truding stranger, and screaming at the top of his 
 voice, " Oh! Emma! Emma!" 
 
 Poor Mag ! He has at last succumbed to a com- 
 bination, the allied forces having proved more than 
 a match for unaided intellect. His enemies are two 
 kittens, who. seem to consider him a capital play- 
 thing, and are especially charmed with his tail. He 
 can face a single cat well enough, but when these 
 
 Q 
 
226 MAGPIES. 
 
 two playful animals take him fore and aft he has no 
 chance, and when he runs after one in front, the other 
 attacks him from behind. So Mag, who was in happier 
 times the master, now yields to fate. 
 
 Before closing the account of the magpie, I will 
 take the opportunity of alluding to a most cruel cus- 
 tom, which is rather largely in vogue, of slitting the 
 tongues of birds in order to make them speak better. 
 I need hardly say that the effect is precisely the 
 reverse to that intended; but that it should ever have 
 been invented, or that when invented any one could 
 be cruel enough to put it in practice, seems almost 
 incredible. 
 
 It is a sheerly superstitious custom, and may 
 only be carried out through the medium of an old 
 sixpence, whose sharp edge is the legitimate instru- 
 ment for the purpose. This very fact gives the 
 date of the invention, as in our days sixpences are 
 vastly different from the irregular scraps of flat 
 metal that used to go by that name in a former 
 generation. So let us hope that our fair, round, and 
 milled coinage will more effectually put down the 
 practice than feelings of humanity, which have been 
 found wanting. 
 
 I have once seen the operation performed on a poor 
 starling, in spite of my remonstrances, which were 
 quite useless, as 1 was then only a boy, and the 
 operator was a big ostler, who threatened to knock me 
 into the middle of next week if I interfered. Not 
 that I should have objected to that feat had it been 
 possible, as it would havo brought me a week nearer 
 the holidays, and I would have taken many a hard 
 knock to bring about that consummation ; but the 
 letter is often quite in opposition to the spirit. The 
 poor bird must have suffered miserably, as it con- 
 tinued to open and shut its beak rapidly as long as I 
 saw it. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 RAVENS. 
 
 L'Estrange. " Honi soit qui mal y pense." A practical Joker. 
 Food of Raven. Its Beak. How to see Ravens. Ravens 
 in a Heronry. How a Raven fights. Poets and Ravens. 
 Mythology. Story of Apollo and his Raven. Force of 
 Flattery. Expanse of Wing and Mode of Flight. The 
 King of the Menagerie. A bad Postman. " When Greek 
 meets Greek." Raven's Nest. 
 
 " YOUR raven has a reputation in the world for a 
 bird of omen, and a kind of small prophet," says 
 L'Estrange in his inimitably quaint collection of 
 fables. Oh ! that people could only now write with 
 that glorious terseness and forcible compression of 
 language that marked the authors of his day. It is 
 very unfortunate that they sacrificed delicacy and 
 morality too in the determination to write forcibly, 
 so that their writings are hardly fit to be brought 
 before the ultra-squeamish eyes of the present day. 
 And so it is that Chaucer, many of his successors, 
 and in later times Swift and Sterne, are banished 
 from our libraries altogether, or if admitted only make 
 their appearance in an " expurgated " form a literary 
 milk and water, with the milk omitted. " Honi soit 
 qui mal y pense." 
 
 The pen is the great weapon of the world, and it 
 is a pity that it should be so blunted. 
 
 As to old Chaucer, he is a gallant knight, bearing 
 a huge two-handed sword, fitted either to sliver an 
 opponent like a turnip with the blade, or to knock 
 him clown with the hilt if he gets within the guard. 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 HAVENS. 
 
 Then Swift is an American - Indian ruthless, piti- 
 less, thirsting for blood, dashing his tomahawk into 
 the brain of his adversary with a yell of exulta- 
 tion, and then sitting over the body and smoking 
 through the handle of the weapon that has laid his 
 foe at his feet : finishing by tearing off the scalp and 
 wearing it for ever as a trophy Sterne, again, is an 
 agile fencer, the glittering rapier quivering in his 
 hand. You think that he is quite out of distance; 
 one spring, the rapier has passed through the body 
 of his opponent, and he is as far away as before. 
 But now Chaucer may wield nothing more offensive 
 than a cudgel, Swift is reduced to a shillelagh, 
 and as for Sterne, he is obliged to put a button 
 on the end of his rapier, and turn it into a foil. 
 
 If things go on according to their present rate of 
 progress, the English language will be sadly circum- 
 scribed. Who knows whether these very pages will 
 be denounced as immoral, and readers of 1950 sigh 
 over the depravity of the English clergyman who 
 could write them. 
 
 The raven is, perhaps, the best talking-bird in ex- 
 istence, but as I have not been the happy owner of a 
 talking raven, I have very little new information on 
 that subject. A raven did once live in the same 
 house as myself, but he was a young bird, and 
 his powers were mostly limited to the mischief de- 
 partment. There, he was very precocious, and as 
 good an adept as if he had been quite an old bird. 
 His house used to be a certain large flower-pot that 
 was left unused in the garden, but he soon grew out 
 of that habitation, and afterwards preferred perching 
 on the ash-sieve among the cinders. 
 
 His principal spite was directed against the flowers, 
 and the destruction that he wrought was at last so 
 great, that he was turned out of the family. He was 
 accustomed to watch the gardener as he was securing 
 a valuable plant, for the bird cared nothing about a 
 plant or flower if it were not of consequence. Then, 
 
A PKACT1CAL JOKER. 229 
 
 when the gardener had moved away, he would make 
 a circuitous progress to the plant, tear it up with one 
 pull, and then leave it prostrate on the ground. 
 
 The lady of the house was especially subject to 
 annoyance from him. When she attended to her 
 own pet plants, this mischievous bird was accustomed 
 to conceal himself behind some object, and to watch 
 any flower that she touched. As she passed on to 
 another plant, the raven would hop out, pull it 
 up, lay it on the ground, and then get behind his 
 mistress, so that when she turned round, the plant 
 was destroyed, and no perpetrator of the crime visible. 
 And he was so crafty, that as she turned to look after 
 him, he hopped round and kept out of her sight. 
 At last she v r as quite afraid of him, and used to 
 doubt whether he were not something more than a 
 mere bird. 
 
 One of these birds was accustomed to play prac- 
 tical jokes very much in the style of the parrot men- 
 tioned on page 166. He enjoyed a considerable 
 degree of liberty, having the range of a large park. 
 There a number of rooks, crows, and daws used to as- 
 semble round him. When there was a sufficiently large 
 crowd to suit his purpose, the raven would suddenly 
 bawl out " Holloa !" The sound of the human voice 
 among them naturally terrified these wary birds, and 
 sent them off in every direction to the infinite grati- 
 fication of the raven. 
 
 Comparatively few ravens are now to be found in 
 England, because there is so little food for them. 
 They chiefly feed on carrion, but forage for themselves 
 with the ability of a Zouave, having but little scruple 
 as to the mode of gaining their provender, provided 
 that it is obtained. 
 
 If a raven can find no dead animal, he thinks that 
 the next best thing is to find a living one and kill it. 
 Babbits, many birds, almost all the small quadru- 
 peds, and even the larger, if in ill-health, fall victims 
 to the raven. Jf he discovers a sheep stuck fast in a 
 
280 KAVENS. 
 
 ditch, or weak with illness, there is an end of the 
 sheep, for the raven goes up to it, and with his long 
 beak soon turns the scale in his own favour by 
 plucking out both the eyes of the poor creature. 
 Then, the shepherd finds it dead skins it, and car- 
 ries away the skin, leaving on the ground the useless 
 carcass, of which the raven takes possession. Even 
 the larger cattle sometimes fall victims in this way. 
 
 The beak of the raven is his principal weapon, and 
 exactly answers to the dirk of the Highlanders 
 among whom he lives, being used at pleasure as a 
 dagger or a carving knife. The hedgehog itself 
 yields to the raven, and its armour of spikes avails it 
 nothing against the raven's beak, which, being longer 
 than the spikes, soon wounds the poor creature mor- 
 tally. 
 
 This habit of attacking the eye of a dead or 
 wounded animal is sometimes made the means of 
 luring the bird to capture or destruction. Mudie 
 describes this stratagem very graphically. 
 
 " To lie down on your back, and lie still for some 
 time, on an exposed part of the hill, is the best way 
 to see and watch the motions of the raven, or to 
 shoot him, if you are so armed and inclined. He is 
 shy of man, and of all large animals in motion ; 
 because, though glad to find others carrion, or to 
 make carrion of them if he can do it with impunity, 
 he* takes good care that none shall make carrion of 
 him. 
 
 " If you are even sitting in any posture that indi- 
 cates life, he will not alight near you, though he may 
 reconnoitre you on the wing. But if you lie on your 
 back, he will come you know not whence, and hover- 
 ing round you on slow wing, examine you on all 
 points. If you do not stir, he will drop down at a 
 little distance, and begin to hop in an echellon fashion, 
 bringing his shoulders forward alternately after a few 
 hops on each line of the zigzag. Sometimes he will 
 utter his 'cruck, cruck,' and pause to see if that makes 
 
EAVENS IN A HERONRY. 231 
 
 you stir, and if it does not, he will accelerate his ad- 
 vance. 
 
 " If you allow him to come sufficiently near, his 
 first salutation would be to dash himself at your eye, 
 but if you have a gun, you can make sure of him long 
 before that ; only ' beware the beak' if he is merely 
 winged, or otherwise slightly wounded. Notwith- 
 standing, if you take him home, feed him well and 
 heal his wound, he will not only forgive you, but 
 become a faithful servant." 
 
 The warning respecting the beak is not unne- 
 cessary, for a raven's beak is indeed a formidable 
 weapon when guided by so crafty a head. And so 
 bold and confident is the raven, that it has been 
 known to attack even such a bird as the heron, and 
 to keep up a fight for a long time. 
 
 The causa belli was a nest which a pair of herons 
 had built, and which a pair of ravens, with the su- 
 preme impudence of their race, wished to appropriate. 
 At last the herons gained *he advantage, and drove the 
 ravens away. It is probable that had the ravens esta- 
 blished their nest in the heronry as they wished, 
 many an unhatched egg, or unfledged nestling, would 
 have disappeared from the herons' nests, and aided in 
 the growth of the young ravens. 
 
 There are few dogs who will voluntarily face a raven, 
 who instinctively knows the tender parts of a dog's 
 countenance, and digs his beak into them so scienti- 
 fically, that the dog declines further combat with so 
 knowing an adversary. It is like a duel between two 
 men, one armed with a battle-axe and the other with a 
 rapier. If the battle-axe could only hit the foe once, 
 he would be annihilated, but while the ponderous 
 axe swings in the air, its wielder gets bored through 
 and through several times by his agile adversary. 
 So it is with the raven, for as the dog advances, he 
 retreats, and with each step, or rather hop, he delivers 
 a stroke at the dog's nose that seldom fails to draw 
 blood. 
 
23 xT E A YENS. 
 
 Even the redoubtable gamecock, with all his sharp 
 spurs and dauntless heart, has no chance against such 
 an antagonist as a raven. There was one celebrated 
 fighting raven that had immolated unnumbered 
 gamecocks in succession, and, although a gladiator 
 of fifteen years' standing, was never known to be 
 vanquished. His tactics were always the same. The 
 cock, blazing with defiance and courage, dashed at 
 this sable foe, who just slipped on one side and let 
 his antagonist pass. This was repeated until a 
 favourable opening occurred, when the raven seized 
 the head of his opponent in his beak, crushed it with 
 a single effort, and dropped his lifeless foe on the 
 ground. Those who have suffered a blow from the 
 spur of a gamecock will appreciate the skill and 
 courage of the raven. 
 
 The raven is celebrated in the prose and poetic 
 writings of every nation that can lay claim to any 
 literature, and, indeed, is the first bird that is men- 
 tioned in the oldest of all books. As to more recent 
 authors, such as Southey, Byron, Longfellow, and, last 
 and most wondrous, Edgar Poe, I need do no more 
 than merely mention their names. But there are old 
 and graceful legends of the raven, some mythological, 
 and some merely fabulous. There is one especially 
 suggestive legend, the outline of which 1 will give. 
 
 In the olden days, when ApoUo had eriteied into 
 the first state of his perpetual youth, he chose his 
 favourite bird. Jupiter, his father, took the eagle ; 
 Minerva, his sister, took the owl ; Juno, his step- 
 mother, chose the peacock ; Venus preferred the 
 . dove ; and he took to himself the raven. In those 
 days the raven was one of the most beautiful of 
 birds, for its plumage was white as the snow, its beak 
 was rosy pink, its eyes were blue, and its voice sur 
 passed the nightingale in melody. 
 
 There was on earth a grove sacred to Apollo, the 
 trees \vere vines and figs, and roses stretched them- 
 selves up their trunks, and bending over formed an 
 
APOT.LO AND THE RAVEN. 233 
 
 arbour, in the midst of which the fountain Hdicoii 
 sparkled. It so fell out that Apollo thirsted for the 
 waters of his own sacred fountain, and go he called 
 the raven to him, and giving the bird his cup, bade 
 him descend to earth, and bring him some of the 
 cool water. The raven took the cup, and sought the 
 fountain. 
 
 Now the raven was a very vain bird, and if he had 
 been formerly proud of his looks and voice, he was 
 ten times prouder since he had become the favourite 
 of Apollo. So he stood long on the edge of the 
 fountain, admiring his beauty, and then burst into 
 song, extolling himself and his patron. 
 
 Then he thought that he would refresh himself 
 with the fruit, but it was not quite ripe, and after 
 tasting several bunches of grapes and some figs, he 
 determined to wait there until the morning, when 
 they might be ripened. 
 
 In fine he idled away his time, until he remem- 
 bered that he had been absent for seven days. So 
 he filled the cup, and seeing a brilliant serpent 
 gliding in the grass, seized it in his beak, and carried 
 it with him. 
 
 He came before Apollo, and made the excuse that 
 he had found a serpent polluting the sacred waters, 
 and that he had just vanquished him after a combat 
 of. seven days. But Apollo seized the lying bird, 
 and hurled him to the earth. He flew immediately 
 to contemplate himself at the fountain, but the first 
 glance revealed black plumage, and when he uttered 
 an exclamation of horror, his voice had lost all its 
 melody. 
 
 Both in mythological and fabulous history the raven 
 seems to suffer, although Gay did what he could to 
 rescue the bird from the reproach. There is a fable 
 not very generally known, where the raven measures 
 his wit against the fox, and loses in the encounter. 
 The fox, it seems, had been deluding an unfortunate 
 dove, by means of threats and promises, to pay a 
 
RAVENS. 
 
 tribute of an egg every day. The raven found it 
 out and, true to his character, warned the dove 
 against her persecutor, and so deprived the fox of his 
 daily egg. 
 
 He, being very angry, determined to avenge himself, 
 but being too cunning to make any open attempt, 
 feigned a vast admiration of the raven, praising his 
 powers of flight, his conversational abilities, and, 
 above all, his peculiarly majestic walk. The raven 
 felt flattered at the applause of so excellent a judge 
 as the fox, and descended in order to give a spe- 
 cimen of his elegance in walking. 
 
 " That is indeed exquisite," said the fox, " and as 
 long as you are on the ground, and sheltered by the 
 bushes, I can understand how it is that you can walk 
 so straight. But when you get up into a tree, or walk 
 on the top of a house, I wonder how you can keep 
 your balance when the wind comes the wrong way, 
 and blows the feathers into your eyes." 
 
 " Easy enough," said the raven, " that is by the 
 help of practice. And then if the wind becomes too 
 strong, all I have to do is to put my head under my 
 left wing, and then I am quite comfortable." 
 
 "What!" cried the fox, "put your head under 
 your wing. Impossible ! I never shall believe any- 
 Jhing so wonderful until I see it with my own eyes." 
 
 So the raven popped his head under his wing, and 
 never took it out again, for the fox ate him on the 
 spot. 
 
 The wings of a full-grown raven have some four 
 feet of expanse, although the total weight of the bird 
 is only two pounds. This, by the way, will give an 
 idea of the enormous size of the wings which a man 
 would require if he were again to attempt any Ica- 
 rian exploits. 
 
 The flight of the bird is strong and steady, 
 suffering less from the wind than its relatives 
 the crows and rooks, who may be constantly seen 
 trying to make head against a high wind, and then, 
 
MODE OF FLIGHT. 235 
 
 giving up the struggle, to drift helplessly away. 
 When it descends upon some object, which either 
 attracts its curiosity, or seems likely to serve for food, 
 the raven never alights directly upon it, but settling 
 at some little distance, advances stealthily in a series 
 of long hops, generally in a circular direction. 
 
 When several ravens arc in the air at the same 
 time, they often seem to play at mobbing each other, 
 striking and cuffing one another, just as they would 
 strike at a heron or an owl. Sometimes, too, they 
 seem to lose their balance, to tumble over on their 
 backs, and fall towards the ground, something 
 after the fashion of the tumbler pigeons, uttering at 
 the same time a loud croak. It appears that this 
 effect is produced when the raven scratches itself with 
 one foot, which action necessarily disturbs the centre 
 of gravity. 
 
 Excepting the ravens at the Zoological Gardens, 
 whose confinement in the small cage cramps their 
 ingenuity, and one who was promenading the pier 
 at Dieppe in a majestic and contemplative manner, 
 the last living raven that I have seen was in 
 the same miniature menagerie that contained the 
 miserable eagle who was mentioned on p. 5. With 
 the exception of a ferret, he was the only happy indi- 
 vidual there, for he had a small range of some 
 twenty yards in length, by two in width, and could 
 hide himself under a water-butt, or conceal in the 
 same damp spot any article that he could manage to 
 steal. 
 
 There was a cage containing several hawks, and 
 another in which were some egrets, and I noticed 
 that none of the birds perched near the bars of their 
 cage. This precaution was rendered necessary by the 
 mischievous conduct of the raven, who was accus- 
 tomed to parade before the cages after the manner of 
 a sentinel, and to deliver sundry pecks against any 
 animal who approached sufficiently near the sides of 
 the cage. And sc completely were they under subjec- 
 
23 EAVENS. 
 
 tionto him, that when I hung some pieces of meat 
 between the bars, the hawks did not dare to remove 
 them, and after a while the raven walked very quietly 
 to the pieces of meat, dislodged them, and carried 
 them away to his treasure-house under the water-butt. 
 
 When I entered the inclosure, I saw at once that 
 he entertained nefarious designs against my heels, 
 and kept him in view as much as possible, though he 
 was too sharp for me once, and succeeded in getting 
 behind me, in a spot where I could not turn very 
 rapidly. So I gave a violent kick in his direction, a 
 hint which he quite understood, and in consequence 
 I felt easy about him. 
 
 While talking to the man in charge, I happened to 
 take a letter out of my pocket, and was looking at 
 the address. The raven screwed such an inquiring 
 look upon the letter, that it was evident how earnestly 
 he coveted it. So I dropped the envelope, as if by 
 accident, and then walked away. With one hop, the 
 bird pounced on the paper, tore it to shreds in an 
 instant, and carried away the largest piece, together 
 with the seal, to his hiding-place under the water- 
 butt, from whence he emerged no more, having done 
 his duty, but kept watch like a bull-dog in a kennel. 
 I fancy that he afterwards ate the envelope, but I am 
 not quite certain. 
 
 The ravens at the Zoological Gardens seem rather 
 depressed in their spirits, and find but little scope 
 to exercise their talents. But, now and then, the 
 cunning raven nature peeps out, especially when 
 food is in question. Each of the birds receives a 
 piece of meat, and on one occasion, when the first 
 portion was handed in, Raven No. 1 contrived to 
 bury it in the dust, without the knowledge of Raven 
 No. 2. The second piece was then put into the cage, 
 and seized by Raven No. 1, who ate it with great 
 composure, and as if there were nothing on his mind, 
 Having finished it, he disinterred the buried meat, 
 and ate that also, leaving his companion dinnerless. 
 
RAVEN'S NEST. 237 
 
 The nest of the raven is mostly placed on some 
 very tall tree, or on the ledge of an inaccessible rock. 
 This is an useful precaution in some respects, but 
 still has its disadvantages, as all the young birds sel- 
 dom come to maturity, for they tumble over the edge 
 of the nest, and not being fledged, are killed by the fall. 
 Sometimes they fall into bushes, or some soft sub- 
 stance, which breaks the fall, and it is from such 
 unfortunates that the tame ravens are generally 
 taken. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 JACKDAW. 
 
 
 
 A Bird of low Tastes. Making sure. Muzzling a Jackdaw. 
 Different Modes of destroying Prey. The contemplative 
 Man's Recreation. A sociable Jackdaw. Thrice slaying the 
 Slain. How to shell Oats. Jack travelling by Rail. His 
 Love of Bathing. Nests of Jackdaw. Bird-nesting. 
 Materials of Daw's Nests. Alliance between Daws and 
 Rooks. Jackdaw and Cat. 
 
 THIS is the smallest of the Corvidse, or crow tribe, the 
 expanse of its wing being only twenty-nine inches, 
 and its weight not one pound. It is conspicuously 
 distinguished from the rooks and crows by the grey 
 tint of its head and neck, which contrasts so forcibly 
 with the general black hue of the plumage that it can 
 be discerned at some distance, even when the bird is 
 on the wing. It is very easily tamed, and is almost 
 as amusing a bird as the magpie. 
 
 I have had the opportunity of observing one or 
 two tame jackdaws, but never saw one that could 
 talk well, with the exception of one who used to 
 hang about stable-yards, drive imaginary coaches, rub 
 down imaginary horses, and swear like ostlers, who 
 were, unfortunately, not imaginary, but unpleasantly 
 real but he was a bird of low tastes, and we will 
 hav-e nothing to do with him. 
 
 The first jackdaw that we possessed was purchased 
 by a younger brother, who had just attained to the 
 dignity of trowsers, and with the pocket-money be- 
 longing to his new habiliments had bought the jackdaw 
 from a boy. He brought his purchase home, and, 
 
MAKING SURE. 239 
 
 having heard that the wings of birds ought to be 
 clipped, went manfully to work with the scissors. 
 First, he cut off every feather on both wings, arid 
 then sheared away the tail; and, to make everything 
 quite sure, he returned to the charge, like the Bed 
 Comyne, and snipped away all the feathers that grew 
 under the wings. His pet was now fit for exhibition, 
 and great was his chagrin at the universal laugh that 
 greeted the presence of the disfigured bird. Cer- 
 tainly, it was a very absurd sight, as it flapped its 
 featherless arms after the manner of a penguin, and 
 tried in vain to comprehend the absence of its tail. 
 
 However, tail and wings grew again in the proper 
 season, and the bird became a favourite among 
 us. He was not a very young bird, and had a bad 
 habit of biting our fingers; but we cured him by 
 holding his beak between our fingers so that he could 
 not open it. Afterwards we thought that holding the 
 bird's beak was rather a waste of time, and manu- 
 factured a muzzle from some tape and string, which 
 was applied whenever Jack became vicious, and was 
 thought among ourselves to be a great stroke of art. 
 
 He was very fond of mice, a supply of which ani- 
 mals never was wanting, as our house w r as built 
 somewhere in the reign of Elizabeth, or at all events 
 reported to be of that date. Consequently, mice ran 
 rampant ; and, by means of traps judiciously located 
 and baited, so many were caught daily that the jack- 
 daw might have lived entirely on mice if there had 
 been no cats in the house, who consumed the greater 
 number of the captives. 
 
 If we gave him the mouse before killing it, he 
 used to gripe it across the back in his beak, and 
 then by a violent shake, the mouse was instantane- 
 ously killed. Then he would hold the mouse tightly 
 with his claws, tear it to pieces with his beak, and eat 
 it with singular rapidity ; and it was rather remark- 
 able that he never spilled one drop of blood, but 
 continued so to tear it that no blood appeared. I 
 
240 JACKDAWS. 
 
 have since seen several jackdaws eat mice, and they 
 all do so in this bloodless manner. 
 
 But when we gave him a cockchaffer, or any large 
 insect, he used to act in a very different manner. 
 He first killed it by a single bite across the thorax, 
 just as if he were an accomplished entomologist, and 
 knew the vital parts of an insect. He then held it 
 down on the perch by means of one foot, and sur- 
 veyed it for a fow seconds. His next operation was 
 to twist off the legs, wings, and head, which he did 
 in a very deliberate and delicate way, using the ex- 
 treme tip of his beak for the purpose, and letting the 
 severed members drop on the ground. He then 
 cleared the abdomen of all the viscera, pecked open 
 the thorax, and picked out as much of the muscular 
 contents as he could manage, and rejected the horny 
 rings that enclosed them. 
 
 Sometimes he would make a cockchaffer last him 
 nearly half an hour, much in the same spirit that 
 induces us to waste so much time in tbe fascinat- 
 ing pursuit of eating walnuts. Izaac Walton was 
 quite wrong in his aphorism that Angling was the 
 contemplative man's recreation. Did he know what 
 Walnuts were ? 
 
 Of the ultimate fate of our friend Jack I am igno- 
 rant, for I- had to go to school, and never saw any- 
 thing more of him. 
 
 The next jackdaw that has afforded me the pleasure 
 of a personal acquaintance is, I hope, still in exist- 
 ence, although it is now rather more than five years 
 since 1 saw him last. Again I was at school, but as 
 master instead of pupil, and this jackdaw belonged to 
 one of my boys. Our acquaintance began in rather 
 an eccentric manner. On the evening of my arrival 
 at the school, I was walking in the garden, arranging 
 various scholastic matters in my mind, when I was 
 startled by a loud squall close to my ear. It was the 
 greeting pf the jackdaw, who was perched on the 
 branch of a tree that partially overhung the path, and 
 
WASP-KILL1XG. 241 
 
 thought that, as I was not sociable enough to begin 
 the conversation, the task devolved on himself. 
 
 Jack and I became capital friends, although I used 
 to plague him sadly sometimes, just to see how he 
 would defend himself under distressing circumstances 
 He was nearly proof against most trials, and, indeed, 
 generally contrived to avoid them, for he was so wary 
 and active that to catch him was almost an impossi- 
 bility, and not even to be thought of by any one who 
 did not know his tricks. 
 
 But the most discomposing event to him was a 
 captivity in a butterfly net, the very sight of which 
 would send him to his post of refuge. All his ener- 
 gies seemed to depart when he was once taken, and 
 although he would fight desperately and peck sa- 
 vagely at the net while he was free, yet the very fact of 
 captivity seemed to destroy his presence of mind, and 
 he could only flutter and send forth direful screams. 
 
 He was quite as fond of mice as the former jack- 
 daw, and had a peculiar fancy for little birds. 
 
 Whenever we killed any wasps, some hundreds of 
 which were immolated weekly, they were laid before 
 the jackdaw, who was very fond of wasps and bees, but 
 perfectly aware of their sting. He never could be in- 
 duced to believe them really dead unless he killed 
 them himself, and so he used to carry out, as far as is 
 compatible with physical possibility, the feat attributed 
 to Alexander, of thrice slaying the slain. The mode 
 of proceeding was always the same. He hopped 
 within a foot or so of the wasp, and, making a circuit 
 round it, surveyed it attentively. Having so far made 
 up his mind, he jumped forward, caught the wasp in 
 his bill, gave it a sharp bite, and tossed it into the 
 air. When it fell, he repeated the process, which 
 was continued until he had reduced the insect to a 
 shapeless mass. 
 
 Beside the meat, mice, arid insects, he was accus- 
 tomed to eat oats as a kind of dessert. J'he grains 
 were never eaten entire, but the bird always shelled 
 
 B 
 
242 JACKDAWS. 
 
 them before swallowing them. How he did it I never 
 could imagine, although I have watched him for an 
 hour at a time. Each separate grain was pressed 
 against the floor under one claw, and then, with one 
 peck and twist, the husk would be driven aside and 
 the kernel remain fixed by his claw. 
 
 He took a great fancy to me when he found that I 
 would give him a handful of oats now and then, and 
 would even allow me to stroke his head, a privilege of 
 which he was particularly chary. And it was some 
 time before he could deny himself the gratification 
 of a sly peck at my fingers. However, as in such 
 cases I swept away the oats, he learned to behave 
 himself properly. 
 
 Being quite a man of the world, he possessed 
 great capability of accommodating himself to circum- 
 stances ; and appeared equally at home whether 
 sitting among the laurels in Warwickshire, or on the 
 apple-trees in Wiltshire. But the transit from one 
 place to another was always a sore trial to him. He 
 always travelled backward and forward with his 
 master, spending the holidays at home, and the re- 
 mainder of the year at school ; his travelling car- 
 riage being a wicker-basket. 
 
 On one of these occasions I saw him quite over- 
 come, for his master thought to indulge the bird with 
 a view of the scenery, and held him up to the window. 
 Poor Jack, however, was terrified almost out of his 
 senses by the sight of trees and hedges apparently 
 rushing past him, and with a great spluttering dived 
 into his basket head foremost, stuck his beak between 
 the interstices at the bottom, and remained perfectly 
 still and silent for nearly half an hour. At the expi- 
 ration of that time he feebly muttered " Ja - a - ck ! " 
 in a kind of suggestive manner, and then summoned 
 up sufficient courage to put up his head and drink some 
 water out of a phial which his considerate owner always 
 carried with him when travelling with the bird. 
 
 After partaking of that refreshment, he became 
 
BATHING. 243 
 
 more than usually loquacious, and I very much 
 regret to say that an irascible old gentleman was 
 so angry with the bird, that, after muttering sun- 
 dry threats, he positively changed carriages at the 
 first opportunity. His horror that a bird should dare 
 to talk in the same carriage with hint was most ludi- 
 crous. 
 
 Jack's love for bathing was unquenchable, and I 
 really believe that, if he could have induced his 
 friends to supply him with fresh water, he would 
 have continued bathing all day long. I have re- 
 peatedly refilled the basin immediately after he had 
 finished a bath, and seen him jump into it again 
 almost before it was fairly on the ground. All 
 weathers were the same to him in that respect, and 
 whether the thermometer pointed to eighty degrees 
 or twenty degrees, it was all the same to Jack. Ice 
 always puzzled him mightily. 
 
 Even in a pelting rain, he could be induced to leave 
 his loft, and bathe in the open air, by the sight of his 
 leaden bath placed outside the stable. On such oc- 
 casions, he used to poke his head through a broken 
 pane of t dass, and survey the preparations. Then, he 
 would descend the ladder with the greatest delibera- 
 tion, and walk up to his bath. After tasting the water 
 once or twice, and sidling round the basin, as often 
 he jumped into the very middle, and looked about 
 him with an air of immense self-satisfaction. After 
 these invariable preliminaries, down he went to the 
 bottom of the basin, and with his wings sent the 
 water flying like a shower in every direction, until 
 he had completely emptied the basin. He then 
 returned to the loft, and fluttered about until he was 
 quite dry. 
 
 Any loud noise always excited him, especially the 
 sound of a human voice speaking at a higher pitch 
 than usual, and he never failed to answer it by 
 screaming at the top of his own voice. 
 
 His master afterwards entered the army, and went 
 
 R 2 
 
244 JACKDAWS. 
 
 to the Crimea, but I have not heard whether he took 
 the jackdaw with him, although I should not be in 
 the least surprised to hear that he had done so, and 
 that Jack had made himself quite as comfortable in 
 the camp as in the school. 
 
 As to nests, daws have not the least idea of their 
 construction, although they will put together a 
 bundle of hay and sticks, and lay their eggs upon it. 
 But as to locality, it is rather difficult to say where 
 daws will not build. Old towers are very favourite 
 places, and, indeed, a hole in any old wall is generally 
 occupied by the jackdaws, provided that it is at a 
 sufficient height, and that it has not been pre-occu- 
 pied by a starling. In ancient buildings, the daws, 
 pigeons, and starlings are generally seen nidificating 
 in close proximity, and perfectly amicable in their 
 jitercourse with each other. 
 
 Daws will also build their nests on high trees, 
 or, I should rather say, will take possession of the 
 deserted nests of other birds, and, laying upon them 
 a fresh stratum of hay, bring up a colony of young 
 as composedly as if they had built the nest them- 
 selves. Lofty cliffs are generally much frequented 
 by the jackdaws, who do not seem to show much 
 fear even in the proximity of the hawks and other 
 rapacious birds that inhabit the same localities. 
 Probably they trust to their aggregate power for 
 defence from the individual attacks of strange 
 birds. Even the Druidical remains at Stonehenge 
 are inhabited by jackdaws, who find the stones 
 sufficiently tall to keep their nests out of the reach 
 of the idle lads of the neighbourhood. 
 
 And, by way of choosing a singular position for 
 their nests, a colony of daws near Chich ester, built 
 annually in the rabbit burrows of a warren. The 
 boys were accustomed to get at the young by listen- 
 ing at the mouth of the holes, and then, if they 
 heard the cry of the young birds, they twisted them 
 ut with a forked stick. 
 
BIRD-NESTING. 245 
 
 Boys are really ingenious when they are engaged 
 in any predatorial pursuit, especially if it relates to 
 that most universal of instincts, the chase. For the 
 word ' chase " includes all kinds of hunting, whether 
 the object is a' man, a quadruped, a bird, an insect 
 or a steeple. 
 
 In my own egg -hunting expeditions, we invented 
 all kinds of apparatus to enable us to procure the 
 objects of our search without injury. We carried 
 enormous quantities of string in our pockets for the 
 purpose of lowering the eggs to the ground, when 
 there was danger of breaking them in the descent. 
 The eggs were first wrapped in a bundle of leaves, 
 which was tied up in the handkerchief if we had 
 one, or put into the cap if we had not, or, if we 
 had neither which was a very common circum- 
 stancethe shoe would answer the purpose quite 
 as well. 
 
 As to hats, indeed, I never had but one hat at 
 school, and that I wore for four months without 
 either top or brim ; for as the former was kicked out 
 and the latter torn off in a skirmish, I contented 
 myself with the cylinder whenever I wore anything 
 on my head. 
 
 Then there are many birds who build down at the 
 bottom of decayed trunks of trees, and they were the 
 most tantalizing of all, for we could see the eggs 
 lying many feet below us, and quite out of our reach, 
 for the tree was too thick to be cut through with our 
 knives, and the strings and hooks always loosened 
 Uieir hold, so that the eggs broke. 
 
 At last we conquered them by carrying with us a 
 jointed fishing-rod, and a little bird-lime ; so that, 
 by preparing the end of the rod with the sticky sub- 
 stance, and screwing it, as it were, upon the eggs, 
 we contrived to raise them from their retreat without 
 damage. 
 
 The substances which daws will use for theii 
 nests are quite as variable as the localities in which 
 
46 JACKDAWS. 
 
 they place them. Lucifer match boxes have been 
 found in their nests, and one ingenious bird st Die a 
 number of clothes' pegs for that purpose. One 
 colony of these birds was so mischievous as to steal 
 the wooden labels used for marking plants in a 
 botanical garden. It was no use to plant the labels, 
 for as fast as they were put in the ground, the daws 
 carried them away. No less than eighteen dozen 
 of the missing labels were afterwards recovered from 
 a single chimney. 
 
 Books and daws harmonize very well with each 
 other, and seem to hold lengthy conversations. 
 There is a curious account of this peculiarity in 
 Mudie's " British Birds," which I cannot but present 
 entire. 
 
 "In some places, one would think that there is 
 more in their winter associations than merely acci- 
 dental meeting on the same pastures. In the latter 
 part of the season, when the rooks from one of the 
 most extensive rookeries in Britain made daily ex- 
 cursions, of about six miles, to the warm grounds by 
 the sea-side, and in their flight passed over a deep 
 ravine in the rocky sides (or rather side, for they in- 
 habited the sunny one), in. which there were many 
 jackdaws, I have observed that, when the cawing of 
 the rooks on their morning flight was heard at the 
 ravine, the jackdaws, who had previously been still 
 and quiet, instantly raised their shriller notes, and 
 flew out to join the rooks, both parties clamouring 
 loudly, as if welcoming each other ; arid that on the 
 return, the time of which was no bad augury of the 
 weather of the succeeding day, the daws accom- 
 panied the rooks a little past their ravine ; then both 
 cawed their farewell and departed. 
 
 " What is more singular, I have seen, too fre- 
 quently for its being merely accidental, a daw return 
 for a short time to the rooks, a rook to the daws, or 
 one from each race meet between, and be noisy to- 
 gether for a space after the bands had separated. 
 
TEASING A CAT. Q47 
 
 With the reason, T do not interfere, not bemg in the 
 secret of either party ; but the fact is as certain as it 
 is curious. 
 
 " In order that any one who pleases may investi- 
 gate the matter, I may mention that the rooks were 
 from the woods of Panmure, the daws from the 
 glen of Pitaisley, and the feeding ground was the 
 low part of the parishes of Monifeith and Barry, all 
 in tlie county of Angus." 
 
 I lately heard of a mischievous jackdaw, who was 
 accustomed to indulge his propensities for teazing, 
 by robbing, the cats of the mice which they caught. 
 And he was very ingenious, for, knowing well that 
 to take a mouse openly from a cat was impossible, 
 he waited until the cat began to play with her victim 
 after the fashion of cats, and then pounced on it 
 before pussy could reach it. Having secured the 
 mouse, he would fly up into a tree, and triumph 
 over the cat. However, he would allow the mouse 
 to be ransomed for a piece of sugar. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ROOKS. 
 
 Distinction between Jackdaws, Crows, and Rooks Scientific 
 
 Controversies. Conflicting Testimonies. Discrepancies 
 reconciled. Wariness of the Rook. Rook-shooting. 
 \ Sword-practice. Phenomena produced by instantaneous 
 Death. Air-guns and Cross-bows. Rooks subject to Epi- 
 lepsy. A Servant's Revenge. Rook-pies. A roasted 
 Starling. Scarecrows. Rooks half-seas-over. Curious 
 Mode of catching Rooks. Services weighed against Inju- 
 ries. Curious Instinct. White Rooks. 
 
 To a superficial observer, the jackdaw, the crow, and 
 the rook, bear so great a resemblance, as to be easily 
 mistaken for each other. But there are really such 
 decided marks of distinction, that the three birds 
 can be recognised at a distance of many yards, and 
 even when on the wing. Putting out of the question 
 the inferior size of the jackdaw, which would, indeed, 
 be scarcely observed, the marks of difference are 
 briefly these. The crow is entirely black, the jack- 
 daw has a grey patch on the head and the back of the 
 neck, and the rook bears a white spot on the base of 
 the bill ; and this spot is so conspicuous, that it may 
 easily be seen, even when the bird is at some height 
 in the air. 
 
 Few birds have caused so fierce a controversy as 
 the rook, and that not only among scientific people, 
 who live in a controversial atmosphere and are always 
 quarrelling, but among practical husbandmen, who 
 do not know what Corvus fnigilegus means. Piles of 
 "communications" have been laid before learned 
 societies, and learned men have read them, one 
 
SCIENTIFIC CONTROVERSY. 
 
 249 
 
 learned man in favour of the rook, and the other 
 against him. 
 
 Then, if we come to the practical men, we find 
 one experienced farmer suffering so much from the 
 depredation of the rooks on his wheat and potatoes 
 that he was forced to extirpate them, and then another 
 practical farmer comes forward and tells us, that he 
 could get no crops in consequence of the grubs and 
 wire worms, until he imported a colony of rooks. 
 
 Here are two extracts from reports on the subject 
 of rooks and their food : 
 
 ( I .) " He has repeatedly 
 shot rooks, and on open- 
 ing them for the purpose 
 of pursuing this interest- 
 ing and important inquiry, 
 has invariably found no- 
 thing in the craw but 
 masses of grubs, maggots, 
 and the wireworm." 
 
 So much for the food : now let us see the views 
 taken by practical men, and enforced by examples, of 
 the benefits or injury that the land derives from the 
 rooks : 
 
 (2.) "As many as three 
 or four hundred grains 
 of wheat have been found 
 in the crops of several of 
 them that have been shot, 
 and one hundred is a 
 small complement." 
 
 (1.) "A farmer said 
 that he had carefully ex- 
 amined three drills of 
 potatoes in a tolerably 
 long field, and counted 
 the number of places 
 where the seed had been 
 removed, and he had 
 come to the conclusion 
 that Jiere was not more 
 seed left in the three 
 than would make two 
 drills complete. Another 
 had visited the rookery, 
 
 (2.) "In the year 1825, 
 our fields were so com- 
 pletely overrun with the 
 wild mustard that for six 
 weeks there was not a 
 blade of corn to be seen, 
 and every barley- field was 
 covered as wi th gold ; but 
 on the Earl of Traqu air's 
 fields, around the rookery, 
 there was scarcely a single 
 plant of the noxious weed 
 to be seen." 
 
250 
 
 ROOKS. 
 
 to watch the habits of 
 its tenants, where he 
 found, by computation, 
 about five bushels of seed- 
 potatoes lying strewed 
 about. There was a con- 
 stant coming and going 
 of more than a thousand 
 rooks with seed-potatoes. 
 .... A ten-acre field, 
 that had cost 100 for 
 manure, I found to be 
 sadly abused by the rooks. 
 There was not a single 
 plant alongside of which 
 there was not a hole for 
 the purpose of getting at 
 the tubers." 
 
 What are we to make of these discrepancies? At 
 all events, granting that the story is fairly told on 
 both sides, the balance seems so nearly equal, that 
 we ought to follow the example of our laws when 
 there is a doubt, and take the humane view of the 
 case. 
 
 But I am not so sure that in these cases of potato, 
 turnip and corn stealing, the rooks take the healthy 
 plants, even though they may carry them away to 
 their nests. I think that the search of the bird is 
 for some concealed grub, and one of my chief rea- 
 sons for so thinking is, that the potatoes were found 
 strewed about under the nests in huge quantities. 
 Now, if the birds had eaten the potatoes themselves, 
 they would not have let them fall to the ground, and 
 the evident supposition is, that the young birds re- 
 ceived the potato entire, in order to save the time of 
 their parents, and then, after pecking out the hidden 
 grub, tossed away the useless tuber, just as we should 
 throw away the nutshell after eating the kernel. 
 
ROOK-SHOOTIXG. 251 
 
 It must be furthermore observed, that the potatoes 
 and other seeds were also found lying on the ground 
 in great numbers, close to the spot where they had 
 been sown. And this looks very much as if the bird 
 had extracted the grub, carried it to its young, and 
 left the empty seed on the ground. 
 
 There are so few instances where destruction is 
 necessary, that it is always best to be on the humane 
 side of the question, especially as real humanity is 
 not particularly rife just now. 
 
 Yet, I must confess that in my more thoughtless 
 days, I have more than once shot a rook, not for any 
 grudge against the bird, or from the ordinary instinct 
 of killing, but simply because rooks are so exceedingly 
 wary that it is very difficult to get within gunshot of 
 them. 
 
 I have shot at three, and killed two, the first being 
 only an explosion of temper, as I had been trying to 
 get a shot at the bird for a very long time, and with 
 complete unsuccess. At last, he settled in a field, at 
 least four hundred yards off, and being irritated with 
 the creature, I fired at him, and, as may be expected, 
 missed. However, the ball, for I carried a rifle, 
 knocked up a cloud of dust about his ears and fright- 
 ened him desperately, so that I was partially con- 
 soled. 
 
 As to the others, there was something of an ad~ 
 venture connected with each. Both of them were 
 slain by means of a boat, in which a companion and 
 myself were seated, and looking out for water-hens, 
 which are tolerably plentiful within a few miles of 
 Oxford. 
 
 We were skirting a field, our heads just reach- 
 ing above the bank, when my companion suddenly 
 stooped, snatched off his hat, and told me, in a voice 
 choked with emotion, that there was a k ' jolly big crow 
 in the field, who must be settled." And sure enough, 
 a black head could just be seen at intervals through 
 the tufts of long grass and flowers that overhung the 
 
252 ROOKS. 
 
 bank. So I pushed the gun through the herbage, 
 and getting a glimpse of the bird, fired for the spot 
 where he was likely to be. 
 
 He did not fly away, so I landed, and went to pick 
 him up. But, to my great astonishment, he sud- 
 denly rose, and dashed at me like a bull-dog. I 
 had no conception before how sharp a rook's beak 
 is, or of the exceeding power of the strokes that he 
 makes. For he does not peck only, but launches his 
 whole body at once, thus indicting a tolerably 
 severe blow. So he had to be knocked on the head 
 with a ramrod. On regaining the boat, my very ex- 
 citable companion had disappeared from his proper 
 seat in the stern, and was lying at full length among 
 the stretchers, scarlet in the face, and screaming with 
 laughter. Some time elapsed before he could tell 
 the cause of his merriment, but at last he contrived 
 to master himself sufficiently. 
 
 It appeared that, probably from long habit, I had 
 been handling the ramrod after the manner of a 
 broadsword, and the sight of an individual scien- 
 tifically delivering cuts three and four, for the pur- 
 pose of immolating a rook, was too much for his 
 feelings. For all that, it was a brave bird, and made 
 the effects of its courage felt for some days after- 
 wards. 
 
 The second time, and the last, that I killed a rook , 
 the deed was, if possible, more inexcusable than the 
 former, but the gun almost aimed itself, and went off 
 automatically. The fact was, that, while I was look- 
 ing after water-hens, a loud " caw " sounded over- 
 head, which proceeded from a rook who was flying 
 over the river, arid was uttering a cry of terror on 
 catching sight of the gun. The report of the gun 
 almost blended with the cry of the bird, and then a 
 very singular circumstance took place. 
 
 The rook was suddenly arrested in his course, his 
 wings were both driven upwards, and the bird re- 
 mained so still that my companion declared him un- 
 
INSTANTANEOUS DEATH. 253 
 
 hurt and o ily frightened. Suddenly, a whole cloud 
 of feathers flew Irom him, then his head dropped to 
 the full extent of his neck, his body seemed to 
 collapse, and he fell close to the boat, splashing the 
 water in our faces. On picking him up, his body was 
 seen to be so riddled with shot that his skin if dried 
 would have made a very tolerable sieve. His head 
 and neck had fared quite as badly. 
 
 I would not have narrated this incident, were it 
 not for the very curious effect produced on the bird 
 by instantaneous death. This is the third similar 
 instance that has come before my notice. 
 
 The first was a horse, who received a charge of 
 seven buckshot in the back of the brain, and stood 
 for nearly a quarter of a minute before he fell. The 
 vertebra nearest the skull was completely shattered, 
 jind the spinal cord severed. 
 
 The second was a sky-lark who was shot as he 
 began to ascend, and continued the ascent until he 
 had reached an elevation of nearly one hundred feet. 
 He then descended on precisely the same spot from 
 which he had risen. On taking him up, it was seen 
 that he had been struck by one shot only, but that 
 one shot had passed completely through the brain. 
 
 In all these cases, the impulse must have been 
 -given to the body, and life being instantaneously de- 
 stroyed the body still continued to obey the original 
 impulse until the nerves lost their power. 
 
 As to rook-shooting, properly so called, it appears 
 to be rather a cowardly amusement, to say the least. 
 Still, it is sometimes necessary to thin the rookeries, 
 and then such a proceeding is perfectly excusable. It 
 is better to employ such weapons as will destroy the 
 intended victims without alarming their companions 
 more than necessary. 
 
 Some people employ air-guns for this purpose, 
 but I do not think very much of these instruments. 
 The labour of pumping the air into them is rather 
 severe, especially towards the last. Then the valves 
 
254 HOOKS 
 
 are so liable to get out of order, or the trigger-spring 
 in the interior becomes disarranged. And they are 
 rather dangerous beside. I knew a person who nearly 
 lost one of his eyes by the failure of a valve. Again, 
 as the power of the gun varies with each discharge, it 
 is necessary to learn how to graduate the aim by a 
 kind of mental sliding-scale, in order to counter- 
 balance the droop of the bullet. As to the " silently 
 destructive" powers of the weapon, their only exist- 
 ence is in the advertisement, for just in proportion as 
 the charge of air is compressed, so loud is the report 
 of the gun ; and if the air could be so tightly com- 
 pressed as to throw the bullet to the same distance 
 that could be reached by a powder-thrown bullet of 
 the same size, the report of the air-gun would be about 
 as loud as that of the powder- gun. 
 
 As far as can be seen, the steel cross-bow is perhaps 
 the best instrument for the destruction of rooks. 
 The aim is much more accurate than that of the air- 
 gun, and the range quite as far. It also carries a 
 larger ball, and as all the discharges are equal in 
 point of strength, or, at all events, as much so as 
 those of a powder-gun, the sights can be set very 
 accurately. The rooks have no idea what a cross-bow 
 is, and can be destroyed in numbers before they sus- 
 pect the cause. 
 
 Some few years ago, there was a very scientific 
 gentleman who lived in a garret that commanded a 
 rookery. Being an observant individual, he had re- 
 peatedly noticed the rooks to fall off their perches 
 without any assignable cause, and, after cogitating on 
 the subject, attributed the phenomenon to epilepsy. 
 So he wrote a pamphlet on " ROOKS SUBJECT TO 
 EPILEPSY," and read it before a learned society. 
 
 Afterwards the epileptic disease became manifest in 
 the person of an idle student of law, who was accus- 
 tomed to amuse himself by shooting the rooks with 
 a cross-bow, and whose windows could not be seen 
 from the garret of the philosopher. 
 
ROOK-PIES. 255 
 
 My own garret in college had a similar prospect, 
 for the topmost branches of some line elm-trees over- 
 topped the roof of the opposite side of the quad- 
 rangle, and upon those boughs were built numbers of 
 rooks' nests. The wardens have all been very 
 humane respecting the birds that take refuge in the 
 gardens, and in consequence those who walk in the 
 garden are closely surrounded by birds, who know 
 that no danger is to be apprehended there. The 
 rooks are especially under the collegiate protection, 
 and respecting them there is a tale, which is still ex- 
 tant, although I do not vouch for its truth. 
 
 It is said that one of the servants had behaved 
 himself very badly, and w r as in consequence discharged. 
 So, in order to take direful revenge on the authorities, 
 he provided himself with a gun and plenty of ammu- 
 nition, and having procured the key of the tower, 
 entered it, and locked himself in. He then ascended 
 to the summit, which overhangs as it were the 
 rookery, and blazed away at the birds, until his am- 
 munition was exhausted. 
 
 Book-shooting is usually considered as preliminary 
 to rook-pies, which can hardly be distinguished from 
 pigeon-pies. The young only are used, and they 
 must be skinned before being eaten. But, after all, 
 young crows are just as good, and people have ac- 
 tually eaten crow-pies, believing them to be composed 
 of rooks. 
 
 Really, there is a great similarity in the flesh of all 
 birds, as I can state from experience ; and, as to the 
 small birds, there is hardly any difference, except in 
 size, between a fieldfare and a lark. Sparrows, too, 
 are capital, but swallows are nasty, reminding one of 
 sw r eet potatoes. Mice are not to be distinguished 
 from sparrows, and I should not be surprised if a 
 rat and thrush were to prove very much alike when 
 cooked. Every one knows what excellent dishes are 
 compounded from frogs. It all lies in the cooking. 
 There is hardly anything more unpleasant or less 
 
256 BOOKS. 
 
 digestible than a half or badly boiled potato, and 
 yet there are lew better things when properly nm- 
 nagcd. 
 
 In the well-known tale of the Barmecide, men- 
 tion is made of a roasted lamb that had been fed 
 on pistachio-nuts Now, it is very probable that if a 
 turnip-fed lamb had been substituted, the worthy 
 epicure would have been perfectly innocent and con- 
 tent. As a collateral proof, I will mention a small 
 practical joke that was played at college during my 
 residence. 
 
 There was a rather obnoxious individual who 
 always would make his appearance exactly when he 
 was not required, and always remained for several 
 hours. He had also a knack of coming in by acci- 
 dent just at supper-time. So we determined to re- 
 taliate, but could *not well discover a neat mode of 
 doing so. However, as we were out snipe-shooting, 
 a flock of starlings came by, and one of them was 
 shot and pocketed. On our return to college, the 
 starling was handed over to the cook, with orders to 
 dress it like a snipe. That functionary rebelled^ 
 against such a desecration of his art, but was at last 
 persuaded. 
 
 As it was well known that snipes were the object of 
 the expedition, it was probable that they would make 
 their appearance at supper. Accordingly, just as 
 supper was brought in, a rapid knock was heard at 
 the door, the obnoxious personage having " dropped 
 in quite by accident" as usual. The host regretted 
 that there were but three snipes cooked, and that 
 those were already partially eaten, but that if he 
 would wait for a few minutes another bird would be 
 brought. 
 
 Accordingly, the faithful cook sent in the star- 
 ling, dressed precisely after the fashion of a snipe, 
 but exhaling an odour that was enough to betray 
 the imposition at any moderate distance. The hot 
 dish was passed to our victim, who took oil' the 
 
SCARECROWS. 257 
 
 cover, and was going to commence operations, when 
 he was rather struck by the singular appearance of 
 the head. 
 
 " I always thought that snipes had long bills," said 
 he, " and this is quite a short one." 
 
 " Have you never seen a Jack-snipe ? " responded 
 the host, with happy presence of mind. 
 
 And our stratagem quite failed, for the supposed 
 victim finished the starling, and only regretted that 
 there was not another Jack-snipe in the kitchen. 
 
 Those agriculturists who object to the presence of 
 rooks on their fields employ many modes of driving 
 them off the land, but very few succeed in their 
 object. Books are clever birds, and care no more 
 for a scarecrow than for a milestone. Some farmers 
 try to terrify them by the sight of some of their rela- 
 tions who have been shot, and whom they suspend 
 to posts in various parts of the field. But the rooks 
 do not seem in the least impressed by the spectacle ; 
 and trench up the ground carelessly even when close 
 to their slaughtered friends. 
 
 But I have been told that there is a mode of 
 frightening even the rooks by the sight of dead birds. 
 When a rook is shot, and the farmer wishes to turn it 
 into a scarecrow, he should not hang it to a stake, but 
 place it on the ground, with its wings extended. 
 Books appear to be sadly afraid of such an object, at 
 all events for a time, so that the ground is left free 
 from them. 
 
 The ordinary scarecrow, comprised of an old hat 
 and coat and two sticks, has not the least effect on 
 the rooks, but there is a far better scarecrow, and one 
 which has the advantage of invisibility to passengers. 
 Pegs are driven into the ground, at several yards' dis- 
 tance from each other, and the string is then passed 
 round the pegs, so as to form a kind of zigzag. This 
 gives the rook an idea that a trap or a net is indi- 
 cated, and they will not venture within the strings 
 Stacks can be protected in a similar manner. 
 
 s 
 
258 BOOKS. 
 
 Some years ago, the destruction of rooks was con- 
 templated through a rather curious medium no less 
 than rum. Waste corn was soaked in that spirit, and 
 when thoroughly saturated, thrown about the fields 
 which the rooks frequented. The birds hastened 
 to pick up this unexpected supply as fast as they 
 could, lest others should come to share it, and, as a 
 natural consequence, they became very much intoxi- 
 cated, and were quite unable to fly in any given 
 direction. I hope that the farmers who adopted 
 that plan were teetotallers, otherwise it was hardly 
 fair behaviour. 
 
 Another plan has been successfully attempted, 
 which produces similar effects, without intoxicating 
 the bird. A number of pasteboard extinguisher- 
 shaped caps are made, and the inside smeared with 
 bird-lime. At the bottom of each cap, a grain or two 
 of corn is placed, and the baited caps are then stuck 
 in the ground, their open ends uppermost. 
 
 The rooks are soon attracted by the sight of these 
 strange objects ; and being very inquisitive birds, 
 come to inspect them. After hopping round the caps 
 at wary distance, and gradually nearing them, the 
 rooks summon up sufficient courage to peep into the 
 hollow cone, and so perceive the tempting bait at 
 the bottom. Down go their heads into the caps, 
 which, being well treated with the bird-lime, adhere 
 firmly to the feathered cranium, when the birds 
 attempt to withdraw their heads after securing the 
 corn. 
 
 The rooks endeavour to shake off the cap, which 
 covers the entire head, and therefore precludes them 
 from seeing ; and after tumbling about on the ground, 
 try to fly away, hoping to leave the obnoxious head- 
 dress behind them. But they cannot see where they 
 are going, and so, after towering perpendicularly for 
 ten or fifteen feet, come to the ground again on the 
 identical spot from whence they rose. And so they 
 continue to rise and fall until the author of their 
 
COCKCHAFFERS. 259 
 
 misery comes up and puts an end to their troubles 
 and their lives together. 
 
 Whether any useful object is attained by the de- 
 struction of the rook is quite another question. It 
 is evident that rooks do eat corn ; but it is also evi- 
 dent that they eat vast numbers of grubs and worms 
 that are very injurious to vegetable life. 
 
 Among the insect pests which rooks destroy, one of 
 the chief is the larva of the common cockchaffer, a 
 creature that is seldom seen, because it lives under 
 ground, but does none the less mischief for its sub- 
 terranean life. Indeed, if possible, it does even more 
 damage than the caterpillars, that feed on the leaves ; 
 for it eats the roots, which are the very life of the 
 plant. Three larval years are passed below the 
 ground by this insatiable devourer ; in the fourth 
 it becomes a perfect cockchaffer, and then eats leaves. 
 I have seen many trees entirely denuded of leaves by 
 the cockchaffers ; and one, about five or six miles 
 from Dieppe, where hardly a green twig was left on 
 the branches. And in the larval state they are so 
 numerous that they have been measured by the 
 bushel. Whole grass fields have been totally de- 
 stroyed by them, as many as two hundred and ten 
 grubs having been taken from one square foot of turf, 
 or rather from a square foot of earth and withered 
 leaves, which ought to have been turf. And in many 
 cases the roots have been so cut away by the shear- 
 like jaws of these greedy creatures, that the grass 
 could be- lifted by hand and rolled up like turf 
 after ,the spade has been passed under it. And in 
 very many cases, where rooks and other birds are 
 seen pulling up the grass, and tossing away the 
 roots, they are performing a valuable service, in 
 destroying the grubs that would otherwise render 
 the entire field desolate. 
 
 So, let me once more repeat, weigh acknowledged 
 services against dubious injuries, and don't kill the 
 rooks. 
 
 8 2 
 
260 BOOKS. 
 
 These birds are gifted with a wonderful and most 
 useful faculty that of knowing whether a tree is fit 
 for them to build upon. Sometimes an apparently 
 fine tree is deserted by the rooks after they have been 
 in the habit of building upon its branches for many 
 successive years ; or sometimes a tree is entirely 
 passed over by them, even though it should be among 
 many others that are well stocked with nests. And 
 in either of these cases, the tree is found to have some 
 internal defect, and often is laid prostrate by the first 
 high wind that takes place after its' desertion. 
 
 There must be both instinct and reason in this 
 faculty, because, although, if a tree were in bad health, 
 the rooks might discover its sickness from the ill- 
 condition of the leaves or bark, yet there have been 
 instances where they could only have been directed 
 by reason, and that of no mean order. 
 
 Some trees had been doomed to the axe, and the 
 usual mark for felling was placed upon them. One 
 of the trees was felled, whereupon the rooks deserted 
 every tree on which the fatal mark was to be found. 
 Now this action must have been prompted by obser- 
 vation and reason combined; for no instinct could 
 have taught the birds that a dab of whitewash was 
 preparatory to the downfall of a tree. 
 
 Books are very curious birds in their nidification ; 
 and seem to have a code of laws among themselves, 
 which laws are of a highly penal nature, and are 
 executed with a rapidity and decision worthy of Judge 
 Lynch himself, save and except that where that emi- 
 nent justice punishes by adding feathers, the rooks 
 punish by taking feathers away. 
 
 I suppose that human beings consider the piceo- 
 plumean. vesture, as Sydney Smith happily terms it, 
 ignominious, because they do not possess feathers 
 naturally; and that ornithine beings, who naturally 
 wear feathers, feel the deprivation of them to be an 
 indignity. Similarly, the inhabitants of one part of 
 the world despise a man who does not wear a copious 
 
ROOKS AND THEIR NESTS. 261 
 
 beard, while those inhabiting other lands think that 
 beards are disgusting and contemptible. And it is 
 well known, that in one district any individual who is 
 not furnished with a huge wen upon his neck is quite 
 out of fashion, and as such is exposed to the derision 
 and scorn of those more favoured by nature. 
 
 In spite of their laws the rooks are sad sinners, 
 and need all the legal restraints that can be laid upon 
 them. Thieving is one of their most prominent pro- 
 pensities, and against that crime their laws are de- 
 servedly severe. Nest-making is rather a laborious 
 occupation, and in most cases the sticks and other 
 materials can only be procured by dint of sharp eyes 
 and powerful wings, so that lazy birds will endeavour 
 to procure materials by taking advantage of the 
 labours of their friends and robbing their nests. 
 
 It often happens that when two inexperienced 
 rooks begin to nidificate, they are so charmed with 
 their work, and so anxious for the completion of their 
 dwelling, that they soon gather a large supply of 
 materials by their united endeavours, and their nest 
 makes rapid progress. But just as they have nearly 
 finished the nest, and are both searching for the sub- 
 stances necessary for its completion, the other rooks 
 pounce upon the unprotected nest, pull it to pieces, 
 and weave the fragments into their own domiciles, so 
 that when the young couple return with their beaks 
 full of sticks, they find all their labour lost, and no 
 possibility of redress. 
 
 So they make the best of the business, and, after 
 getting over the disappointment, begin another nest. 
 But this time they only go out alternately ; and while 
 one is searching for materials, the other is sitting at 
 home on the watch. 
 
 Now it seerns very remarkable that the rooks 
 should commit a crime as a community, while they 
 punish, with great severity, that very same crime in 
 an individual. Yet they do so, as will be seen. 
 
 In a certain rookery the business of nest-making 
 
BOOKS. 
 
 was proceeding and the rooks hard at work. But 
 among their number was an idle gentleman who had 
 lately married a lazy wife, and who very cordially dis- 
 liked the trouble of searching for nest- materials. So 
 he and his wife were accustomed to watch the other 
 nest-builders, and to steal their sticks and straws, as 
 they thought, unobserved. But rooks are very sharp- 
 sighted creatures ; and if they pretended not to see 
 these constant thefts, only did so in order to bring 
 down more condign vengeance upon the delinquents. 
 In the meanwhile the lazy pair were getting on capi- 
 tally with their nest, and doubtlessly chuckled in- 
 wardly at their poor plodding neighbours, who did all 
 the work, while they swung luxuriously in the breeze. 
 
 But the day of retaliation, although long delayed, 
 came at last ; for just as the nest was completed, the 
 injured rooks precipitated themselves on the guilty 
 pair, tore their nest in pieces, and, after buffeting 
 them to their hearts' content, drove them away in 
 disgrace, and banished them from the community. 
 
 There is a moral in the story, which I need hardly 
 point out, as also an analogy, which is not quite so 
 evident. 
 
 Every one of these virtuously indignant rooks was 
 at heart just as much a thief as those whom he 
 punished, and had probably joined in many a razzia 
 on unprotected nests, and built his nest with the 
 stolen materials, as has been above related. But it 
 seems that rooks and men, when formed into 
 " boards," or " committees," or " societies," have no 
 compunction in performing actions which each mem- 
 ber, as an individual, would feel derogatory to his self- 
 respect, or contrary to his conscience. 
 
 Another curious law prevails among rooks. They 
 have a habit of associating upon contiguous trees, 
 and will continue to build on the same branches for 
 many successive years. And they are so tenacious 
 of this custom, that if one of their society wishes for 
 a quieter or more solitary residence, and begins to 
 
WHITE ROOKS. . 263 
 
 build a nest on a tree at any distance from their 
 aerial camp, they pull the nest to pieces, and compel 
 the builder to make his next house upon one of the 
 trees which they have chosen. It is a curious in- 
 stance of social tyranny among birds^ 
 
 The colour of the rook is black; or rather, the 
 tint of the plumage is so veiy deep, that it con- 
 veys to the eye the idea of black, as does the ink 
 called black, which is really purple, as may be seen 
 by dropping a little ink into a glass of water. But 
 there are white and piebald varieties of the rook, the 
 cause of which change of tint is satisfactorily ascer- 
 tained to be weakness. 
 
 A white rook was once caught, and kept as a curio- 
 sity. But when the bird moulted, the renewed plu- 
 mage was just like that of any other rook. It is pro- 
 bable that the bird had been supplied with better 
 food in captivity than in its wild state, and so was 
 rendered sufficiently strong to furnish the colouring 
 matter necessary for the proper tint of the plumage. 
 There is an analogy here with the white hair of age. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CROWS. 
 
 Crows and Rooks generally confounded together Crows' Eggs. 
 Position of Nest. A Crafty Crow. The Eggs of the 
 Crow edible. Egg-feasts. "The Crow ! the Crow !" 
 
 THE great general resemblance that exists be- 
 tween the rook and the crow causes much confu- 
 sion in narrative. Very many anecdotes are in ex- 
 istence, stated to relate to the crows ; but as in most 
 cases the word " crow" seems to be indifferently used 
 to represent both crows and rooks, I have not made 
 use of them. 
 
 Yet the birds are so different in details, although 
 similar in general appearance, that it is surprising 
 that any observer should confound them together. 
 There is really as wide a distinction in the external 
 aspect of the birds themselves, as in the shape and 
 colour of their eggs. 
 
 Great temptations to boys are these same eggs, for 
 although not scarce, yet their possession implies an 
 agile body and a steady head on the part of the 
 proprietor. The crow is as clever a bird as any of 
 his corvine relations, and displays much ingenuity in 
 the position of his nest. If there should be any 
 very tall, very smooth-barked, very inaccessible tree, 
 there the crow's nest is tolerably sure to be found. 
 It is a bold, big nest, without the least attempt at 
 concealment, and seems rather to challenge observa- 
 tion than elude it. 
 
 This challenge has a powerful effect on boy-nerves, 
 and sometimes on man-nerves too, for even now I 
 can never see a great flaunting rook's nest, blazing 
 
CROWS' NESTS. 265 
 
 impudently from the top of a tree without an insane 
 impulse to pillage it. But that miserable word " pro- 
 priety " is as an iron chain, and I can but look wist- 
 fully at the nest, without venturing to climb the tree. 
 Even to be able to peep into the nest, and only see 
 the eggs, would be a relief. 
 
 Many crows' eggs have I given away, many have I 
 eaten, and there still remain five, as reminiscences of 
 trees climbed, and riests ransacked. 
 
 There were few trees that could protect a nest in 
 those days, for only once do I remember a tree that 
 entirely baffled me. And, to add to the disappoint- 
 ment, the horrid nest was not above sixty feet or so 
 from the ground. It was the craftiest piece of nest- 
 building that I have yet seen, for the tree was a 
 young oak, that had been originally in the midst of a 
 plantation, and had consequently shot up to a great 
 height without adding much to its diameter. 
 
 There was also a slight bend in the trunk, so that 
 it was slightly out of the perpendicular, and that 
 slope saved the nest. It was an easy tree to climb, 
 but at the height of forty feet or so, the trunk was so 
 slender that it began to bend, and, not being perpen- 
 dicular, no amount of care would prevent it from 
 bending. 
 
 At the very top of this tree the nest was perched, 
 and though I several times ascended quite close to 
 the nest, the tree bent and swayed about so fearfully, 
 that further progress was impossible. Indeed, a veiy 
 little more sway would have been required to make 
 the eggs roll out of the nest. That oak ought to 
 have been ashamed of itself, for it was much more 
 like a poplar than an oak of even respectable ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 I have mentioned eating the eggs, which may sur- 
 prise those who can think of crows as " carrion- 
 crows." As to the carrion, there is very little of that 
 article for them, while, as to their value in a culinary 
 point of view, I can assure my readers that they are 
 
266 cuows. 
 
 quite as good as rooks. Crow-pie cannot be distin- 
 guished from rook-pie, or even from pigeon-pie, 
 while crow eggs are fully equal to those of the barn- 
 door fowl, although they are smaller in size. 
 
 We used to have great egg-feasts in my younger 
 days, by receiving the contents of our daily egg-har- 
 vest into a vessel, and boiling them in the usual way. 
 Next to the eggs of the plover, those of the black- 
 bird and thrush were our favourites, but the rook and 
 crow were not far behind in our estimation. 
 
 " The crow ! the crow ! the great black crow ! 
 He cares not to meet us, wherever we go ; 
 He cares not for man, beast, friend, nor foe 
 For nothing will eat him he well doth know. 
 
 Know know ! you great black crow ! 
 It 's a comfort to feel like a great black crow. 
 
 " The crow ! the crow ! the great black crow ! 
 He loves the fat meadow his taste is low ; 
 He loves the fat worms, and he dines in a row, 
 With fifty fine cousins, all black as a sloe. 
 
 Sloe sloe ! you great black crow ! 
 But it 's jolly to fare like a great black crow. 
 
 " The crow ! the crow ! the great black crow ! 
 He never gets drunk on the rain or snow ; 
 He never gets drunk but he never says no, 
 If you press him to tipple ever so. 
 
 So so ! you great black crow ; 
 It 's an honour to soak like a great black crow. 
 
 " The crow ! the crow ! the great black crow ! 
 He lives for a hundred years and mo' ; 
 He lives till he dies, and he dies as slow 
 As the morning mists down the hill that go. 
 Go go ! you great black crow ! 
 
 But it 's fine to D ve and die like a great black crow." 
 
CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 SHRIKES. 
 
 Analogies. The Shrike-Man. The Cinereous Shrike. Its 
 similarity to the Mock ing-Bird. Curious Habit. The 
 Law of Retaliation. The Cinereous Shrike employed in 
 catching Falcons. Its Powers of Imitation. Its Mode of 
 destroying its Prey. Used in Falconry. The Matagasse. 
 !N"est found in England. Systems of Ornithology. Fero- 
 city of a Shrike. Ited-backed Shrike. Its Nest and Food. 
 
 As has been already mentioned, there is a striking 
 analogy between men and brutes, their characters 
 being, as it were, interchangeable, various characters 
 of men being designated by corresponding characters 
 in the lower animals, arid vice versa. 
 
 Thus we speak of a " lion-hearted " man, of a " hu- 
 man harpy," of an "aquiline" nose; we designate a 
 knave as a " rook," and his victim as a " pigeon." An 
 ill-mannered man we call a "bear," and ladies call 
 an agreeable man a "dear." 
 
 Sometimes the analog} 7 holds good either way, as 
 is exemplified by seamen in general, who term a law- 
 yer a " land-shark," and contrariwise speak of a shark 
 as a " sea-lawyer." As to such terms as " ass," 
 " goose," or " gull," when applied to mankind, I make 
 no mention of them, because the three creatures 
 selected as instances of stupidity happen to be pecu- 
 liarly clever. 
 
 But where shall we find any analogue to the 
 shrike ? I know of none, excepting a fictitious cha- 
 racter, Ralph Nickleby, to wit, who I hope is fictitious 
 entirely. 
 
 The Eagle-man towers above his fellow-creatures, 
 
268 SHRIKES. 
 
 tyrannizes over them, despises them, and, finally, eats 
 them ; hut all in so imperial a manner, and with such 
 a majestic presence, that even the victims themselves 
 admire and revere. 
 
 The Falcon-man is a shade below the eagle. Where 
 the eagle is the emperor, the falcon is the marshal, 
 and there are generous or rapacious falcons and men. 
 Then the hawks are the generals, and the same re- 
 marks apply to them also. 
 
 And so we proceed through the various rapacious 
 hirds, until we come to the shrikes, who are the 
 most bloodthirsty and ruthless of the tribe, for they 
 not only kill, but impale. The shrike is worse than 
 the American-Indians, for they only tear off the scalps 
 of their victims, whereas the shrike impales them 
 bodily, watching their carcases blackening and putri- 
 fying in the sun before he is satisfied. 
 
 There are several species of shrikes, the most 
 prominent of which is the great grey shrike, or the 
 cinereous shrike, as it is sometimes called. This 
 bird inhabits England, but is not nearly so common 
 as the red-backed shrike. In other lands, however, 
 it is an extremely common bird, especially so in 
 many parts of America. Its plumage is rather 
 peculiar in tint, and there is a peculiarity about it 
 that I will not describe, but can show more perfectly 
 by placing before the reader one of the juvenile 
 exploits of a real naturalist, to whom I have already 
 referred. Any one accustomed to the style, will 
 recognize Webber's spirited pen in the following 
 passages. 
 
 "As yet I had never obtained a near view of a 
 mocking-bird, much as I worshipped the creature; 
 and as to finding a nest, mine was the luck of all the 
 rest of the would-be robbers. 
 
 " But perseverance has its reward. One day I had 
 paused near the * sinkhole spring,' to hear my fa- 
 vourite mocker sing by daylight, for variety, when, 
 instead of a song, I saw what ? A splendid pair of 
 
SEARCH FOR A MOCKING BIRD. 269 
 
 mocking-birds disporting themselves gaily along the 
 fences and in the grass of the very slip of meadow in 
 the corner of which I made my usual nightly couch ! 
 
 " I drew a long breath. What a discovery ! How 
 tame they are ! It must be some mysterious sympa- 
 thy ! The male must be that magnificent bird I have 
 listened to so many nights with rapture, and never 
 seen ! 
 
 " Hah ! these have a black mark under the eye ; 
 the southern bird, I remember, has not that mark in 
 the plates of it that I have seen. This must be 
 a new variety ! I have heard my uncle and father, 
 who have been to New Orleans, describe the southern 
 bird. It certainly has no such mark as this, which 
 resembles that under the eye of the red bird, and, 
 from what they have told me of its singing, it cannot 
 be near equal to this glorious creature. My mother, 
 though, has described the bird in northern Kentucky, 
 where she knew it, and, from what she has told me, 
 this must be the very one. It must be this same 
 wonderful bird I have been listening to ! 
 
 " Oh, how happy I was ! I crouched down beside the 
 fence, for fear I might chance to startle them, and 
 gazed in eager, anxious admiration. What a hand- 
 some bird ! It seems rather shorter, though, than I 
 expected from the appearance of those at a distance ; 
 and there is the white bar across the wings. But, 
 somehow or other, the wings do not seem so wide, 
 nor the stripe so broad ; its neck, too, disappoints 
 me ; it appears much shorter and thicker than I sup- 
 posed. But that 's easily enough to be accounted for 
 in the fact that it must require a very powerful neck 
 to emit such loud sounds. But it is a lovely bird, 
 with that light grey plumage so delicately marked on 
 the breast, and looks so warlike, with the black mark 
 under its eye ! Ah ! I see its bill is very hooked ! it 
 gives it quite the appearance of a little 'hawk ! How 
 happy was I ! 
 
 "Look! look! They fly towards that great black 
 
270 SHRIKES. 
 
 oak, over the spring ! As I live ! there f s a nest there ! 
 I hear the cry of the young ones ! Strange place for 
 mocking-birds to build in, according to accounts. 
 But this is a new variety ; they, no doubt, prefer large 
 trees. 
 
 " The mate now flew to the same cluster of 
 scrubby twigs, or small limbs, that grow out from a 
 diseased portion of the trunk, that formed a large 
 knot, bristling ' like quills upon a fretful porcupine/ 
 She lit in the bosom of this ugly excrescence, and, 
 as I again heard the cries of the young, I sprang 
 from my place of concealment with my heart in my 
 throat leaped the fence, ran at full speed to the 
 tree, stripped off my coat and shoes, and, before I 
 knew what I was doing, had ascended, as nimbly as a 
 squirrel, the trunk of a tree that I would not have 
 attempted to climb for a fortune under other circum- 
 stances. 
 
 " It is well that I did not stop to think, or I should 
 never have reached the limbs. As it was, now that I 
 found myself up, the difficulty of getting at the nest 
 seemed as great as ever. The small limbs that 
 bristled out from the great excrescence were as tough 
 as they could be, and how I was to drag my body 
 over them so as to reach the nest, was the question ; 
 but when, by rising on tip-toe, I could peep over the 
 edges of the nest, and see the heads and bright 
 eyes of four lusty young birds, I literally tore my 
 way through all obstructions, and with eager hands 
 grasped at my treasure. I seized three, and the 
 fourth sprang out in time to elude me, and sailed 
 down. 
 
 " Just at this moment I saw my old friend B. ap- 
 proaching, to see what I could be at. I shrinked 
 out to him in my tribulation ! for the little wretches 
 had bitten my hand so severely that the pain and 
 imminent danger of falling combined, had compelled 
 me to let them go, and save my neck. 
 
 " ' My mocking-birds ! Catch my mocking-birds, 
 
FEROCIOUS NESTLINGS. 271 
 
 Mr. B. ! Oh ! I wouldn't lose them for the world I 
 Catch them ! catch them ! ' 
 
 " I shrieked in my agony for I had got myself 
 hung upon that knot by the remaining rags of my 
 clothes, and the dread of losing my birds was even 
 greater than that of breaking my neck. 
 
 " The old gentleman, heartily sympathizing with 
 me, sprung to the work right briskly, and, although 
 they compelled him to let them go several times by 
 the severity of their bites, yet he finally succeeded in 
 capturing three, which were fastened down under 
 my hat. 
 
 " During the chase, I heard several very droll 
 exclamations from him, which gave me a decidedly 
 contemptible opinion of his attainments as a natu- 
 ralist. As he shook one of the fierce little wretches 
 off that had fastened upon his finger when he tried 
 to seize it he cried out, with an exclamation of pain 
 and surprise 
 
 '"Ough! Young mocking-birds didn't bite that 
 fashion in old Virginia, my boy ! Don't like that 
 black spot under the eye ! They do look mightily 
 like mocking-birds, too ! How they do squall ! 
 Why, they 're as strong as young wild cats, and 
 as fierce, too ! There ! there ! that 's one gone ! ' 
 
 " ' Gone where ! ' I gasped, as I descended the tree 
 with a speed which seemed much more like falling 
 than climbing down, and completed the demolish- 
 ment of my forlorn inexpressibles. 
 
 " ' He ran under these rocks, and you '11 never get 
 him again, I 'm afraid.' 
 
 "'Never get him?' and I almost burst into tears 
 at the thought of losing one of my precious new 
 variety. The spring came from under a sort of cave, 
 and there were loose piles of stones, intended once 
 for walls, on each side of the basin. Into these the 
 cunning youngster had crawled, and was far enough 
 beyond our reach. 
 
 " I consoled myself by heaping stooes so as to 
 
272 SHRIKES. 
 
 prevent its escape, and determined to go home and 
 secure the prize in hand, and then return with 
 a negro man to dig this one out for me. This 
 was not my only annoyance; for the old gentle- 
 man kept intimating as we walked on towards my 
 father's, that these were ' mighty strange sort of 
 mocking-birds,' until my insulted dignity as a natu- 
 ralist and discoverer fairly blazed out in wrath, 
 as I remarked, in a most emphatic manner, 
 
 "'Mr. B., I repeat to you, sir, that this is a new 
 variety of mocking-birds ! When you have spent as 
 many nights as I have, sir, in ascertaining the fact 
 when you have heard the male parent sing as many 
 hours as I have, while you were sound asleep, then 
 you, too, will be convinced that I have not only dis- 
 covered a new variety, but that I have now in 
 my possession a nest of the finest singers in the 
 world ! ' 
 
 " This long speech, with all its emphasis, did not 
 seem to entirely convince the old man, who could 
 not get over the way they bit, and that black spot 
 under the eye ; but I saw it staggered him some, and 
 when, as we were parting, he rather hinted that he 
 should like to have a male bird if they turned out 
 as I expected, I turned upon him quite a compas- 
 sionate look, as I promised smilingly, 
 
 " ' Of course in case they turn out t* be mock- 
 ing-birds, Mr. B., you shall have one of the males if 
 I have two.' 
 
 "This was my grand triumph, and I was proud as 
 Lucifer when I exhibited my captives to the family ; 
 and great were the rejoicings of my sisters over my 
 brilliant success. But the triumph was incomplete 
 while one of the precious family remained behind, 
 and soon I was on my return, accompanied by a 
 strong negro man to dig the runaway out of the 
 rocks. It was a work of several hours, and during 
 its progress I observed something curious on one 
 of the thorn-bushes near, that had died the year 
 
IMPALED LIZARDS. 273 
 
 before, though the thorns were as stiff and tough as 
 ever. This phenomenon consisted of the bodies 
 of some dozen of the common grey or fence lizard, 
 which had been impaled carefully upon the topmost 
 thorns. 
 
 " They seemed in all stages of demolishment and 
 decay, from the entire reptile, that was bleeding and 
 scarcely cold, to the mere blackened fragment that 
 had been eaten away close up to the thorn on which 
 it was spitted, and now seemed ready to drop to 
 pieces at a touch. It struck me at first that some 
 stupid boys must have been amusing themselves in 
 torturing the lizards, but then I saw that those 
 thorns could not be reached from below, and it 
 was evident that some creature was eating them 
 gradually. 
 
 " This recalled dimly to my recollection an anec- 
 dote I had heard somewhere of a bird that was in 
 the habit of impaling lizards in this way, that they 
 might become decomposed somewhat by the action 
 of the sun, to prepare for being eaten ; but, as I 
 could not recall the name of the bird just then, I, 
 somewhat hastily, dismissed the subject from my 
 mind for the time; I know not for what reason, 
 but because it somehow made me feel uncom- 
 fortable. 
 
 " The runaway was reached at last, and I now 
 returned, as proud of the success of my perseve- 
 rance and enterprise, as of the birds themselves, and 
 my new discovery. The first person I met when I 
 reached home was my sister, who ran to me, ex- 
 claiming, 
 
 " ' Brother ! you never did see creatures eat like 
 our little birds ! they do nothing but eat, eat, eat all 
 the time. I never knew before that mocking-birds 
 were so greedy and then they bite me so ! ' 
 
 " I smiled benignantly, as became a youthful 
 Cuvier, and, holding out to her the new one, said, 
 patronizingly, 
 
274 SHEIKES. 
 
 " ' Look here ! He could not escape me ; although 
 this new variety have the cunning of wizards ! 
 Never mind the appetite, Sis ; we shall be the more 
 certain to raise them, and their magnificent song 
 shall repay us for a little additional trouble.' 
 
 "But Sis was not so easily comforted, for she 
 said, as she showed me some ugly marks where they 
 had been biting her little fingers severely, 
 
 " ' Well, brother, I hope you will not find any 
 more of your new variety, for I expect to have my 
 fingers eaten off by these that you have. They are 
 not content with snatching down everything I can 
 find to give, but have been trying to bite off the fin- 
 gers that fed them.' 
 
 '"I am sorry for your fingers, dear, and you must 
 let me feed them hereafter ; but I like their appetite 
 and their spirit they should have both to sing as 
 they are going to sing.' 
 
 "'Well, brother, have it your own way; but I 
 don't believe in making an angel out of a glutton!' 
 
 " This last remark rather stung me, for, somehow 
 or other, since the discovery of the impaled lizards 
 I had been feeling uncomfortable. I went to the 
 cage, and they received me with clamorous cries for 
 more ! I immediately got for them a quantity of food, 
 such as I had supposed to be best for them, from 
 what I had read and heard of their habits. I found, 
 to my astonishment, that they would eat nothing but 
 earthworms and fresh meat farinaceous food they 
 rejected with disdain and certainly gulped down as 
 much as their own weight every few hours. 
 
 " The thing was becoming more inexplicable, and, 
 what made matters still worse, my sister, for the 
 first time in her life, refused to share my cares with 
 me. She had taken a most unconquerable dislike 
 to the creatures; declared she was absolutely afraid 
 of them, and shuddered when they were brought 
 near her. 
 
 " This reception af my new variety mortified me 
 
CURIOUS COMBAT. ^<D 
 
 excessively, but I consoled myself that I was doomed 
 to the common martyrdom of discoverers, and nursed 
 my uncouth and boisterous pets with even greater 
 assiduity that they were rejected of men. 
 
 " I now let them run about the yard ; for I soon 
 found that the ravin in their maws constituted a 
 sufficient parole of honour to insure their return to 
 where food was to be obtained ; but one morning I 
 witnessed a trick of one of my vagabonds that con- 
 siderably stunned me. 
 
 "He had straggled around to the back of the 
 house, and got into the poultry-yard. I saw him 
 march very deliberately up to a brood of young 
 chickens, and, without saying * by your leave,' to 
 anybody, he pounced upon one in the most savage 
 fashion, and would have killed it in an instant, but 
 that the old hen rushed to the rescue, with a blow 
 that sent the young robber several feet distant. 
 
 " The indignant mother followed up the attack, and 
 I was about to interfere, when, to my surprise, the 
 young wretch, with all his feathers bristling like a little 
 hedgehog, threw himself upon his back, and awaited 
 the onset with open mouth and fierce eyes. The 
 hen struck at him with her beak, and quick as light- 
 ning he clutched her head with his claws, and the 
 astonished hen ran squalling off, shaking her head 
 in agony, to get rid of this new sort of head-gear. 
 When she had shaken him off, she ran away in a 
 great fright, and he strutted around with a most 
 conscious air. 
 
 "' Well,' muttered I 'this is getting to be some- 
 thing of a joke ; my new variety seems to have more 
 of the hawk than the song-bird in it ! I never heard 
 of mocking-birds killing young chickens or whipping 
 old hens before ! Rather a warlike variety of song- 
 bird, this new one of mine ! I must look over 
 my books, and see something about that lizard 
 story.' 
 
 " That lizard story had always haunted me, though 
 
 T 2 
 
276 SHRIKES. 
 
 I had not been able to summon courage to look it 
 up. Just at this moment, my sister, who had 
 witnessed the little scene above, and heard a part of 
 my muttered soliloquy, from a window close at hand, 
 burst into a ringing laugh, and, as I looked up, dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 " In a moment she came bounding down the steps 
 to meet me, with a small book in her hand, which 
 I recognised with a foreboding thrill before she 
 reached me. It was a small school edition of selec- 
 tions from ornithology, with woodcut illustrations. 
 She held her hand on the page to cover something, 
 while she read, as well as she could for laughter, 
 Wilson's version of the lizard story, and when she 
 got through, removed her hand suddenly from the 
 cut ; and though it was remarkably rudely done, I 
 instantly recognised in my new variety ' The 
 Butcher-bird ! ' Exeunt Omnes screaming with laugh- 
 ter." 
 
 There are three species of shrikes inhabiting Eng- 
 land, namely, the great grey shrike, the red-backed 
 shrike, and the woodstake shrike. Of these, how- 
 ever, I have only seen the red-backed, or, at all 
 events, have only recognised that bird, although it is 
 possible that the grey shrike may have crossed my 
 path. We will at present look to the grey shrike, 
 which is the largest of the three. 
 
 The name of Butcher-bird is often given to the 
 shrikes from their peculiar custom of disposing of 
 their prey. After killing it, whether it be bird or 
 insect, they usually impale it on a thorn, and then 
 leave it for some days before they eat it. 
 
 They have been known to carry this habit into a 
 domesticated state, for when one of these birds was 
 placed in a cage, he was accustomed to fix his food 
 on a sharp piece of stick that was inserted into his cage. 
 No one seems to be aware of the object of this curious 
 custom, for the reasons that are given by some writers 
 appear to be quite erroneous, as will be seen when 
 
DECOY FOR HAWKS. 277 
 
 we come to speak of the red-backed shrike. Suffice 
 it here to say, that the custom exists. 
 
 Singularly enough, this bird might parody for itself 
 the sentiment of Sir John Falstaff, that he was not 
 only witty in himself, but the cause of wit in others, 
 and might say that he was not only a bully himself, 
 but was also bullied by others. The Shrike seems 
 to detest the nobler birds of prey, and, being as bold 
 as he is bloodthirsty, attacks eagles, hawks, and owls 
 most courageously. Then, the law of retaliation 
 takes effect upon himself, for the little birds are quite 
 as ready to mob and persecute the shrike. 
 
 Where the pocket is concerned, men are marvel- 
 lously ingenious in seizing upon the instincts of the 
 lower animals and turning them to their own profit. 
 Such a bird as the shrike could hardly escape their ob- 
 servation, and, accordingly we find that the keen per- 
 ception, and intense hatred that the bird exhibits to- 
 wards the falcon tribe, are used by the fowlers when 
 they are engaged in hawk-catching. 
 
 And the mode employed is as follows. 
 
 A hut is built, in which sits the fowler, and outside 
 the hut are placed some pigeons, as a bait, the net 
 l3eing arranged in such a manner that when the hawk 
 dashes at- the pigeons, the net is drawn over him, 
 and he is captured. From the net a long string 
 leads into the hut, and it is by a sudden jerk of the 
 string that the net is drawn. 
 
 In order that the attention of the hawk may be di- 
 rected to the pigeons, it is necessary that there should 
 be some means of making them flutter their wings 
 when a hawk comes in sight. Another string is, there- 
 fore, so arranged, that when it is pulled, the pigeons 
 are thrown off their balance, and are consequently 
 forced to flap their wings in order to regain it. 
 
 Now, the fowler would find himself condemned to 
 a very severe task, if he were forced to keep his eyes 
 always wandering over the sky ; and even if he could 
 do so, he would probably permit many a hawk to pass 
 
278 SHKIKES. 
 
 by without seeing it. So he looks for an assistant 
 who has better eyes for a hawk than himself, and this 
 assistant he finds in the shrike. 
 
 In order to give the bird the best opportunities of 
 exhibiting his powers, the fowler raises a small turf 
 hillock, and having driven a wooden peg into the 
 hillock, to that peg he attaches the shrike by a string. 
 Within the length of the string he builds a tiny hut, 
 a place of refuge for the bird, composed of two or 
 three pieces of turf laid upon each other, something 
 like a Druidical monument. 
 
 Having taken these precautions, the fowler busies 
 himself about some sedentary occupation in his hut, 
 knowing that the shrike will give him notice of a hawk, 
 when it even only appears as a black speck in the sky. 
 
 When a hawk is seen, the shrike ruffles up his 
 feathers, and looks earnestly in the direction of the 
 obnoxious bird. This is a signal for the fowler, who 
 straightway pulls the bait-string, which sets the 
 pigeons in a flutter, and seldom fails of attracting the 
 attention of the hawk. As he approaches, the shrike 
 becomes more and more agitated, and just as the 
 hawk comes overhead, fairly dives into his house. 
 The fowler knows the meaning of that movement, 
 and, taking the net-string in his hand, is ready to 
 pull it immediately upon the entrance of the hawk 
 within the scope of the net. 
 
 So sharp-sighted is the shrike, and so expressive 
 are his movements, that an experienced fowler can 
 tell what kind of hawk is near, merely from the be- 
 haviour of the shrike. For kites and buzzards he 
 does not much care, but a falcon terrifies him, and if 
 the goshawk should come by, he not only exhibits 
 extraordinary fear, but screams with terror, and tries 
 to break away from his bondage, for he knows that, 
 although his turf-house will defend him from ordi- 
 nary hawks, the goshawk would pull him out in a 
 very short time. 
 
 This ingenious mode of fowling is practised in 
 
FEATHERED MIMIC. 279 
 
 many counties, and the modes of arranging the baits 
 and ' the watchman shrike vary according to the 
 locality. 
 
 It is from this custom that the grey shrike is called 
 'excubitor,' a name that signifies a sentinel or a 
 watchman. 
 
 The shrikes, although they partake much of the 
 nature of the pfedaceous birds, are yet endowed with 
 some musical abilities. Their power of song is not 
 very great, but the notes are soft and sweet. And, 
 curiously enough, not only does the grey shrike 
 imitate the mocking-bird in plumage, as we have 
 already seen, but possesses also some of its imitative 
 faculties. 
 
 Of this remarkable fact we are told by many 
 naturalists who have had opportunities of watching 
 both birds in their native haunts, and among them, 
 or rather chief of them, is Audubon, who speaks of 
 their imitative power in the following words : 
 
 " This valiant little warrior possesses the faculty 
 of imitating the notes of other birds, especially such 
 as are indicative of pain. Thus it will often mimic 
 the cries of sparrows and other small birds, so as to 
 make you believe you hear them screaming in the 
 claws of a hawk ; and I strongly suspect this is done 
 for the purpose of inducing others to come out from 
 their coverts to the rescue of their suffering brethren 
 On several occasions I have seen it in the act of 
 screaming in this manner, when it would suddenly 
 dart from its perch into a thicket, from which there 
 would immediately issue the real cries of a bird on 
 which it had seized. 
 
 " On the banks of the Mississippi, I saw one which 
 for several days in succession had regularly taken its 
 stand on the top of a tall tree, where it from time 
 to time imitated the cries of the swamp and song- 
 sparrows, and shortly afterwards would pitch down 
 like a hawk, with its wings close to its body, seldom 
 failing to obtain the object of its pursuit, which it 
 
280 SHRIKES. 
 
 would sometimes follow even through the briars and 
 brambles among which it had sought refuge. 
 
 " When unable to secure its prey, it would reascend 
 to its perch, and emit loud and discordant notes of 
 anger. Whenever I could see it strike its victim, it 
 appeared to alight on its back, and instantly strike 
 its head, which on such occasions I have several 
 times found torn open. If not disturbed, the shrike 
 would then tear up the body, and swallow in large 
 pieces, not well cleaned of the feathers, every part 
 excepting the wings. 
 
 " It now and then pursues birds that are on the wing 
 to a considerable distance. Thus I saw one follow a 
 turtle-dove, which, on being nearly caught, pitched 
 on the ground, when its skull was bruised in a mo- 
 ment; but the next instant both birds were in my 
 possession." 
 
 Both the mocking-bird and the shrike are fond of 
 deluding the smaller birds, but for different objects. 
 The mocking-bird merely delights in playing off prac- 
 tical jokes, while the shrike is in real earnest. Still, 
 the little birds hate to be deceived, and therefore 
 detest both mocker and shrike with nearly equal 
 energy. 
 
 The mode by which the shrike slays the unfortu- 
 nate bird which it catches is generally by seizing it 
 by the throat and so strangling it. And the force 
 which it must employ is not trifling, for it is no easy 
 matter to strangle even a sparrow, owing to the great 
 powers of respiration which are possessed by all 
 birds. The attack on the head appears to imme- 
 diately follow that on the throat. 
 
 I have already related one mode of using the 
 shrike in fowling, namely, for the purpose of catch- 
 ing hawks, but it appears from an old work on field 
 sports that it has been used as a hawk for the pur- 
 pose of catching small birds. 
 
 Before quoting the passage to which I refer, I will 
 mention one or two of the titles by which this bird 
 
THE MATAGASSE. 281 
 
 has been called, because, as it is mentioned by a 
 rather curious name, it is necessary to be sure that 
 the name refers to the shrike. 
 
 In some parts of England it bears the name of 
 the mountain pie, or the murdering pie, because, 
 judging merely by the contrasts of light and shade 
 in its plumage, it presents at a distance something of 
 a pied aspect In some parts of Germany it is called 
 the neuntoder or ninekiller, because it was supposed 
 to kill nine birds every day, while in other parts of 
 the same country it is named the " suffocating angel." 
 Many German words still exist, either intact or cor- 
 rupted, in the patois of our rural districts, and so in 
 Yorkshire, we find that the bird goes by the title of 
 ' were-angel," which is evidently a corruption from 
 the German. The falconers of the middle -ages 
 termed the grey shrike the "mattagess," or "matta- 
 gass," and it is by this name that the bird is men- 
 tioned. 
 
 "Though the matagasse bee a hauke of none 
 account or price, neyther with us in any use ; yet 
 neverthelesse, for that in my division I made re- 
 citall of her name, according to the French author 
 from whence I collected sundries of these points and 
 documents appertaining to falconrie, I think it not 
 beside my purpose briefly heere to describe unto you, 
 though I must needs confesse that where the hauke 
 is of so slender value, the definition, or rather descrip- 
 tion of her nature and name, must be thought of no 
 great regard. Her feeding is upon rattes, squirrells, 
 and lizards, and sometime upon certaine birds she 
 doth use to prey, whome she doth intrappe and 
 deceive by flight, for this is her devise. 
 
 -" She will stand atpearche upon some tree or poste, 
 and there make an exceeding lamentable crye and ex- 
 clamation, such as birdes are wont to doe being 
 wronged or in hazard of mischiefe, and all to make 
 other foules believe and thinke that she is very much 
 distressed and standes needeful of ayde ; whereupon 
 
282 SHEIKES. 
 
 the credulous sellie birdes doe flocke together pre- 
 sently at her call and voice, at what time, if any 
 happen to be neare her, she out of hand ceazeth on 
 them, and devoureth them, (ungratefull subtill foule !) 
 in requital of their simplicity and pains. 
 
 " These haukes are in no accompt with us, but 
 poor simple fellowes and peasants sometime doe 
 make them to the fiste, and being reclaimed after 
 their unskilful manner, doe bear them hooded, as 
 falconers doe their other kind of haukes, whom they 
 make to greater purposes. 
 
 " Heere I end of this hauke, because I wishe ac- 
 compt to be worthy the name of a hauke, in whom 
 there resteth no valour or hardiness, or yet deserves 
 to have any more written of her propertie and nature 
 more than she was in mine author (Francesco Sforzino 
 Vyncentino), specified as a member of my division, and 
 there repeated in this number of long-winged haukes. 
 
 " For truly it is not the property of any other 
 hauke, by such devise and cowardly will to come by 
 their prey, but they love to winne it by main force of 
 winges at random, as the round-winged haukes doe, 
 or by free stooping, as the haukes of the tower doe 
 most commonly use, as the falcon, gerfalcon, sacre, 
 merlyn, and such like, which doe lie upon their wing, 
 roving in the ayre, and ruffe the foule, or kill it at 
 the encounter." 
 
 The great grey shrike is said not to breed in this 
 country, but I have certainly seen eggs which their 
 owner told me were taken from nests found in Eng- 
 land. And he is a very careful ornithologist, possessing 
 a remarkably complete cabinet of the eggs of British 
 birds, admitting none but genuine British specimens 
 without marking them as foreign And a gentleman 
 who searched after their nests found six within a line 
 of five miles in length. However, I have not been 
 so successful, never having seen a single nest. 
 
 This shrike does not confine itself in the matter of 
 food to little birds, but will pounce upon, kill, and 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. 283 
 
 devour mice, which it does not attempt to swallow 
 whole like the cwls, but tears them in pieces. In 
 America it has been seen to sit for hours together on 
 a fence near a rice stack, watching for the mice just 
 like a cat, and seizing them as readily. 
 
 Insects of all kinds form part of its food, for it 
 has a most accommodating appetite, and an enviable 
 power of making itself comfortable under any circum- 
 stances. It prefers hedge-sparrows, linnets, or other 
 little birds ; but if it cannot find them, or if they 
 are too shy, it will make itself happy with a mouse, 01% 
 failing mice, contents itself with grasshoppers or 
 beetles, and is not above spiders. 
 
 There are many species of shrikes in the world 
 so many, indeed, that the systematic naturalists have 
 been sadly perplexed to find their correct position in 
 the chain of animated nature. So the poor shrikes 
 are insulted by division into families and sub-families 
 with wonderful names, and are bandied about from 
 one system to another like one shuttlecock among a 
 dozen battledores, or one mouse among as many cats. 
 
 One naturalist pounces on the bill, and straightway 
 drags the shrikes into his Eostral system ; another 
 seizes on the legs, and flings them into his Pedal 
 system ; a third declares that as they eat birds and 
 mice they ought to be placed among the predaceous 
 tribes; while another lays equal stress upon their 
 habit of feeding on grasshoppers and beetles, and 
 wants them to be inserted in the list of the Musci- 
 capidaB or flycatchers. It is fortunate for the peace 
 of mind of the shrikes that they live in ignorance of 
 their ov;n unsettled state. 
 
 The great American shrike is a terrible enemy to 
 the small birds, and occasionally to birds much larger 
 than itself. One of these birds suffered much from 
 a very severe winter, and could find no food. Being 
 driven by hunger it entered Boston, and there spied 
 a canary in its cage that was hung in the dhi ing- 
 room of one of the houses. It dashed with all its 
 
'284 SHKIKES. 
 
 force at the canary, and, although the window pane 
 was made of plate-glass, it broke through without 
 injury, and had actually torn the canary out of the 
 cage and killed it before assistance could be rendered 
 to the poor little victim. 
 
 As to the red-backed shrike (Lanius Collurio) I 
 have seen it often enough, for it is a much commoner 
 bird than is generally imagined. The first time that 
 I saw one I mistook it for a redstart, which bird it 
 much resembles when on the wing, as there is a 
 reddish band on the back which flashes in the sun- 
 shine, as the bird flies in a manner closely resembling 
 the redstart. From this circumstance, the rustics 
 often call it the " flasher," or " flusher." 
 
 At the time mentioned, I was walking along the 
 hedges searching for nests, when a very loud scream- 
 ing issued from the bushes at about ten yards' dis- 
 tance, arid a redstart, as I thought, flew out of the 
 hedge for some six or seven yards, and then re- 
 entered the bushes. The scream, or rather squall, 
 seemed a very curious performance for a redstart, and 
 I very naturally turned to see what could have occa- 
 sioned it. 
 
 Suddenly I caught sight of a beetle, Staphylinus 
 erythropterus, stuck on a thorn. It was rather a 
 singular circumstance, because it is not so common 
 an insect as to be found growing, as it were, on 
 the hedges. A closer inspection showed several 
 more beetles of the same species, several humble- 
 bees, and one or two ground beetles, besides other 
 insects. Then the idea of a shrike first occurred to 
 my mind, and the next object seen was the nest 
 itself, laden with its eggs. This was a welcome 
 sight, as I was then able to identify an egg of the 
 same kind which I had found a few days previously, 
 but which no one could name. 
 
 Ever after that time there was not the least difn 
 culty in finding the nest of the red -backed shrike, for 
 if either of the parents were at home they always 
 
RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 285 
 
 set up such a clamour that the position of the nest 
 was indicated without further trouble, or if they were 
 both absent the impaled insects were excellent sign- 
 posts. 
 
 Some naturalists say that this shrike feeds upon 
 young or small birds. I can only say that I have 
 never seen anything of the kind, nor even a vestige 
 of a dead bird or a mouse, although I have watched 
 many a nest. Insects in abundance are always to be 
 found spitted on the neighbouring thorns, but never 
 a scrap of fur or one single feather betrayed the murder 
 of a mouse or a bird. 
 
 Also, it is said that the object of thus impaling 
 these insects is for the purpose of attracting little 
 birds on whom it intends to pounce. But if, as I 
 think, and am supported by several out-door natural- 
 ists in thinking, the red-backed shrike does not feed 
 on birds at all, that argument falls to the ground. 
 It may be that the shrike likes its dinner to be 
 slightly toasted in the sun, or possibly this transfixion 
 may be a method of disposing of its surplus prey, 
 just as the magpies hide away their superabundance 
 in corners. 
 
 Wilson says on this subject that we might as well 
 imagine the farmer to desire to attract other crows to 
 his fields by hanging up those which he has shot, as 
 that the shrike wishes to attract other victims when 
 treating his prey in a similar manner 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CANARIES. 
 
 Why a Coat was hung up. Introduction of the Canary into 
 England. History of my Canaries. Antiqua and Nova. 
 Their Cage and its Construction. My wicked Cat 
 Sad Fate of Antiqua, and danger of Nova. How to pre- 
 vent a Cat from killing Birds. Pussy's Memory. His 
 Dignity.- Nova injured. Her Kecover}^ Nova an a 
 Journey. 
 
 A FEW weeks since, an old college friend called 
 upon me, and, taking off his over-coat, laid it over 
 the back of a chair on which a coat of my own was 
 hanging. We hegan to talk about olden times, and 
 after a while I took both coats off the chair, and 
 hung them up. Now, as authors, and especially 
 those who write on natural history, suffer many re- 
 bukes from the female world on account of their 
 general untidiness, especially as exemplified in their 
 arrangement of books and papers, I here pause, in 
 the hope that every lady who reads these lines will 
 afford me the unaccustomed praise of being " tidy 
 for once." 
 
 Must I also say undeserved praise ? Such, alas ! 
 is the case, for the cause of these coats being hung 
 up, proceeded not from the fairy Order, but from 
 a shipwreck that occurred about four hundred years 
 ago. 
 
 It may seem strange that two events so dissimilar 
 in point of value, and so widely apart in point of 
 time, should have any connecting links between 
 them, but that such is the case I shall now show. 
 Between the years- 1400 and 1500 A.D., a ship was 
 sailing to Leghorn, having for part of her cargo a 
 
INTRODUCTION INTO ENGLAND. 287 
 
 number of little birds of a dark green colour, very 
 lively and very. musical. These birds, having been 
 caught in the Canaiy Islands, were called, from 
 their country, Canary-birds. 
 
 Now, as this ship was proceeding on her voyage, 
 she was unfortunately wrecked, not far from the 
 island of Elba, and her winged passengers, making 
 the best use of their wings, flew over to the 
 island, where they soon attracted the attention of 
 so music-loving a nation as the Italians, who con- 
 trived to catch every bird,- and brought them over to 
 the Continent. 
 
 From Italy they soon spread into other countries, 
 especially into Germany and the Tyrol, and from 
 thence into England, where, in process of time, they 
 became the ancestors of eight canaries that inhabit 
 one very large cage in my room. 
 
 It so happened that, as my friend and myself 
 were conversing, the canaries thought themselves 
 bound to follow our example, and being possessed of 
 much louder voices than the two bipedes implumes, and 
 some four or five choosing to sing at the same time, 
 they soon silenced us, and compelled us to darken 
 their cage with the first covers that came to hand, 
 in order to hear ourselves speak. 
 
 The two coats were convenient for the purpose, 
 and that is the reason why those coats were hung up. 
 
 Amusing little creatures they are, and very plea- 
 sant to have in the room, except in such a case as 
 has been mentioned; for there are eight of them, 
 and each has its own peculiar temper, disposition, 
 and habits, just as if they were so many human 
 beings. 
 
 Of my present stock of birds, the aborigines were 
 two, one a very pale, close-feathered bird, and the 
 other a jonque, with rather rough plumage. The 
 pale bird was given to me a week or two before its 
 companion, and therefore arose a difficulty about 
 names. 
 
288 CANARIES 
 
 At first, we were content to speak of the bird 
 as " Dickey," but when a second was placed in the 
 cage, it was necessary to distinguish them, espe- 
 cially as the sex of both was the same, and, there- 
 fore, pronominal distinction was impossible. Find- 
 ing that they were generally spoken of in the family 
 as " the new canary " and " the old canary," I just 
 Latinized the adjectives, and called one "Nova," and 
 the other "Antiqua." These, with a goldfinch, 
 formed the nucleus of the present colony. 
 
 I never could endure the idea of shutting up a 
 bird in a little cage, where it can neither use its 
 wings nor even hop more than an inch or two 
 without striking its head against the roof, or scrub- 
 bing off its tail against the wires, and so hastily 
 knocked up a temporary cage out of an old tea-chest, 
 in which to keep my birds until I could procure 
 them a habitation more suitable to their tastes and 
 my fancy. On inquiry at the manufacturer's, the 
 charge for even a moderate-sized cage was so high, 
 that I determined to set about one myself, and, after 
 some consideration and much labour, produced the 
 residence which I shall now describe. 
 
 The measurement is, roughly, three feet long, two 
 feet wide, and two deep. The front and the two ends 
 are wire, and the top, back, and floor of mahogany. 
 There is no other wood allowed in it, for mahogany 
 repels the vermin that infest canaries so much if 
 they are kept in a cage made of deal or other soft 
 wood. There are, altogether, five doors to the cage, 
 the largest being at the back, and capable of admit- 
 ting a full-grown man, if he wished to enter. A 
 border of glass, four inches deep, runs around the 
 bottom of the cage, so that the birds, though always 
 visible, cannot scatter the husks and sand on the 
 carpet ; and there are two sliding floors that can be 
 removed, when necessary, in order to cleanse them 
 thoroughly. 
 
 But the chief point in the cage is, that the various 
 
NOVA AND ANT1QUA. 289 
 
 portions are held together by screw-bolts and nuts, 
 so that it can be taken to pieces in five minutes, 
 packed flat, and removed without the least in- 
 convenience. When packed, it looks like a large 
 wooden portfolio, for the wire sides and front lie 
 between the solid floor and roof, which being one 
 inch larger every way, protect the wires perfectly. 
 
 In this residence the birds can use their wings 
 freely, and seem exceedingly happy. Indeed, if the 
 doors are all opened they generally refuse to leave 
 their home, and when they are periodically turned 
 out, so that the cage may be well cleansed, they sit 
 as close to their residence as they can, in order to 
 return when the doors are opened again. Generally, 
 two or three decline altogether to leave the cage, and 
 have to be forcibly expelled 
 
 If the birds breed well this year, I shall add a 
 dome eighteen inches high, in order to accommo- 
 date the larger population. This dome, so to call it, 
 will be something after the form of the transept roofs 
 of the Crystal Palace, and will also be made with a 
 view to removal. 
 
 The delight of Nova, and Antiqua, in taking pos- 
 session of their new home, was very great. As to 
 the goldfinch, he seemed to take a veiy philosophical 
 view of the matter, and was equally at his ease in 
 the very tiny cage in which he had lived formerly, or 
 in the large and roomy residence afterwards provided 
 for him. In both cases he was continually scudding 
 about the floor, chirping in an undertone, pecking at 
 the sand and seed-husks, and always keeping his legs 
 so much bent, that even his feet were hardly seen. , 
 
 Thus they lived very happily for some time, when 
 the course of events was cruelly interrupted by a cat. 
 I regret to say that the miscreant in question was 
 my own cat, a huge, solemn, sleek, and contented 
 animal, who ought to have given up such vanities 
 years ago. He was accustomed to be in the room 
 with the birds, and had never betrayed any particular 
 
 u 
 
290 CANARIES. 
 
 predilection for them, except lazily winking at them 
 now and then, and I should as soon have suspected 
 him of facing a rat, as of catching rny canaries. 
 
 He has unlimited capacities for meat and milk, and 
 a most consistent regard for his own comfort. There 
 is one particular round footstool that he specially 
 affects, because it always stands before the fire, and 
 he exactly fits it when he curls himself round for a 
 nap. Even when his mistress has taken previous 
 possession of that stool, he is crafty enough to de- 
 throne her feet, and to take possession himself. This 
 feat he accomplishes by watching the conversation, 
 and when he thinks her attention sufficiently with- 
 drawn from the stool, he begins to push against her 
 feet. Not thinking of the cause, but only feeling 
 uncomfortable, she removes the foot, and pussy occu- 
 pies the ground. This he repeats until both feet are 
 removed, and then he mounts the stool with a self- 
 satisfied kind of chuckle, curls himself round, and 
 goes to sleep. 
 
 Indeed he will sleep anywhere, and in almost any 
 attitude. If I hang him over my knee or shoulder, 
 he goes to sleep. If I pick him up by all his feet, and 
 sling him like a hammock, he goes to sleep. If he is 
 used in the light of a footstool, he is equally contented, 
 and goes to sleep. So that he was the last person in 
 the house whom I could have suspected. But he ill 
 repaid my confidence, as will be seen. 
 
 One evening I had returned home rather late, and 
 being in the habit of walking in the dark, went into 
 my room without taking a candle with me. As 
 I entered, Nova began to chirp in a very exulting 
 manner, which I thought was caused by her joy at 
 hearing my step. Just then, there was a slight 
 motion, some soft, heavy body came to the ground, 
 and dashed down-stairs. My heart misgave me, and 
 on procuring a light, I was surprised to see the cage 
 occupied only by Nova, who continued to chirp. 
 Presently I found some goldfinch feathers under the 
 
DEATH OF ANTIQUA. 291 
 
 table, and just beneath the cage, was the dead body 
 [>f Antiqua. 
 
 I could not at first conceive how the cat could 
 have dragged them out of the cage, for it is so large 
 that his paws would not reach half across it, and the 
 birds c.ould easily keep out of his way. But on a 
 sloser examination, I found two of the wires actually 
 torn out, immediately over the spot where poor An- 
 tiqua's body was lying. Through this small aper- 
 ture the cat had forced his way, and, being within 
 the cage, caught the goldfinch. This he seems to 
 have eaten under the table, and to have returned to 
 the cage for another victim. He also caught Nova, but 
 she managed to escape from his claws, and he then 
 pounced on Antiqua, killed her, and was just taking 
 her out of the cage, when he was alarmed at my 
 3ntrance. 
 
 The force that the cat employed in gaining admis- 
 sion must have been singularly great, for even with 
 proper tools I found that a hard pull was needed even 
 to loosen any of the wires, much more to draw them 
 3ut entirely. 
 
 Antiqua was quite dead, her poor little skull being 
 broken all to pieces. She was still warm, and had 
 evidently been killed just as I entered the room. 
 Puss, being frightened, dropped his prey and rushed 
 off to the cellar, in hopes of escaping unrecognised. 
 But he was much mistaken, for I went after him, and 
 whipped him severely, at the same time showing him 
 the dead bird. I thought, however, that he might 
 forget the whip, and determined to work upon his 
 faculty of self-esteem, which in him is very great. 
 
 So I pecked his nose with the dead bird's beak, six 
 or seven times, and then released him. Down went 
 puss into the cellar, and would not make his usual 
 appearance at breakfast next morning. After break- 
 fast I took the bird into the cellar, found puss hi 
 bed, and pecked his nose again. That discipline 
 was repeated several times daily for three days, at 
 
 u 2 
 
CANARIES. 
 
 the expiration of which time I had a long talk wit! 
 him on his misconduct, showing him the bird at ir 
 tervals, and telling him that if he would behave prc 
 perly for the future, I would forgive him. 
 
 Generally, a cat does not take punishment as 
 dog does, and ever after abhors and avoids the pe] 
 son who punished it. But puss quite comprehende 
 the circumstances, and next day came when I calle 
 him, just as usual. 
 
 He has not forgotten his lesson. A few week 
 ago, two birds belonging to my brother, died 
 curiously enough, one was a canary, and the othe 
 a goldfinch. He thought that, as they were deac 
 the cat might as well eat them, and therefor 
 offered them to him. But at the sight of the birdi 
 puss set up his back, and began to growl and spi 
 as if the two dead birds had been two live dogs. 
 
 He was thoroughly ashamed of himself while I wa 
 reasoning with him, and hid his face with his tai 
 For he is usually a majestic and stately animal, e: 
 pecting to be treated with much respect, and nc 
 even to be spoken of with levity. If we laugh a 
 him, or offend his sense of honour in any other wa] 
 he gets up slowly, waves his tail about solemnly, an 
 disappears under a large chair, declining to emerg 
 for any less consideration than milk. 
 
 So it may be imagined how grievously he mus 
 have felt the indignity of nose-pecking. 
 
 For the loss of the goldfinch I cared comparativel 
 little, but that Antiqua should have fallen a victir 
 was especially provoking. Independently of bein 
 the first bird in the aviary, and therefore historicall 
 valuable, she was a very conversational little creature 
 of a beautiful shape, and was just the proper age t 
 take on herself the cares of married life. 
 
 As to Nova, the sole survivor, she is now in th 
 enjoyment of excellent health, and may possibl 
 begin to build her nest soon. She had an exceec 
 ingly narrow e scape on that fatal night, her own lif 
 
SERIOUS tNJOBY. 293 
 
 and death having been probably only a question of 
 time. 
 
 When I returned from my castigation of the cat in 
 order to repair the cage, a suspicious red stain on 
 Nova's breast caught my attention, and I immediately 
 examined the little bird carefully to see if she had 
 sustained any injury. On blowing up the feathers, 
 I was quite alarmed at the state of things that was 
 revealed. There was a wound extending from the 
 side of the neck nearly to the middle of the breast, 
 one of her wings was broken, several of the quill 
 feathers missing, others broken across, and the 
 greater part of her tail had been pulled out. 
 
 I did 'lot think that she could recover, but still 
 took every precaution that bird surgery permits, by 
 snipping off the broken feathers, dressing the wound, 
 &c., and in a few weeks Nova was quite well, with 
 the exception of her damaged tail, which, however, 
 soon grew again. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 History of Canaria. Net-door. The Court Journal. Melan- 
 choly Event. Unprincely and unpaternal Conduct. Im- 
 portance of Ventilation. Eric and his Character. His 
 Benevolence and eccentric Habits. Zephyrus. Her 
 Arrivals. Illness and Cure of Cicindela. Recipe for the 
 Surfeit. Fits. Arrival of Osmond. His pugnacious 
 Character. His Marriage with Cicindela. Conjugal 
 Quarrels, and Eeconciliation. 
 
 As the history of my birds now dates from a fresh 
 source, I must leave them for the present, and pass 
 on to the history of another aviary, belonging to 
 a young lady who is quite an enthusiast in bird- 
 keeping. 
 
 Her feathered flock live in a room fitted up with 
 perches, nests, and other necessary furniture. There 
 is a spacious bath on the floor, capable of accom- 
 modating four birds at a time, and other vessels are 
 placed conveniently about the room, containing food, 
 sand, and drinking-water. 
 
 The door of the room has been removed, and 
 its place is supplied by a net which hangs over 
 the aperture, and which is much more suitable 
 than a door, because the visitor can enter the 
 room without leaving space for the birds to fly 
 out, which would necessarily be the case if an 
 ordinarily-shaped door were used. The net is much 
 larger than the door, and is hitched over certain 
 nails fixed to the door-posts, so that when a visitor 
 wishes to enter, he merely loosens the net at the 
 lower corner, and so can enter and refasten it without 
 leaving room for a single bird to pass. 
 
 I very much recommend the net system, but 
 should like to see a board some six inches wide 
 nailed across the bottom of the door after the way 
 of a threshold, for the canaries are very inquisitive 
 
HISTORY OF C AH ARIA. 
 
 295 
 
 little folk, and they constantly try to squeeze them- 
 selves under the net. 
 
 This is quite a palace for the birds, and, in order to 
 carry out the palatial idea, its inhabitants are all 
 invested with titles of corresponding dignity. Also, 
 in imitation of the Court Journal and the Morning 
 Post and other fashionable papers, a regular court 
 journal of the feathered royalties is kept. I thought 
 the idea so amusing that I asked for a copy of part of 
 the journal, which was most kindly given to me, toge- 
 ther with a list of the names and titles. It is such a 
 stately document, that I insert it precisely as written. 
 
 I must first premise that it is held a grievous insult 
 to speak of the " birds," or the " canaries." No less 
 title than " princes" is permitted, and indeed, if 
 "birds" are mentioned, 110 one seems to comprehend 
 that the canaries in question are the subject of dis- 
 course. 
 
 COURT JOURNAL OF CANARIA. 
 
 TITLES. 
 
 NAMES. 
 
 DOMINIONS. 
 
 His Supreme Majesiy 
 
 Kdredine 11 
 
 Kin" of Myrtilenastiua. 
 
 Her Supreme Majesty 
 
 Liliua 
 
 Queen Consort. 
 
 Her Supreme Majesty 
 
 
 Queen Dowazer. 
 Prince of Mezereon. 
 
 His Supreme Highness 
 
 K^ina . . 
 
 Her Supreme Highness ... 
 
 Agerona 
 
 Princess of Mezereon. 
 
 Her Supreme Highness 
 
 Eaina 
 
 Princess of Cyprestine. 
 
 His Supreme Highness 
 
 Kric 
 
 Prince of Cyprestine. 
 Princess of Krmintine. 
 
 Her Supreme Highness 
 
 Serena . 
 
 Her Supreme Highness ... 
 
 Mindora 
 
 Princess of Azure. 
 
 Her Supreme Highness ... 
 His Supreme Highness 
 
 Ederena Ethelind 
 
 Princess of Eldregiue. 
 
 Prince 
 
 Ethelredine 
 
 Karl of Edestine. 
 
 His Resplendent Highness 
 
 Egerius Edeue Burnmn- 
 
 Prince of Onyxtine. 
 
 
 dine 
 
 
 Her Resplendent Highness 
 His Resplendent Grace ... 
 
 Zamora Therida Zemla... 
 Ormundine 
 
 Princess of Onyxtiue. 
 Earl of Terrasrona. 
 
 His High Grace 
 
 Eidred 
 
 Earl of Eiina, First 
 
 
 
 Tutor to His Supreme 
 
 
 
 Majesty King Edre 
 
 
 
 dine It. 
 
 His Brilliancy 
 
 Syrenus 
 
 Viscount Argentine, Se- 
 
 
 
 cond Tutor to His 
 
 
 
 Supreme Majesty. 
 
 His Celestial Majesty 
 
 Agenorius II 
 
 King of Canaria. 
 
 Her Celestial Majesty 
 His Celestial Highness ... 
 
 Kdelinda 
 Zephyrus Gerreantine ... 
 
 Queen Consort. 
 Prince of Ebene. 
 
896 CANARIES. 
 
 " King Edredine I., who was me most beloved 
 of all the princes, died last year. This event caused 
 the greatest affliction. He was a beautiful creature. 
 His song rivalled that of the nightingale, and all day 
 long he poured forth from his little throat floods of 
 most exquisite melody. He was veiy loving to his 
 consort and their little progeny. 
 
 " While the queen was sitting for the third time, 
 he was attacked with violent sickness, and became 
 very ill. But he still w r ent into the nest whenever 
 the queen called to him. At last he became so ill as 
 scarcely to be able to get to it. On the third morn- 
 ing I found him dead on the nest, the queen sitting 
 close to him. She evidently understood he was dead, 
 for she never again called to him. 
 
 " Three little ones were born a week after this 
 melancholy event. The queen brought up, alone, the 
 prince and two princesses thus mournfully deprived 
 of their father's care. The young prince King 
 Edredine II. now reigns in Myrtilenestinc. 
 
 " Count Philomel married the Princess Seraphine, 
 famed for her great beauty and accomplishments. 
 She was accidentally killed by one of the giants, who 
 at that time infested the principality. So devoted 
 was his love for her, that he pined away, and died of 
 grief four days afterwards. 
 
 " Count Philomel was a goldfinch, F. had taught 
 him very amusing little tricks. As soon as she en- 
 tered the room where he was, he always began to 
 rattle a little chain until she came up to him. He 
 would then take seed from her mouth, and if she 
 held it from him a moment, he went to the chain and 
 began rattling it again. 
 
 "Princess Seraphine was a ' Canarian.' She was 
 accidentally stepped upon. They were always toge- 
 ther. As soon as he missed her, he pined away, and 
 died of a broken heart. 
 
 " The Prince and Princess of Onyxtine are a very 
 fond pair. As soon as day closes they always nestle 
 
HISTOKY OF CANARIA. 297 
 
 close together on the same perch. They are the 
 only pair that do so. While the Princess is sitting, , 
 the Prince constantly supplies her place when she 
 leaves the nest. This she never does without first 
 calling to him to intimate her intention. He imme- 
 diately attends to her call, but before he takes her 
 place, he goes down and eats, then sits on the nest 
 until the Princess returns. 
 
 "Before he sits down, however, he examines the 
 nest to see if there are any young ones, and the 
 moment he sees one he begins to feed it. Having 
 performed this duty, he then sits 1 down until his 
 spouse returns. But he always shows unwillingness 
 to relinquish his post. When the Princess returns 
 she tells him to come off. 
 
 " F. declares that she understands their language 
 perfectly, but he takes no notice of words, so that 
 she is obliged to get herself in by degrees and at last 
 she pushes him out. Then making herself comfort- 
 able she holds up her mouth to him and he feeds 
 her. 
 
 " But truth obliges me to declare, much as I admire 
 the character of this prince, that he has a failing. I 
 do not know w r hether it arises from a spirit of mis- 
 chief, or whether it springs from the activity of his 
 mind, which seems to demand constant occupation ; 
 but the moment his little ones have left the nursery 
 and are under his care, he begins pulling out their 
 feathers and is not satisfied until he has left every 
 one of them without a tail. 
 
 " His eldest son Prince Ethelredine is to be mar- 
 ried next Saturday to her Supreme Majesty Queen 
 Zena, widow of King Edredine I. 
 
 " Six years ago the founder of Canaria, King 
 Zephyrus I., very nearly lost his consort. 
 
 " F. took with her to Eastbourne King Zephyrus 
 and his consort, Queen Serena, and the young heir to 
 the throne, the Prince of Ebene, who was six weeks 
 old. Five weeks after their arrival the Queen had 
 
298 CANARIES. 
 
 five more little ones, the youngest was born on the 
 eventful day. 
 
 " One evening, on returning from a walk, F. went as 
 usual to look at her favourites, and found, to her con- 
 sternation, the window and the side-entrance to their 
 palace wide open. Queen Serena was accustomed to 
 fly about the room, she had flown out of the window, 
 her son having flown away with her, and of course 
 could not find their way back again. King Zephyrus 
 had not gone with them, but remained with his young 
 children. Emissaries were immediately despatched 
 in all directions, and a reward offered for their reco- 
 very. 
 
 " Queen Serena was very soon brought back, hav- 
 ing allowed herself to be caught. But her son was 
 never found. The moment the Queen entered the 
 palace she went straight to the nest and seated her- 
 self upon it. 
 
 " The nuptials of their great grandson, the Prince 
 of Ebene, will be celebrated in a few days. He is 
 betrothed to the Princess Mindora, third daughter of 
 the late King Edredine." 
 
 The tutors here mentioned, were two German 
 canaries, who possessed the nightingale's song, and 
 were most beautiful songsters. These were kept in 
 cages, in order that the young birds might hear them 
 singing, and so catch their notes. 
 
 Soon after their admission into the aviary the 
 birds began to droop and look sickly. The cause of 
 this circumstance was soon found to be the imperfect 
 state of ventilation, and after a pane of glass had 
 been removed from the upper part of the window, 
 and perforated zinc substituted, their health rapidly 
 improved. 
 
 Two of these birds I ask pardon princes, have 
 been generously transferred to my own aviary, where 
 they are both in the enjoyment of excellent health 
 and spirits. The elder of the two is Prince Eric, 
 who is rather a remarkable individual in his way. 
 
CHARACTER OF ERIC. 299 
 
 He is a most determined songster, exercising his 
 little throat almost incessantly. He cares nothing 
 for a darkened cage, but sings just as boldly as if the 
 sun were shining on him. Even when he fights 
 which I regret to say is constantly the case he does 
 not cease his song, but dashes about the cage, drives 
 his opponent into all the corners, chases him round 
 the bath and under the seed-box, circles round him 
 on the wing, and all the time sings as if he would 
 tear his throat to pieces. 
 
 He has also many excellent qualities, benevolence 
 being the most prominent. Last year he married, 
 and brought up a large family. After he had seen 
 his progeny settled in life, it happened that a nest 
 of young canaries was deprived of the aid of their 
 parents by some misfortune. Eric took compassion 
 on the poor deserted little birds, attached himself to 
 them, and succeeded in rearing them all. 
 
 He has some very curious habits, among which 
 may be mentioned a dislike to a round perch. In- 
 deed, so much does he detest them, that it was made 
 an express stipulation with me that Prince Eric 
 should have a square perch or a shelf, before he was 
 allowed to enter my cage. 
 
 So I made him a square perch, and he never 
 sits on it, always choosing the very spot that an 
 ordinary observer would select as the most un- 
 comfortable in the whole cage. I made a seed- 
 box for the large cage, and constructed the upper 
 portion of it of glass, so that the quantity of 
 seed might be known without opening the box, 
 and disturbing the birds. To guard against the use 
 of the seed-box as a perch, I made the top to slope 
 at an angle of forty-five degrees, so that any bird 
 perching on it would slide off. Yet on this very 
 glass Eric chooses to perch, and prevents himself 
 from slipping by hitching his claws over the edge. 
 
 Lately I put up some nest-boxes and baskets in the 
 cage, and made a domed cover for one of the baskets. 
 
300 CANARIES. 
 
 It was hardly fixed before I heard a great scratching 
 and scuffling, and on looking round I saw Erie seated 
 on the top of the domed nest. It nearly touches the 
 roof of the cage, but he had contrived to squeeze 
 himself between the roof and the nest, and was 
 looking quite at his ease. 
 
 He generally sings on the ground, or on one of 
 these posts, and the only portion of the perches 
 that he condescends to visit, is one spot where the 
 perches intersect each other. 
 
 The second prince is Zephyrus Gerreantine, whose 
 father having lately died, is now the sole representa- 
 tive of his royal family. He is a lively little bird, of 
 a bright orange colour, with black head and wings. 
 He is rather bullied by Eric, but evades him by 
 slipping under the seed-box. A day or two ago, as 
 Gerreantine was sitting quietly near the crossed 
 perches, Eric walked up to him, took him up by 
 the neck, dropped him on the ground, and then took 
 possession of his place. It was done in the coolest 
 and most matter-of-fact way imaginable. 
 
 I have had some idea of drawing and emblazoning 
 the coats of arms of these various families, glazing 
 them, and fixing them round the cage as ornaments. 
 But it would take up so much time that the execu- 
 tion of the idea must be postponed to a future oc- 
 casion. 
 
 On my arrival at my new quarters, I put together 
 the large cage, and thought that it looked rather 
 deserted and uncomfortable with only one inhabi- 
 tant. So I bought a gentleman as a companion for 
 Nova. He is a very bold and sprightly bird, of a 
 dark green colour, and called, by especial desire, 
 Xeranthemus. 
 
 There being now three gentlemen, and only one 
 lady, it was but right that a better arrangement 
 should take place, and so I bought two ladies, 
 one of which I called Cicindela, and the other 
 Notonecta, the former because it is a pretty name, 
 
RECIPE FOR THE SURFEIT. 801 
 
 and the latter because she had lost her ta.il, and 
 when she spread her wings to fly, she looked so 
 like the insect called the water-boatman, that I en- 
 dowed her with its generic title. 
 
 There were then six birds in the cage, and they 
 looked so pretty that it cost me a succession of violent 
 efforts to keep myself from going out immediately 
 and buying six more. 
 
 Soon after her admission into the cage, Cicindela 
 took the surfeit, and became quite bald. Her appear- 
 ance was very remarkable, for the feathers had all left 
 the crown of her head, and her two eyes stood out like 
 two big black balls, set in scarlet sockets. The poor 
 bird was very ill indeed, and I thought that she 
 would die. However, I anointed her head well with 
 sweet almond oil, kept her in a separate cage, and 
 fed her upon the following mixture, which is a most 
 useful one, and one which I append for the benefit 
 of all canary-keepers. 
 
 Take bread, soaked in cold water, and squeezed 
 nearly dry, oil of sweet almonds, lettuce chopped fine, 
 yolk of hard boiled egg, and moist sugar. Mix them 
 well, and give fresh every morning. 
 
 For some time after the bird has been restored to 
 health, it presents a most unsightly figure, and in- 
 deed does not regain its plumage until the season 
 for the moult, at which time it will be restored to its 
 pristine beauty. 
 
 There were other inhabitants of the cage, of 
 whom two died, one from a cold caught during the 
 moult, and the other was found lying dead at the 
 bottom of his cage one morning. He had been per- 
 fectly well all the previous day, so that he must have 
 been seized with a fit, from which he had not strength 
 to recover. 
 
 Canaries are very subject to fits, which come on at 
 the slightest disturbance. I know a canary that 
 always falls down in a fit if a stranger touches 
 his cage, and very often does so even when his 
 
302 CANARIES. 
 
 owner removes the sliding floor. He spreads his 
 wings, utters a succession of little squeaks, falls back- 
 wards on the floor, and there lies gasping for some 
 minutes. Some canary-fanciers bleed their birds, 
 when they have fits, by pulling out one of their tail- 
 feathers, but I do not much advocate the measure. 
 
 My latest importation is a beautiful bird who was 
 sent to me from Kamsgate, and whom I call Os- 
 mond, in honour of the giver. His notes are pecu- 
 liarly sweet, and very powerful. But he is abomi- 
 nably quarrelsome, and if he were permitted to stay 
 among the others, would spend most of his time in 
 chasing and pecking his companions. He does not 
 seem to be particular as to his adversary, for after 
 he has been fighting with Xeranthemus for five or 
 six minutes, he hops on the edge of the bath, takes 
 a sip of water, and then attacks Eric. 
 
 If canaries only knew how ugly they look when 
 they are in a passion, they would never so disfigure 
 themselves. There are Eric and Osmond, two as 
 pretty birds as one can wish to see, and blessed 
 with exquisite voices, standing opposite each other, 
 their necks stretched out, their wings half expanded, 
 their bills open, and scolding each other in the 
 harshest imaginable tone, more fit for a crow than a 
 canary. They have sometimes stood in that absurd 
 attitude for five minutes at a time, without stirring, 
 and then dashed at each other like a couple of 
 game-cocks. 
 
 At last I got angry with Osmond for disturbing 
 the peace of the aviary with his combative disposi- 
 tion, and, to his great dismay, caught him and trans- 
 ferred him to another cage, where he was at liberty 
 to fight the wires or the perch if he chose. 
 
 After he had been there for a few hours, I found 
 that Cicindela was very unhappy at his absence, and 
 was continually flattening herself against the wires of 
 her cage, in order to look at him. So I caught her 
 also, and placed her in another compartment of 
 
MATRIMONIAL DIFFICULTIES. 303 
 
 Osmond's cage. There she was quite as eager as 
 before to get through the bars that separated them, 
 and he, on his part, came and looked at her con- 
 stantly. So, after she had been there about half a 
 day, I removed the partition, and permitted her to 
 join him. 
 
 When she was fairly in the cage with him, she 
 would not have anything to do with him, scolded 
 him if he came too near her, or, if he disregarded 
 her words, she had recourse to deeds, and pecked 
 him. Osmond could not put up with such treat- 
 ment, and pecked her in return. 
 
 Consequently, within five minutes of her entrance 
 into the cage, they had a desperate fight, in the course 
 of which Cicindela took refuge in one of the nest-boxes, 
 and cried for mercy. Osmond, however, stationed 
 himself at the entrance, so that she could not get 
 out again, and pecked away at her quite at his ease, 
 she squeaking pitifully. 
 
 At last she became desperate, made a bold rush 
 at the entrance, and knocked Osmond on the floor. 
 He was so much astonished at this occurrence that 
 he was obliged to drink some water before he could 
 recover himself. He then thought that he would 
 make it up with her, and, in token of reconciliation, 
 brought her a hemp-seed, which she received gra- 
 ciously. Since that time they have been capital 
 friends, and feed each other constantly. 
 
 This seems to be the regular course of things 
 with the matrimonial affairs of canaries, who thus 
 prove the accuracy of Mrs. Malaprop's maxim, that 
 it is best to begin with a little aversion. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 Xeranthemus becomes jealous. Eevenge. Importance of the 
 Morning Sun, and of Quiet. The Birds dislike the Lamp. 
 Osmond perplexed. Observant Character of Canaries. 
 Their Squabbles at Roosting-time. Fighting for Food. 
 Clever Management. Mischievous Habits. Bath put to a 
 wrong Use. Nest Building. Picking a Bone. Their Fear 
 
 of a Ball. How to tame Canaries. Trained Birds 
 
 Bird-Hawkers to be avoided. Masquerading Sparrow. 
 A.D.L.L. 
 
 SINCE Osmond has been removed from the cage, 
 Xeranthemus has become a shameful bully, and has 
 also been put into a separate cage. The fact is, that 
 he became very jealous of a young rival, who had 
 proposed to Notonecta, and been accepted, while 
 Xeranthemus cannot find any lady who will smile 
 upon him. I very much fear that he has damaged 
 one of his rival's eyes, for the poor little bird, could 
 hardly open it when I looked at him after one of these 
 quarrels. 
 
 Xeranthemus hit upon an ingenious mode of tor- 
 turing his victim. He chased the hated rival round 
 the cage until he was quite fatigued, and then, driving 
 him into a corner, took a beakful of feathers, and 
 did his best to pull them out. He generally chose 
 the feathers of the back or neck for this purpose, 
 but lately has preferred those of the head, so that I 
 thought it quite time to separate them. 
 
 Three of my birds have now (March 27) taken 
 possession of nests, but whether they will lay and 
 hatch, is doubtful. For the rays of the morning 
 sun are almost indispensable for the successful 
 
BAD LOCALITY. 305 
 
 breeding of canaries, and my windows have a north- 
 eastern aspect, which is just the worst that could be 
 chosen for the purpose. 
 
 Last year they did not even lay an egg, but then 
 they had hardly time to make acquaintance with each 
 other before the season was over, and they had not 
 passed the winter together, which is a most useful 
 preliminary. That year, also (1856), was, by all ac- 
 counts, a very bad year for canaries, and especially 
 fatal to the young birds, many entire broods having 
 perished before they were fledged. 
 
 However, it will not be any disappointment if the 
 birds do not lay, although, if they rear any young, 
 it will be a gratification. 
 
 There is another disadvantage also, namely, the 
 want of quiet, for the window looks out on a noisy 
 street, and the door of the room is seldom closed for 
 any considerable time, except at nigbt. Even then, 
 there is the glare of the lamp, which, being a mode- 
 rator, is very bright. 
 
 When fresh birds are introduced to the aviary, 
 they cannot endure the lamp, and scold me for light- 
 ing it. Formerly I used to throw a covering over 
 the cage, but it was of very little use. Xeranthemus 
 still detests the lamp, and whenever he wakes, begins- 
 to sidle about his perch, and to say, " check ! check ! 
 check ! " in quite an indignant tone. 
 
 As to Osmond, the lamp puzzled him extremely. 
 He is a persevering songster, and even sang within 
 five minutes after his arrival from RamsgatP. Oi> 
 that same evening about 10 P.M., he woke sbdJenly, 
 saw the lamp burning, and evidently thought that i'j 
 must be the sun. So he shook himself, and hegai> 
 his morning's song, nmch to the disgust of Xeran- 
 themus, who set up his "check!" 
 
 Presently a doubt came over him, and he stopped-' 
 abruptly in the middle of a phrase, looked at thu 
 other birds, then at the window, then at the lamp, 
 and finally put his head under his wing. Hardly haOf 
 
306 CANAKIES 
 
 he settled down again before some sound attracted 
 his attention, and he recommenced his song, break- 
 ing off as before. 
 
 After this had occurred several times, he seemed 
 to have made up his mind, and did not wake again. 
 Now he does not care for the lamp at all, nor does 
 it disturb him if I poke the fire or throw on fresh 
 coals. 
 
 Canaries are very observant birds, especially in 
 matters that concern themselves personally. Since 
 they have begun to build, they have been indulged 
 with chopped egg and bread every morning. They 
 approve of this diet amazingly, and in a very short 
 time learned to connect the sound of chopping with 
 the presence of egg. Whenever they hear the wel- 
 come sound, they cease all occupation, jump on the 
 perch, and there sit in a row silently watching the 
 proceeding. They do not even fight while waiting, 
 nor scold each other, which is a proof of their 
 anxiety. 
 
 In general they are always fighting, either in play 
 or in earnest, and towards evening they all fight for 
 their roosts. Nova seats herself on the perch and 
 begins to make herself comfortable. Thereupon Eric 
 gets on the same perch, sidles up to her and drives 
 her off. She retaliates on a third, who probably 
 ejects Eric in his turn, and so they continue to squab- 
 ble, calling each other all sorts of bad names for 
 nearly half an hour, when they all settle down quietly 
 and go to sleep. 
 
 v And the funniest part of the affair is, that they 
 always occupy exactly the same spots night after 
 night, and there is not the least necessity for fighting. 
 
 Then, after the chopped egg has been placed in 
 the cage, another series of combats begins. I always 
 but soft food into a clam-shell, and place it on the 
 floor of the cage. The shell is very convenient, 
 because it can so easily be washed, cannot be over- 
 turned, and is of a veiy elegant form. 
 
FIGHTING FOB FOOD. 307 
 
 I am also in the habit of growing mustard and 
 cress in clam-shells, and so giving the birds their 
 green food in perfection. In such cases, they eat all 
 the plants, including the roots, peck up the earth 
 with their bills, and scatter it all over the cage. 
 
 But when they find such a luxury as chopped egg 
 in their cage, they hold great revelry over it, and in- 
 variably go through precisely the same series of per- 
 formances. 
 
 First, one bird descends, and perches on the edge 
 of the shell, not touching the egg, but only twisting 
 its little head first on one side and then on the 
 other. Down comes another bird, and perches on 
 the opposite side of the shell, when the two scold 
 each other, and mutually retire from their opponents. 
 Much the same manreuvre is repeated by another 
 pair, followed in their turn by a third, until the 
 birds are standing in a circle round the shell, all 
 chattering volubly, but none daring to touch the egg 
 through fear of its companions. 
 
 At last, one bold bird, generally Eric, rushes in, and 
 begins to peck. Three or four of the bystanders im- 
 mediately pounce on him, and chase him into all 
 corners of the cage, he with a piece of egg in his 
 beak which he has not time to swallow, and they 
 abusing him with all their might. 
 
 In the meanwhile the quieter birds are making 
 tremendous play at the egg, eating as fast as they 
 can, and employing to the best advantage the short 
 time that they know will be allowed them. The 
 combatants soon see that the egg is diminishing, and 
 both Eric arid his pursuers make a combined charge 
 among the eaters, and take their places. 
 
 The ejected birds then all ascend to the perches, 
 and try to look as if egg were not of the least conse- 
 quence to them. One of this set is in the habit of 
 going to the seed-box whenever he is driven away 
 from the egg, and making believe to eat rape-seed 
 with much appetite. 
 
808 CANARIES. 
 
 But it is all a pretence, and only intended to throw 
 the others off their guard. For presently, one of the 
 birds gets hold of a larger piece of egg than his 
 companions think him entitled to possess. All his 
 messmates remonstrate with him on the subject and 
 finally chase him away from the shell. He of course 
 resists, and there is another grand skirmish, under 
 cover of which the peaceful birds descend upon the 
 egg, and there feast until again driven away. 
 
 Much the same series of combats may be witnessed 
 on the introduction of a sprig of groundsel or water- 
 cress, after they have been without green food for 
 some days. If they would only assemble quietly 
 round it, each would have his own share without any 
 trouble, but they are so pugnacious, and I grieve to 
 say, so selfish, that every bird tries to prevent his 
 neighbour from obtaining any share at all ; the con- 
 sequence is, that after much hard fighting, one or two 
 of the strongest birds get all the groundsel, and the 
 others are forced to go without even a mouthful. I 
 have known them to fight for half an hour over one 
 eprig of watercress, and at the end of this time not 
 a single bird had even tasted it. 
 
 They are all mischievous little creatures, apparently 
 for the sake of the mischief itself. Nothing seemed 
 to please them more than tossing the seed-husks out 
 of the cage. As this practice tended to disfigure my 
 carpet, I fastened a strip of gauze round the cage, 
 but found that the precaution was of little use, for 
 they set to work at the gauze itself, and soon pecked 
 away the threads that bound it to the wires, beside 
 pushing so much seed between the gauze and the 
 bottom of the cage, and it was impossible either to 
 shift or remove the gauze without dropping an ava- 
 lanche of seed and sand on the carpet. 
 
 However, I conquered them by the introduction of 
 a glass edging to the cage, but it was not until they 
 had rapped their beaks repeatedly against the glass 
 that they ceased their mischief. 
 
NEST-BUILDING. 309 
 
 Even now they have discovered one or two inter- 
 stices where a screw-nut prevents the glass from 
 fitting quite closely, and through these apertures 
 they contrive to push a tolerable number of husks 
 daily. 
 
 Sometimes they take a fancy for putting every- 
 thing into their bath, and, in consequence, although 
 I give them clean and fresh water at ten A.M., when 
 1 come to look at them at noon I find their bath 
 choked up with wool, moss, sand, husks, and some- 
 times crusts of bread. One day I had given them 
 a large supply of groundsel, and was rather sur- 
 prised to find that they had eaten it so quickly. But 
 on a closer examination, I found every scrap of the 
 groundsel safely lodged in the bath. 
 
 As to the wool and moss, which is placed in the 
 cage in order to afford materials for nest-building, 
 they apply ft to every imaginable purpose, except 
 that for which it was intended. At first they tried 
 to push it all out of the cage, but finding that plan 
 impracticable, they set to work, and stuffed the wool 
 into every crevice that they could find. It was in 
 vain that I replaced the wool in the rack, for as fast 
 as I replaced it, they took it away again, so I left 
 them to their own devices. 
 
 I tried to make a nest for one pair, but they would 
 none of it, pulled out all the materials, and piled 
 them up in a corner. After keeping their store thus 
 stacked for a day or two, they took it all back piece- 
 meal, and made it into a nest again. 
 
 They are all very fond of picking a bone, and I 
 sometimes give them the bone from a mutton chop, 
 or even the leg-bone of a fowl. They find great 
 amusement in carrying the bone about the cage, 
 fighting over it, and pecking at it. Sometimes they 
 will carry it to the highest perch, and there assemble 
 in full conclave round it, until the bone falls with a 
 crash, and then they scatter away in all directions. 
 
 They are so fond of play, that I thought to 
 
310 CANAKIES. 
 
 them by the introduction of a gutta-percha cricket- 
 ball, which might roll over when they perched on it, 
 or when they pecked it. But they were all quite 
 afraid of it, and not a bird would even come on the 
 floor as long as the ball remained in the cage. The 
 reason of their fear I cannot imagine, but their 
 dread was so evident that I removed the ball, after 
 it had remained in the cage for two days. 
 
 Canaries can be made very tame, and taught to 
 perform many little tricks, if properly treated. The 
 best way to make them familiar, is to watch when 
 they are nearly fledged, and then to accustom them 
 to the hand. If at the same time they are supplied 
 with some agreeable food, they will soon learn to 
 perch on the hand if it is held out to them, and to 
 sing while sitting on the finger. 
 
 But I do not at all advocate such a course of train- 
 ing as is requisite to make the birds regular actors, 
 for it quite destroys their character, and the effect 
 is simply marvellous without being in the least ele- 
 gant. Birds can be taught to fire guns, to sit on the 
 edge of a trumpet while it is sounded, to enact the 
 part of Mr. and Mrs. Caudle ; and to draw each other 
 about in carriages, but they always look very miser- 
 able, and generally contrive to rub off a large pro- 
 portion of their feathers. 
 
 Let me take this opportunity of dissuading my 
 readers from purchasing those birds that are hawked 
 about the streets. Even if they are really the birds 
 under whose names they are sold, they are defective 
 specimens, picked up cheaply, as the refuse of a regu- 
 lar bird-dealer's store, and then sold for just as 
 much as the buyers can be induced to give. I have 
 known one of these street-dealers ask five shillings 
 for a canary, and consent to take eighteen-pence. 
 
 Sometimes, however, they are not canaries at all, 
 but hedge-warblers, or even common sparrows, 
 painted yellow. There is much ingenuity displayed 
 in the painting and dressing of these imitations, and 
 
A.D.L.L. 311 
 
 often the imitation looks rather handsomer than the 
 genuine specimen. 
 
 One of these birds was bought by a lady, who was 
 charmed with the little creature. It possessed a 
 beautifully rich orange-coloured plumage, was lively, 
 and had a splendid tail, with feathers radiating like 
 a fan. When it was taken home, its mistress placed 
 it in a cage, and gave it some water to bathe in. 
 The bird jumped into the bath, splashed about vigo- 
 rously, and hopped on its perch a simple brown 
 sparrow. It was found that the crafty dealer had 
 painted the feathers very carefully, and had then 
 starched and curled the tail. 
 
 There is an immensity of A.D.L.L. in the world, 
 and it exhibits itself quite as strongly in ornithology 
 as in antiquities. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 CANARIES continued. 
 
 Young Canaries. Juvenile Impertinence. Necessity of Lime 
 for the Birds. Soft Food. Various Bird-seeds. Self-star- 
 . vation. Curious Accidents. Feather Eaters, and Feather 
 Stealers. Canarian Curiosity. Playfulness of Young Birds. 
 Character of Xeranthemus. His Discomfiture. Un- 
 grateful Children. Love of "Make-believe." Various 
 Modes of Bathing. Singular Mistake. Nova's last 
 Failure. Her change of Temper. The Swing Perch. 
 Various Breeds of Canaries. Mule Birds. 
 
 THIS account of the canaries has been written a*, 
 various intervals, spread over nearly an entire year, 
 and I rather prefer to leave the separate narratives as 
 originally written, than to re-model them. There is 
 generally a loss of spirit in over-refining. 
 
 Therefore, I have to say that the season has been 
 very successful, and that, in consequence,' the pro- 
 mised wire dome has been added to the cage, giving 
 it a much lighter appearance. 
 
 The first additions were produced by Nova, who 
 married Eric, and, after spending much unnecessary 
 time and labour, built her nest, laying therein four 
 -eggs. One of the eggs was useless, and Nova turned 
 it out of the nest a habit which seems to be very 
 common with these birds I have seen a bird toss 
 away three eggs out of five in a similar manner. 
 
 In process of time were hatched three little birds, 
 which are, in my opinion, the ugliest specimens of 
 in development that can be imagined. 
 
 They have big heads, huge round eyes, covered 
 
JUVENILE IMPERTINENCE. 313 
 
 with an unhealthy-looking membrane, a beak that 
 opens to an almost unlimited extent, and apparently 
 leaves no room for a brain ; then, attached to this 
 head, is a long, thin, unmanageable neck, of which 
 the windpipe is the most prominent portion, and 
 which is decorated by a few white downy fibres, that 
 are inserted precisely where they might be least ex- 
 pected. 
 
 At the end of the neck is a little round, reddish, 
 semi-transparent body, exhibiting the interior ana- 
 * tomy through its covering, and supporting in some 
 wonderful way a pair of legs. Such legs ! They are 
 long, quite bare of feathers or any such covering, 
 and sprawl with perfect impartiality in every direc- 
 tion, for joints appear to be of no consequence at 
 this period of life. 
 
 As to wings, there are two little projections, edged 
 . with a few white downy tufts, but apparently without 
 power of independent movement. And yet, in five 
 weeks or so, these helpless little objects may be seen 
 flying about the cage and bearding their elders with 
 exceeding coolness. 
 
 One of this family used to be a constant annoyance to 
 Xeranthemus, who bore no relationship to it whatever, 
 and, in fact, had been rejected by the mother. The 
 little bird chose to be fed instead of taking the trouble 
 of feeding itself, which it was perfectly capable of doing, 
 and when its parents would feed it no longer, went 
 off after Xeranthemus. Having found him, the bird 
 used to station itself just in front of him, and to 
 make such a disturbance with voice and wings that 
 Xeranthemus was obliged to feed it in order to obtain 
 peace. 
 
 The rapid increase of size, and consequently of 
 weight, is very remarkable in the early stages of the 
 bird's life. When they are first hatched, there is 
 scarcely any difference in the weight of the eggs or 
 the young birds, and this equality remains for a day 
 or two. Suddenly, the nest is found to have gained 
 
814 CANARIES. 
 
 considerably in weight, and after that time every day 
 brings with it an amount of development that is 
 perfectly marvellous to one who watches closely. 
 And the amount of egg, bread, and seed which they 
 consume does not seem at all commensurate with the 
 effect produced. 
 
 I may as well mention here that every precaution 
 should be taken against any deficiency in soft food 
 while the young birds are still in their infant state, or 
 even while the hen is laying. In the former case, 
 the young may be starved, for they are accustomed 
 to be fed at very short intervals; and in the latter 
 case, the hen sometimes becomes cross, and breaks 
 her eggs just through spite. It is not always for the 
 purpose of eating them, for she often merely breaks 
 and leaves them; but when she has laid an egg, she 
 seems to think that she ought to be recompensed 
 for the trouble and, in fact, strikes for wages. 
 
 The supply of water also ought to be carefully kept 
 up, and also means for producing sufficient lime 
 wherewith to form the egg-shells, which are some- 
 times soft and perishable when the bird has not 
 access to lime. I generally used to pound to a fine 
 powder the shell of the egg which was given as food, 
 and either to mix the powder with the food, or to give 
 it to the birds in a separate vessel. Either plan 
 seemed to succeed. 
 
 A piece of old genuine mortar is a very useful adjunct 
 to the breeding cage, as it is composed of lime, and 
 the birds find great amusement in picking it. I say 
 " genuine " mortar, because in these days even mortar 
 can seldom be found in a pure state, mud forming its 
 chief constituent. We seem to be approaching the 
 condition of the tower of Babel, bricks instead of 
 stone, and slime for mortar. It is no wonder that 
 our houses tumble down. 
 
 The soft food for the canaries in their breeding 
 season should be composed of hard-boiled egg, chopped 
 very fine, and well mixed with finely-crumbled bread 
 
VARIOUS BIRD-SEEDS. 315 
 
 or with biscuit-dust, which is even better than bread. 
 These two ingredients should be thoroughly well 
 mixed before they are put into the cage; because, 
 although canaries like bread-crumbs well, they like 
 egg better, and will toss out all the bread in order to 
 get at the egg. A little, but not much, maw- seed 
 may be advantageously mixed with the bread and egg; 
 and at the beginning of the season, some moist sugar 
 will be found useful. 
 
 If these precautions are carefully attended to r 
 success will be almost certain. There are necessarily 
 adverse influences, against which no one can contend; 
 but where there is one failure through disease, there 
 are a hundred through neglect. Even an insufficient 
 supply of sand will throw a bird into a state of ill- 
 health, from which he never entirely recovers. The 
 quality of the seed should be examined. The canaiy 
 seed should be smooth and polished on its surface, 
 and perfectly dry; the rape-seed should be clear and 
 dark in colour; the maw-seed of a light pale bluish 
 grey, and the hemp-seed large, firm, and well rounded. 
 Of this last but little should be given, as it is of a very 
 heating character. Still the birds are very fond of 
 it; and, in moderation, it is good for them. 
 
 Some bird-keepers say that the hemp-seed should 
 be bruised before it is given, but I do not recommend 
 the practice. The birds ought to be able to crack 
 the seeds themselves, and if they cannot do so, 
 they are not strong enough for such food ; besides, 
 any one may see that the very trouble of cracking the 
 seeds is an amusement for the birds, whose beaks 
 are made for that purpose, and ought to be exercised. 
 We, in the same way, derive great amusement from 
 cracking and peeling walnuts, for which fruit we 
 should not care nearly so much if it were sent to 
 table ready cracked and peeled. 
 
 It is, moreover, found to be the case, that when 
 birds have been accustomed to such extra care, they 
 are incapable of properly shifting for themselves. I 
 
316 CANAKIES. 
 
 have seen a whole cage full of canaries that could 
 not eat seed at all, and were fed on meal. The con- 
 sequence of such mistaken treatment is, that if the 
 birds change owners they are furnished with food 
 that they are unable to eat, and so are starved to 
 death in the midst of plenty. 
 
 Sometimes a bird is starved under very curious cir- 
 cumstances, and in a way that would hardly be sus- 
 pected. It has, we will say, been accustomed to a very 
 small cage, where there is no possibility of exercise, 
 either for wing or leg, and where it can drink water or 
 peck seed without moving more than a step. This 
 bird comes into the possession of a humane individual, 
 who compassionates it, and furnishes it with a roomy 
 cage. When shifted to its new locality, the bird 
 scrambles in alarm on the upper perch, and there 
 sits. It sees the food and water below, but dares not 
 hop such a distance as that between itself and the 
 next perch on the floor, and has no idea of using its 
 wings. So it seems after a while to make up its 
 mind that it must be starved, tucks its head under its 
 wing, and so dies. 
 
 This is not likely to be the case in a eage where 
 there are other birds, for they always bully a new 
 comer, and drive him about, just like so many school- 
 boys. The canary is not so liable to this error as the 
 bullfinch. 
 
 Birds do contrive to damage themselves in singular 
 modes. One of my own canaries drove its head 
 between the bars of the cage, and slipping down to 
 the brass wires, nearly strangled itself before it could be 
 released. Entanglement in the thread net that encloses 
 the moss for the nest is a common occurrence. If 
 & bird who has only been accustomed to cage life is let 
 fly in a room, it often hurts itself severely, and some- 
 times kills itself, by flying towards the light and 
 dashing its head against the glass. 
 
 Wild birds also have been known to fall victims to 
 a similar fate, as will be seen from the following 
 
ACCIDENTS. 317 
 
 anecdote, which I may he excused from repeating 
 here, although it has already appeared in my notes to 
 White's "Selborne." 
 
 A lady, on opening her window, saw a bullfinch 
 quietly seated outside on the sill. To her great 
 surprise it did not move when the window was 
 opened, but permitted itself to be taken up by the 
 hand and carried into the room. When placed on a 
 table, it gave no indication of a wish to escape, but 
 sat still as if it were suffering from illness. 
 
 "An examination being instituted as to the cause of 
 this singular circumstance, a seed was found firmly 
 fixed in the bird's throat. The impediment was soon 
 removed with a needle, and the bird became quite 
 lively. 
 
 " This relief proved but a temporary respite, how- 
 ever, for while a cage was being prepared for its recep- 
 tion, it escaped from the hand of its benefactress, flew 
 hastily to the closed window, and being unaccustomed 
 to glass, dashed itself with such violence against one 
 of the panes, that it fell dead on the ground." 
 
 It sometimes happens, that when the claws of birds 
 grow to a greater length than their ordinary dimen- 
 sions, the bird hitches them among the wires, or upon 
 other objects, and then struggles so violently to es- 
 cape, that it kills itself, or, at least, inflicts serious 
 damage. 
 
 There is a bullfinch of my acquaintance, one of 
 whose claws has assumed the shape of a corkscrew, 
 and by this mis-shapen claw the poor bird is con- 
 stantly entangled. On the last occasion^he was so 
 terrified that he forced his head, large as it is, between 
 the bars, and, by dint of struggling and fluttering, had 
 reduced himself to so weak a state, that his recovery 
 seemed almost impossible. However, he is a sturdy 
 and self-sufficient personage, and soon recovered his 
 strength. 
 
 As adult birds are thus often sufferers, it may be 
 easily imagined that when they are very young, and 
 
318 CAKAKIES. 
 
 especially if they first see the light in a state of cap- 
 tivity, they are exceedingly delicate creatures, and are 
 liable to as many misfortunes as those of unfeathered 
 bipeds. The first few weeks of their existence are 
 peculiarly precarious; for there are so many circum- 
 stances that may injure, that out of twenty young 
 birds hatched, it is hardly safe to count upon more 
 than half their number attaining the age of three 
 months. 
 
 Some of my own have perished in a very strange 
 manner, and others have been saved where their 
 destruction seemed to be inevitable. 
 
 For example, I was opening one of the doors in 
 the cage, when a young bird shot out between my 
 arm and the wires, and began to fly about the room ; 
 after a turn or two, it flew straight to the fire. I 
 succeeded in brushing it away from the dangerous 
 spot; but it instantly returned, and flew into the very 
 midst of the red-hot coals. I snatched it out, expect- 
 ing to find that the poor little thing was so much 
 burned that I should be forced to kill it in sheer 
 mercy. But a close inspection showed that there 
 was no damage done, except a few feathers shrivelled 
 at their extremities, and one scorch-mark on the sole 
 of a foot. 
 
 I replaced the bird in the cage; and it seemed to 
 have suffered no harm, with the exception of the 
 fright. 
 
 Another young bird died in its infancy, from the 
 effects of a severe accident. It tumbled out of its nest 
 a fall equivalent to that from a "three-pair back" 
 and in the morning was found dead, stiff, and perpen- 
 dicular, its head on the ground, and its tail pointing 
 to the zenith. The head was quite buried in its breast 
 from the severity of the blow. 
 
 One of its brothers died soon afterwards ; and, as 
 far as I can see, its death was caused by insufficiency 
 of clothing. Xeranthemus and several other birds 
 were so fond of following it about and pulling out its 
 
FEATHER-STEALING. 319 
 
 feathers, that it was left nearly naked, and was in 
 consequence always shivering. If I had been any- 
 thing of a tailor, I would have made it a flannel 
 frock; but as I have no genius that way, the bird 
 was left to its own devices. 
 
 There seems to be in many birds a strange predi- 
 lection for depriving others of their feathers, for no 
 apparent reason, except that they like to nibble the 
 quills. Xeranthemus, for example, has a quaint habit 
 of sidling up to one of his companions, pulling out 
 one of its feathers, and then sitting on the perch 
 with a complacent aspect, nibbling the quill end of 
 the feather which he has just extracted. The larger 
 the feather, the better he seems to be pleased, and 
 the more noise he makes in nibbling. 
 
 I hold that his conduct is inexcusable, as it only 
 arises from a principle of selfishness, but in another 
 case some excuse may be found. 
 
 Notonecta having found a husband, thought that 
 she ought to put his house in order for him and his 
 expected family, and accordingly made a nest of the 
 usual materials. But when the nest was just com- 
 pleted, she seemed to be dissatisfied at its appear- 
 ance, deserted it, and made a second in another box. 
 Still she appeared to dislike both nests, and went 
 about the cage in a vague and uncertain manner, 
 occasionally looking in her windows, and then flying 
 off. 
 
 At last, she seemed to have discovered where the 
 deficiency lay, and hopping up to a brood of three 
 young birds, about five or six weeks old, proceeded to 
 extract from their bodies several beakfuls of feathers, 
 with which she proceeded to her nest. She then 
 tucked in these soft, downy feathers, and went off for 
 a further supply. In a very few minutes she had 
 picked so many feathers from one little bird, that 
 there were two triangular bald patches left, one on its 
 back and the other on its breast. 
 
 Affairs having arrived at such a pitch, I thought 
 
820 CANARIES. 
 
 that I must protect my little birds, and so gave 
 Notonecta a double-handful of soft down from the 
 breast and wing-coverts of a white owl. She seized 
 on this supply with avidity, stuffed the whole of the 
 down into the nest, and then returned to the young 
 canaries for more feathers. It was impossible to stop 
 her depredations, so I just let her alone. 
 
 She spent nearly a fortnight in making her two 
 nests instead of finishing them in a couple of days 
 as she ought to have done. Whether she injured 
 herself by the delay I know not, but after laying two 
 eggs, with an interval of eight days between them, 
 she died in the course of the night, and in the morn- 
 ing was found lying dead under her nest, and all the 
 other canaries standing; in a circle round her body 
 and looking at her. 
 
 Indeed, I generally find that if one of the birds 
 dies, the others collect round it. They appear per- 
 plexed at the sight of death, and cannot understand 
 why their companion does not hop about as usual. 
 They try all kinds of experiments for the purpose of 
 satisfying themselves that the dead bird will not 
 move, such as pecking it, pulling its tail, or hopping 
 over it. If the dead bird remains undiscovered for 
 any length of time, its companions usually pluck 
 out the greater part of its feathers, not out of sport, 
 but merely in their attempts to make it stir. 
 
 In the present case, I allowed the nest and eggs 
 to remain, in hope that some other bird might take 
 to them, as does sometimes happen. But the other 
 ladies had nests of their own to look after, and the 
 gentlemen were employed in waiting upon and feed- 
 ing their wives, so that the nest was left to the three 
 young birds whose feathers had contributed to its 
 formation, and they held high festival therein. They 
 were particularly pleased at the opportunity, for 
 reasons that will be seen presently, and made the 
 most of their time. Part of the nest they pulled 
 out, and carried about the cage, making believe to 
 
JUVENILE IMPERTINENCE. 321 
 
 build nests of their own, and with the remainder 
 they continued to cover the two deserted eggs. 
 
 Just as one of them had hidden the eggs com- 
 pletely, another would take possession, toss all the 
 covering out of the nest, poke it through the wires, 
 drop it into the bath, or drive it into the interstices 
 of the sliding floor, just as if it were a shipwright 
 employed in caulking a vessel. Another would then 
 take up the business of hiding the eggs, and arrange 
 over them a layer of wool and feathers, which in its 
 turn would be removed. And thus they proceeded 
 until they had emptied the^nest. 
 
 These are three quaint little creatures, and main- 
 tain their rights of primogeniture over the other inha- 
 bitants of the cage. When they were only just able^to 
 fly, they were accustomed to act with all the self- 
 sufficiency of spoiled children, and took liberties even 
 with the misanthropical Xeranthemus. I quite pitied 
 that bird, for he is of a haughty and reserved tem- 
 per, despising the rest of his associates, and holding 
 aloof, probably because he is green, and they are only 
 yellow. If a supply of groundsel or egg, or any 
 little dainty, is put into the cage, the rest of the birds 
 descend immediately, and peck and squabble in a 
 decidedly plebeian manner. But Xeranthemus be- 
 takes himself to the highest perch, and does not 
 even look in the direction of his companions. When 
 he fancies that he can do so withomt compromising 
 his dignity, he descends, pecks deliberately for a few 
 minutes, and then reassumes his lofty seat, leaving 
 the remainder of the food to the more ignoble. 
 
 So, it may be imagined that to a nature of this 
 character, the tricks of impertinent young birds, not 
 even fledged, must be distasteful. But Xeranthemus 
 was just their victim. They would not perch any- 
 where except on his back, where they used to arrange 
 themselves crosswise, two at a time, and I have re- 
 peatedly seen him fairly tumbled off his perch, by 
 the sudden descent of these young birds on his back. 
 
 I 
 
822 CANARIES. 
 
 On these and similar occasions, his look of disgust 
 and astonishment v/as worth seeing, and he used to 
 betake himself to his high perch and shake all his 
 feathers, as if to free himself from contamination. 
 
 I have already mentioned how he was ohliged to 
 feed one of these little tormentors, and he always 
 did it with an air that irresistibly reminded the spec- 
 tator of a fashionable gentleman giving a penny to 
 an importunate crossing- sweeper, just to get rid of 
 him, his whine, and his trailing broom. Imagine 
 the look which the same gentleman would assume, 
 if the sweeper were to jump on his shoulders, and a 
 very good idea may thence be formed of the mode 
 in which Xeranthemus acts after one of these perse- 
 cutions. 
 
 As is often the case with canaries and other small 
 birds, Nova began a second nest when she had suc- 
 ceeded in rearing her first brood. Her former family 
 took this proceeding to heart, and were evidently in- 
 sulted at their ejection from the nest in which they 
 had been hatched and bred. In consequence, they 
 were accustomed to watch every opportunity of enter- 
 ing, and I have constantly found Nova sitting under 
 her own nest with a beakful of wool and unable to 
 enter, because one of her own children had got into 
 the nest and declined to turn out. At last, she seemed 
 to expect my assistance, and used to wait until I ejected 
 the intruder before even attempting an entrance. 
 It was not often that she left her nest, and when she 
 did so, she always glanced around, in order to see 
 that the coast was clear. But three pairs of eyes are 
 better than one, and it was very, very seldom that she 
 fairly reached the floor of the cage before her nest 
 was occupied. 
 
 At last, however, the young birds seemed to under- 
 stand the true state of things, and contented them- 
 selves with peeping into the other nests and inspect- 
 ing progress. So it may be imagined that when an 
 entire nest with two eggs became vacant, as at Noto- 
 
MODES OF BATHIKG. 328 
 
 necta's death, they were delighted at their good for- 
 tune and made the most of it. 
 
 To my eyes, the most comical part of their pro- 
 ceedings was, the make-helieve nest-building, and it 
 reminded me of little girls and their dolls. Canaries 
 can play as well as human beings, and possess the 
 faculty of " make-believe " in some perfection. There 
 is one of them who always makes believe to bathe 
 and never does it. 
 
 All the birds have their own mode of bathing, ac- 
 cording to their character. Osmond, for example, as 
 soon as the bath is placed in the cage, flies plump 
 into the middle of the water, stands and looks about 
 him for a moment or two, and then splashes with 
 such vigour that he scatters the water far out of the 
 cage. Nova flies quietly towards the bath, and perches 
 genteelly on the edge. Then she inspects the water 
 first with one eye and then with the other. She then 
 hops into the water, and after a rapid evolution or 
 two, emerges, and dries herself. Xeranthemus always 
 stands on a perch that nearly overhangs the bath 
 until he sees a favourable opportunity, when he 
 enters the water with a dignified air, submerges him- 
 self once or twice, and then arranges his plumage on 
 a lofty perch. 
 
 But as to the make-believe canary, I never yet saw 
 him bathe, and I do not think that he ever has done 
 so really. His plan of proceeding is to fly to the 
 bath with great ostentation, to perch on the rim, and 
 from that post to scold every bird that comes near 
 saying in fact, " Here I am, just going in ! " When 
 he has driven the others away, he makes a kind of 
 half-duck towards the water, but resumes his former 
 position. He then sidles all round the bath until he 
 has returned to the spot from whence he started. I 
 have seen him do this six times in succession. He 
 then cautiously dips the very extremity of his beak 
 into the water, splashes up a few drops, and flies to a 
 perch, where he ruffles up all hi3 feathers, preens 
 
 T a 
 
824 CANARIES. 
 
 himself, and shakes his plumage as if he were quite 
 wet and were busily employed in drying himself. 
 
 So have I seen a boy talk largely of his intended 
 exploits in the water, undress himself, dip one toe, 
 lose courage and dress again. Boys and canaries are 
 very like each other. 
 
 There was rather a curious discovery lately, when 
 no less a fact was disclosed than that Prince Gerrean- 
 tine had built a nest and laid four eggs. So it may 
 be deduced that the bird is of the softer sex, and her 
 name must be Gerreantina. The fact is, the more 
 remarkable, because the whole aspect of the bird was 
 that of a male, and her notes gave promise of melody. 
 However, there was the nest and there were the 
 eggs, although they came to nothing. For, probably, 
 on account of her recent assumption of a new cha- 
 racter, she did not seem at home in her nest, and 
 after she had laid the eggs, declined to take any 
 further trouble with them. It is a curious fact that 
 she is so exactly copied in shape, tints, and markings 
 by one of Nova's progeny, that a stranger cannot 
 distinguish the two birds from each other, and I am 
 liable to be mistaken sometimes. Yet she is of an 
 entirely different family. 
 
 Nova has behaved remarkably well this year, for 
 after rearing two broods successfully, she tried very 
 hard to manage a third. There were five eggs, but 
 she rejected one of them soon after it was laid, so 
 that she had only four to take care of. After the 
 usual time had passed, I examined the nest, and 
 found only one little canary just hatched, and not at 
 all strong. Next day I found that it was dead, and 
 removed it. A day or two afterwards, my attention 
 was drawn to some eccentric evolutions on the part 
 of the birds, and, on a nearer approach to the cage, 
 found that another little canary had been hatched 
 and thrown out of the nest. The birds were trying 
 as usual to shake it into life. 
 
 After that disaster, Nova lost heart, and gave up 
 
THE SWING PERCH. 325 
 
 any further attempts to hatch the remaining two 
 eggs. But, before the death of her newest babies, 
 she would not leave her nest on any consideration, 
 not even to feed, for she evidently felt that all her 
 powers would be required at that late period of the 
 season. It was with the greatest difficulty that I 
 could make her leave the eggs when I wished to see 
 them, and when I tried to push her away, she only 
 turned round and pecked my fingers. In the two 
 former nests, she would go from her charge if a finger 
 were only held near the entrance, and wait close at 
 hand until the nest was replaced. But in this case, 
 even personal violence sometimes failed, and I was 
 fain to let her be, lest she should be hurt. Now that 
 she has left her last nest, she is living a solitary life, 
 and does not seem to hold communion with any of 
 her two families, nor even to speak to her husband. 
 Perhaps she may take to him next year, but with 
 canaries, fidelity is not much in fashion. 
 
 The young birds seem to find their especial happi- 
 ne-ss in a swing perch, which I have hung in the 
 centre of the cage, and which spins round when a 
 bird perches on or leaves it. This peculiarity renders 
 it very amusing during the day, and gives the birds 
 plenty of exercise, but at night it is rather in their 
 way. All the young birds want to sleep on it, and 
 as there are eight of them, the perch only accommo- 
 dating five easily, and six if they squeeze together, it 
 may be imagined that for them to settle on it is no 
 easy matter. The first four find no difficulty; but 
 then the trouble begins, and it not unfrequently 
 happens that, in their squabbling, they all tumble 
 off the perch together, and have to begin afresh. 
 
 The first four always are polite, and make room 
 in the middle for the fifth, but as there is only 
 just room, and the perch is swinging and twisting, 
 the bird has to be very accurate in his aim if he 
 means to hit the vacant space. Generally, he 
 misses it, and comes *o the ground ignominiously, 
 
326 CANAEIE8. 
 
 and another tries his fortune. It is amusing to see 
 them all clinging to the wires of the dome, just higher 
 than the perch, waiting until it turns favourably for 
 them. Sometimes the fifth bird settles on the arched 
 wire of the perch, and slides down it until he reaches 
 the perch itself. But even then, he has to walk 
 over the bodies of two of his predecessors before he 
 can reach his place. Once, and once only, I saw 
 seven birds on that perch. How they managed to 
 pack themselves so closely I cannot conceive; for 
 when they were all asleep, they resembled a cylinder 
 of feathers, with tails protruding in all directions. 
 There was hardly any visible distinction of individuals. 
 
 As yet I have said nothing of mule canaries, or 
 <even of fancy canaries, strictly so called. Of the 
 latter description of birds, I have nothing to say; 
 for their constitutions are always delicate, and they 
 are but hothouse plants. Some canary owners care 
 comparatively little for pure-bred canaries, and rejoice 
 in the possession of hybrids with other birds, such as 
 the Linnet, the Chaffinch, the Yellow-hammer, the 
 Bullfinch, the Hedge Warbler, or the Goldfinch. Of 
 these birds, the last mentioned is the general favourite, 
 on account of its exquisite colouring and its soft gentle 
 notes, which correct the ear-piercing sounds that are 
 emitted by a vigorous canary. 
 
 Indeed, the goldfinch and canary often seek each 
 other and make up a match, when they are placed in 
 a cage together with other finches. The young 
 progeny are generally very beautiful birds, and the 
 males are endowed with soft and brilliant voices, 
 but the hens are almost entirely useless, except for 
 show, as they seldom are known to breed. 
 
 But sterility, although the rule, has its exception, 
 and very various results have been noticed. One 
 remarkable instance of this exception has been so 
 well related by Mr. Cookson, that I append his own 
 account of his experiment. 
 
 " In the autumn of 1838, a male bird, the produce 
 
MULE BIl'.DS. 
 
 327 
 
 of a goldfinch and a hen canary bird, escaped from 
 my aviary, and was not seen again until the following 
 spring, when we were agreeably surprised by the 
 re-appearance of our lost favourite, in company with 
 a goldfinch. As the pair were inseparable, we at 
 once suspected that they had mated, and in 'a few 
 days oui- suspicions were confirmed by seeing them 
 feed each other and collect materials for building. 
 
 "By watching their movements we soon discovered 
 their nest, in a cedar-tree near the aviary. In due 
 time four eggs were laid, which I carefully removed, 
 and placed under a canary bird ; they, however, all 
 proved abortive. In a few days after this disappoint- 
 ment, a second nest was built by them in the same 
 tree, which we left undisturbed, and the result was 
 favourable : five birds were hatched, which I took 
 from the nest when about ten days old, and brought 
 up by hand ; of this number, two cocks and two hens 
 are still living. 
 
 "I am aware that hybrids in a state of captivity 
 and restraint have not unfrequently proved prolific, 
 when brought to pair with a mate of either of their 
 parent stocks; but I do not remember that I ever 
 heard an instance of an animal of pure breed in a 
 wild and unrestrained condition by choice selecting 
 a hybrid mate. 
 
 "The following are the results of my experiments 
 made during this spring and summer. 
 
 "Early in the spring I paired one of these young 
 cock birds (which I have described as being three 
 parts goldfinch and one part canary bird) with a hen 
 canary : a nest was soon made, and three eggs laid : 
 the cock had, however, destroyed the nest, but I 
 succeeded in saving the eggs, and placed them under 
 a canary bird : of this number one young bird was 
 hatched, which is now full fledged, and in good 
 health. After this partial failure, a second nest was 
 built, which shared the fate of the former one. I then 
 removed the cock bird and turned him into the aviary, 
 
328 CANARIES. 
 
 where he almost immediately selected another canary 
 bird as his mate. 
 
 " Upon my putting this pair into a breeding cage, a 
 nest was formed in less than a week, and four eggs 
 were laid. I had now taken the precaution to line 
 the nest basket with flannel, so that although the 
 nest was pulled to pieces, as on former occasions, 
 the eggs escaped destruction, and upon them th? 
 canary bird is now sitting. I again removed the cock 
 bird, and upon his return to the aviary, he at once 
 made up again to his former mate, and she has this 
 morning laid an egg. 
 
 " My second experiment has been made by pairing 
 my other hybrid cock with an hybrid hen of the same 
 nest: the result has been three eggs, one of which 
 was hatched yesterday morning by a canary bird. 
 
 " Now, as this second pair have proved prolific 
 (which are three parts goldfinch to one part canary 
 bird), I do not see any reason why I may not obtain 
 next year an equally successful result, by putting 
 together a pair of birds (if I succeed in rearing a male 
 and female), the produce of my first experiment; and 
 if so, across breed might be perpetuated, which would 
 be five parts canary birds to three parts goldfinches." 
 
 The Siskin is also said to be readily paired \vith 
 the canary; but the advantage of the mixture seems 
 doubtful enough, and I certainly would not recom- 
 mend it. Under any circumstances, however, I care 
 little for mules. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 Contrasts of Structure. Correspondences of Nature. Feather* 
 pictures. Change of Tints. Simulated Death. Acclima- 
 tization. Humming-birds domesticated in America. 
 Audubon's Account. Webber and his Pets. Curious 
 Discovery. The two Descriptions reconciled. Spider- 
 robbing. Do Spiders eat Humming-birds ? Madame 
 Merian. Pugnacity of the Humming-bird. Beauty of its 
 Nest. A curious Example of Nest-making. How Hum- 
 ming-birds reach their Nests. Their Voice. Drab and 
 Mud. 
 
 IN both the Old and New Worlds are to be found 
 families of certain little birds, that from their appear- 
 ance and general habits closely resemble each other, 
 and indeed have often been confounded with each 
 other. These are the sun-birds, and the humming- 
 birds. It is, however, only of the latter that I 
 intend here to speak. 
 
 The true humming-birds are, I believe, exclusively 
 American, and do not extend much beyond the 
 southern division of that Continent, with the excep- 
 tion of one or two species. In and near the tropics 
 they are most abundant, especially in the tropical 
 islands, and there swarm like flies. 
 
 These wondrous little creatures are especially 
 formed for an aerial existence, and, save for sleep and 
 nidification, seldom condescend to rest on any sub- 
 stance less gross than the air in which they live, and 
 on which they were once thought to feed. 
 
 Their very formation would be sufficient proof to 
 any reflecting mind of the customs of their life ; 
 
330 HUMMTNG-BIHDS. 
 
 and it matters little whether the attention be directed 
 to their plumage or to the less attractive skeleton. 
 
 Taking the skeleton first, the hastiest glance would 
 be sufficient to detect extraordinary powers of flight ; 
 for the keel of the breast-bone, to which the chief 
 wing muscles are attached, is so largely developed, 
 that the power of the wing which those muscles move 
 must be correspondingly great. Indeed, the breast- 
 bone alone is nearly as large as the rest of the body. 
 Then, as the legs, with their tiny delicate feet, are 
 seen to be very small, even in proportion to the re- 
 mainder of the bird, it is evident that the wings are 
 to be used much more than the legs. And the long, 
 slender, curved beak, together with the formation of 
 the skull, shows that its mode of feeding is as beauti- 
 fully provided for as the power of flight. What that 
 mode of feeding is, we shall presently see. 
 
 Again, if we look at a stuffed humming-bird, the 
 merest shadow of the living creature, its proportional 
 details, which even the rude fingers of the taxider- 
 mist cannot destroy, will tell us of the objects for 
 which these details were created. The long, sharp, 
 sword-shaped wings, with their firmly-set feathers, the 
 pointed head, and the whole shape of the body, 
 inform us that the creature is intended to spend 
 much time on the wing and to cut rapidly through 
 the air. 
 
 For we have but to compare its form and plumage 
 with those of other birds whose habits we know, to 
 discover whether its mode of life has anything in 
 common with theirs. And as we find that both shape 
 and plumage are very similar in their formation to 
 those of the swallow tribe, who spend the greater 
 part of their existence in the air, it is easy enough to 
 conclude that the objects for which they were made are 
 also similar. 
 
 There is, however, one great distinction between 
 the two, and that is in the shape of the beak, which 
 in the swallows is short, wide, and opens back almost 
 
TONGUE OF THE HUMMING-BIRD. 331 
 
 to the eye, while in the humming-bird it is very 
 long, slender, and in addition to its length is capable 
 of protruding a tongue, which can be darted out to 
 a considerable distance even beyond the beak. 
 
 The mechanism by which the tongue is worked is 
 very curious, and is exactly analogous to that which 
 moves the tongue of the woodpecker and the wry- 
 neck. The slender bony supports that strengthen 
 the organ pass over the entire head, and are finally 
 fixed just above the upper mandible, so that the en- 
 tire tongue can be shot out like a curved metallic 
 spring, and be retracted with equal celerity. 
 
 It is not very easy to describe the details of the 
 mechanism without illustrations, but as in every 
 good anatomical museum there is a preparation of 
 the head of the woodpecker, where a similar construc- 
 tion is shown on a much larger scale, the actual ob- 
 ject can be seen without difficulty, and will be far 
 better understood than a mere description. 
 
 The woodpecker uses its tongue exclusively for the 
 capture of insects, which it extracts from their hiding- 
 places under the bark of trees, or in the decayed 
 wood ; but the humming-bird feeds much more on 
 liquid food than upon insects, although of those crea- 
 tures it sometimes partakes, and, consequently, the 
 extremity of the tongue is not quite the same as that 
 of the woodpecker. 
 
 Indeed, it much resembles the tongue of the com- 
 mon hive-bee, and is used in a similar manner. The 
 proboscis of the bee is furnished at its extremity with 
 a kind of brush, by which it sweeps out the honey- 
 juice from the flower, and then conveys it to its 
 mouth. But the humming-bird, instead of a brush, 
 carries a pair of spoons, and so scoops out the sweet 
 juices on which it lives, or seizes between them the 
 minute insects which it certainly does eat, in spite of 
 the assertions of excellent naturalists ; of which sub- 
 ject hereafter. 
 
 There can be no doubt but that in every kingdom 
 
332 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 of creation, in every class, and even in every genus, 
 there is a correspondence, one answering to the 
 other, if we could but discover it. In some instances 
 the resemblance is so close, that it is evident without 
 the trouble of much examination, and such is the 
 case with several insects and the humming-birds. 
 
 Certain well-known moths are called " humming- 
 birds," from the analogy which they present to those 
 beautiful creatures, an analogy so close, that were it 
 not for the inferiority in colour of the moth to the 
 bird and its superiority in size, the two creatures 
 might easily enough be mistaken. 
 
 If one of the ordinary sphinx moths is " set" with 
 extended wings and outstretched tongue, and by its 
 side is placed a ruby-throated humming-bird with its 
 wings and tongue similarly fixed, the outlines of the 
 two would be almost identical in contour and size, 
 although the bird is very high in the vertebrate tetra- 
 chord of the creative octave, and the insect low down 
 in the invertebrate tetrachord. 
 
 And even the flight and the mode of feeding of the 
 two creatures are similar. 
 
 The flight of both is rapid, darting, and so swift as 
 to elude the eye ; while they both feed on the wing, 
 by hovering before the chosen flower, and then ex- 
 tracting the sweet liquid from its interior recesses by 
 means of the long and retractile tongue. 
 
 There are also many flies, commonly called 
 "hoverers," and scientifically SyrphidaB, whose mode 
 of flight is much the same as that of the humming- 
 birds, and some called Bombylidae, who feed in just 
 the same way, suspending themselves in the air before 
 the plant on which they feed, and thrusting their 
 tongue down to the bottom of the flower. 
 
 Indeed, a very fair notion of the flight of the hum- 
 ming-birds may be obtained by watching that of the 
 hoverer flies. They dart through the air with such 
 lightning velocity, that the eye fails to follow them,, 
 and suddenly appear quite still, balanced by the 
 
BRILLIANCY OF PLUMAGE. 333 
 
 swiftly-vibrating wings, which are seen but as a misty 
 cloud, so rapid is their movement. So it is with 
 these birds, and, like the insects, they produce a 
 " hum" by the vibration of their wings, from which 
 sound they derive their name. 
 
 Of the colours of the plumage, it is impossible to 
 speak, because description without comparison is 
 nearly impracticable, and we have no tints in this 
 country to which to compare them. The birds are 
 often called living gems, and that term is perhaps the 
 best that can be found. For, even the stuffed skins 
 which resemble the living birds about as much as 
 the " guys" carried about on the fifth of November 
 resemble Guido Fawkes, whom they are supposed to 
 represent are so full of gorgeous beauty, that no 
 pen can describe them, and no artificial tints even 
 feebly imitate them. 
 
 For, putting out of the question the pinched and 
 withered aspect that dried skins always assume, espe- 
 cially about the head and legs, and general set of the 
 feathers, each feather-fibre is charged with several 
 tints according to the direction of the light, and thus, 
 when the bird is living, each respiration causes every 
 imaginable colour to flash from every feather and 
 fibre, until the little bird appears to be bathed in re- 
 splendent living light. 
 
 We have but one bird, by which even a distant 
 idea of the humming-bird may be gained, and that is 
 the kingfisher, whose plumage affords a beautiful ex- 
 ample of pure colour, and whose feathers glisten as 
 it darts through the sunshine, like a flash of azure 
 light. But it has but one sparkling colour, the azure 
 blue, whereas the humming-bird possesses every ima- 
 ginable shade of tint, from fiery scarlet to emerald 
 green. Indeed, these little birds appear as if made 
 of coloured light no wonder that they were supposed 
 to live on air. 
 
 A nation so polished as the ancient Mexicans 
 would not permit these wondrous little creatures 
 
834 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 to be flitting around them, without applying them to 
 artistic purposes. With the plumage of humming- 
 birds they were accustomed to decorate their state 
 robes, and the royal mantles composed almost en- 
 tirely of these resplendent plumes must have pre- 
 sented a mass of glowing magnificence, which no 
 imperial robe of the present day could even approach, 
 and whose refulgence the eye could hardly support. 
 
 These brilliant feathers were also used for pictorial 
 as well as for decorative art. Knowing well that no 
 artificial tints can rival the natural colours of the 
 humming-bird, some bold artist conceived the idea of 
 using feathers instead of paint. 
 
 Many specimens of this exquisite art are in exist- 
 ence, and one of the finest is now in the Ashmolean 
 Museum at Oxford. It is an oval picture, about 
 three inches in length, representing Christ bearing 
 the Cross, surrounded by mocking soldiers, sorrow- 
 ing relatives, the expectant crowd, and Calvary in the 
 distance. There are very many figures, and even if 
 it were a painting on ivory, the beautiful manage- 
 ment of the subject would be deserving of admira- 
 tion. But when, on a close inspection, the whole is 
 seen to be composed of particles of brilliant feathers 
 disposed with the most consummate art, admiration 
 is superseded by wonder. 
 
 The feathers of the trogons were used for similar 
 purposes, especially those of the resplendent trogon, 
 two feathers of whose tail were formerly in the same 
 collection, and stated in the Tradescant Catalogue to 
 be two feathers of the phoenix's tail. 
 
 It seems to be an universal law in nature that no- 
 thing is perfect at once, and that law is carried out 
 even in the tinting of the humming-birds. In their 
 first year, their feathers are quite sober in hue ; in 
 their second, the future tints begin to show them- 
 selves, and it is not until the third year that the bird 
 blazes forth in its full beauty. 
 
 Bold, and yet delicate creatures are they, and when 
 
ACCLIMATIZATION. .335 
 
 taken, even if caught in the soft silken gauze of a 
 butterfly net, they have been seen to die before a 
 hand had even touched them. Yet that death is 
 often but simulated. Many creatures, whether quad- 
 rupeds, birds, or insects, will sham dead with singular 
 pertinacity, and the humming-bird is among the 
 number. So it may often have happened, that a bird, 
 winch was apparently dead, was in reality as full of 
 life as its captor, and when cast aside, took to flight, 
 rejoicing in the success of its stratagem. 
 
 It is a pity that as yet no attempt to acclimatize 
 these birds in England has had any permanent suc- 
 cess. They have been several times brought over in 
 perfect health, but never seem to have lived more 
 than a few months at most. Perhaps, when steamers 
 can double their rate of speed, we may be more for- 
 tunate. 
 
 Their invariable death here is the more singular, 
 because in their own land they seem to be much 
 more hardy than is generally imagined, and have 
 even been seen in Tierra del Fuego, sporting on the . 
 wing in the midst of a shower of snow. So that it is 
 not the cold only that kills them. 
 
 1 should fancy that if a suitable aviary were fitted 
 up for them en the south coast of England, say in 
 Devonshire, and a large importation brought over by 
 a swift steamer, some at least might survive the 
 journey and live. It would be a charming occupa- 
 tion for any one who had the means and the time, 
 and should such a person care for fame, he would 
 nsuredly earn it. The leaf-insect has been success- 
 fully reared in Britain, and why not the humming- 
 bird? And if the newcomers could only be induced 
 to set up their tiny nurseries, their offspring might 
 be expected to endure successfully the climate in 
 which they were born. 
 
 In America, they have, I believe, been often kept 
 in confinement. Audubon mentions such a circum- 
 
336 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 stance, and probably hits upon the very point on 
 which the balance of success or its contrary turns. 
 
 " I have seen many of these birds kept in partial 
 confinement, when they were supplied with artificial 
 flowers made for the purpose, in the corolla of which 
 water, with honey or sugar dissolved in it, was placed. 
 The birds were fed on these substances exclusively, 
 but seldom lived- many months, and, on being exa- 
 mined after death, were found to be extremely ema- 
 ciated. 
 
 " Others, on the contrary, which were supplied 
 twice a day with fresh flowers from the wood or 
 garden, placed in a room with windows merely closed 
 with musquito netting gauze, through which minute 
 insects were able to enter, lived twelve months, at the 
 expiration of which time their liberty was granted 
 them, the person who kept them having had a long 
 journey to perform. The room was kept artificially 
 warmed during the winter months, and these in Lower 
 Louisiana are seldom so cold as to produce ice. 
 
 " On examining an orange-tree which had been 
 placed in the room where these humming-birds were 
 kept, no appearance of a nest was to be seen, although 
 the birds had frequently been seen caressing each 
 other. Some have been occasionally kept confined 
 in our middle districts, but I have not ascertained 
 that any survived a winter." 
 
 Audubon is here speaking of the ruby-throated 
 humming-bird. 
 
 Now this account opens out a curious question, be- 
 cause there is great controversy respecting the food 
 of these beautiful little birds, and although the diffi- 
 culty of decision between doctors is proverbial, to 
 decide between naturalists is still more difficult, for 
 if twenty observers see the same fact, they will pro- 
 bably draw from it precisely twenty different infer- 
 ences. 
 
 Audubon was a practical naturalist, and asserts 
 
WEBBER AND HIS PETS. 33-7 
 
 that humming-birds eat minute insects. Darwin 
 dissected many specimens obtained from different 
 quarters, and in the stomach of every one he found 
 fragments of the wings of minute flies, which by the 
 aid of the microscope were found to be probably 
 those of insects belonging to the gnat tribes. 
 
 Webber, on the contrary, also a practical naturalist,, 
 denies most positively that the ruby-throated hum* 
 ming-bird eats any insect at all, but that at certain 
 intervals it picks tiny spiders out of their webs and 
 eats them. I don't pretend to decide between them, 
 but I will give his own account as it stands, for it is- 
 very lively and graphic, and afterwards compare with 
 it a narrative by another author well known in the- 
 ornithological world. 
 
 The following passages contain the history of some- 
 pet humming-birds. I must first premise that to find 
 the nest and young of a humming-bird had long beenr 
 a cherished object, and had not for several years been* 
 favoured with success ; but at last 
 
 '' Chance favoured me somewhat strangely about 
 this time. I had been out squirrel-shooting early 
 one sweltering hot morning, and on my return had 
 thrown myself beneath the shade of a thick hickory 
 near the bank of a creek. I lay on my back, looking 
 listlessly across the stream, when the chirp of the 
 humming-bird and its darting form reached my 
 senses at the same instant. I was sure I saw it light 
 upon the limb of a small ironwood tree that hap- 
 pened to be exactly in the line of my vision at that 
 instant. 
 
 "This tree leaned over the water a considerable 
 distance. I thought of Le Valliant, and watched 
 steadily. In about five minutes another chirp, and 
 another bird darted in. I saw this one drop uporb 
 what seemed to be a knot on an angle of the limb ^ 
 I heard the soft chirping of greeting and love. I 
 could scarcely contain myself for joy. I would have 
 given anything in the world to have dared to scream/ 
 
388 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 4 1 Ve got you, I Ve got you at last.' By a great 
 struggle I choked down my ecstasy and kept 
 still. 
 
 " One of them now flew away, and after waiting 
 fifteen minutes, that seemed a week, I rose, and with 
 ray eye steadily fixed on that important limb, I 
 walked slowly down the bank, without, of course, 
 seeing where I placed my feet. But the highest 
 hopes are sometimes doomed to a fall, and a fall 
 mine took with a vengeance. I caught my foot in a 
 root, and tumbled, head foremost, down the bank into 
 the water. 
 
 " I suppose such a ducking would have cooled the 
 enthusiasm of most bird-nesters, but it only exas- 
 perated mine. I shook off the water, and vowed 
 I 'd find that nest, if it took me a week. But how 
 to begin was the question. I had lost the limb, and 
 how was I to find it among a hundred others just 
 like it? 
 
 " The knot I had seen was so exactly like other 
 knots upon other limbs all around it that the pro- 
 spect of finding it seemed a hopeless one ; but 
 *I11 try, sir,' is my favourite motto. I laid myself 
 down as nearly as possible in the position I originally 
 occupied ; but, after some twenty minutes' experiment, 
 came to the conclusion that my head had been too 
 much confused by the shock of my fall and ducking 
 for me to hope to make much out of this method. 
 Then I went under the tree, and, commencing at the 
 trunk with the lowest limb, which leaned over the 
 water, I followed it slowly and carefully with my eye 
 out to the extremest twig, noting carefully everything 
 that seemed like a knot. This produced no satisfac- 
 tory result after half- an -hour's trial; and, with an 
 aching neck, I gave it up in despair, for I saw half-a 
 dozen knots, either one of which seemed as likely to 
 be the right one as the other. 
 
 " I now changed my tactics again ; and ascending 
 the tree, I stopped with my feet upon each one of 
 
THE NEST FOUND. 339 
 
 these limbs, and looked down along its length. It 
 \\as n, very tedious proceeding, but I persevered. 
 
 ''Knot after knot deceived me; but at last, when 
 just above the middle of the tree, I caught a sharp 
 gleam among the leaves of gold and purple, and, 
 looking down upon the last limb to which I had 
 climbed, almost lost my footing for joy when I saw, 
 about three feet out from where I stood, the glisten- 
 ing back and wings of the little bird just covering 
 the top of one of those mysterious knots that was 
 about the size of half a hen's egg. Its glancing 
 head, long bill, and keen eyes, were turned Upwards 
 and perfectly still, except the latter, which surveyed 
 me from head to foot with the most dauntless ex- 
 pression. It seemed not to have the slightest inten- 
 tion of moving, and I would not have . disturbed it 
 for the world ; it was sufficient delight for me to gaze 
 on my long-sought treasure. Its pure white breast 
 or throat, rather, for the breast was sunk in the 
 nest formed such a sweet and innocent contrast 
 with the splendour of its back, head, and wings ! 
 
 " This is the most common variety with us, and 
 is about a size larger than the scarlet-throat. I shall 
 venture to call this variety the emerald hummer. I 
 could see that this wonderful little creature had not 
 only formed the outside of its nest to correspond in 
 shape and size with the natural knots on other limbs, 
 but had so skilfully covered the outside with the same 
 kind of moss which grew upon them, that no eye, 
 however practised, could have discovered the decep- 
 tion from beneath. 
 
 " Having gratified my curiosity as far as prudent, 
 without running the risk of driving her from the 
 nest, I descended cautiously, and ran home with the 
 news ; and great was the joy thereat between my little 
 playmates and myself. 
 
 " Now came the anxious time for us ; we were 
 dying to get a sight of the eggs, and yet afraid to 
 disturb the birds. I conquered this difficulty at last 
 
 2 2 
 
340 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 by patience. I found, after watching for several 
 mornings, that they both left the nest on warm 
 days about noon, and were gone sometimes near an 
 hour. 
 
 "We took this opportunity; and, having climbed 
 up first, so as to show her, my sister followed the 
 girls used to climb like squirrels in Kentucky in my 
 young days! and many were the expressions of 
 childish delight as she peeped over and saw those 
 three little eggs, about the size of black-eyed peas, 
 lying like snowy pearls (if not diamonds, as I used 
 to expect), imbedded in a fairy case, all lined with 
 cygnet-down, or the delicate floss of elfin-hair. We 
 did not touch, or even breathe on it, and descended 
 quickly, lest the old bird should find us there. 
 
 "I was unexpectedly compelled to leave home 
 about this time, and my sister promised that she 
 would not disturb the nest till my return. 
 
 "After an unexpected detention of two weeks, I 
 got back, and the first thing the next morning we 
 were on our way, with many misgivings, to visit our 
 treasures. I climbed the tree, and to my infinite 
 astonishment, two birds entirely filled the nest, and 
 in such full size and perfect plumage that I thought I 
 must have come too late, and that these were the old 
 ones. They looked at me as boldly as I have seen 
 young eagles look unflinchingly on the intruder into 
 their eyrie. 
 
 " I determined to attempt the capture, at any rate, 
 and reached my hand towards them with a gradual 
 and almost imperceptible movement. They watched 
 its approach with no sign of fear, and when I had 
 approached it within an inch, one of them boldly 
 pecked at it as it descended, gently covering them as 
 they sat. 
 
 " I shouted for joy, * I have them ! I have them ! ' 
 and then such dancing and clapping of hands as there 
 was below. * Hurry ! hurry ! brother ! I want to see 
 them ! I want to see ! I want to see ! * 
 
ARISTOCRATIC INDIFFERENCE. 341 
 
 " For a wonder, I got down without breaking my 
 neck. I had, with slight violence, taken tie nest, 
 with the birds, from the limb entire. They made 
 not the slightest effort to escape, nor did they seem 
 in the least frightened. We hurried away, lest we 
 should witness the sufferings of the bereaved pair, 
 whom we had thus ruthlessly robbed of home and 
 young. 
 
 " The first thing on reaching the house with our 
 captives was to try our nectar of the home-made 
 manufacture, upon the young strangers, who in- 
 stantly paid us the compliment of recognising its 
 merits in a hearty draught, which seemed to set 
 them perfectly at ease with the world and with them- 
 selves. They now left the nest, and perched upon 
 our fingers, with the most lovely confidence, and we 
 saw that they were actually full plumed, though I 
 doubt if they had yet attempted to use their wings 
 abroad. 
 
 " They seemed to take the sudden change in their 
 surroundings with a most consummate people-of-the- 
 world sort of air, just as if they had been taught to 
 consider it as ungenteel to look surprised or startled 
 at anything, or to exhibit more than a very cool sort 
 of curiosity. We were greatly amused at these aris- 
 tocratic airs, and we were ourselves very curious to 
 know what might chance to be the titles of our noble, 
 friends in their own principality of air. 
 
 " Much as they made of themselves, I thought our 
 ruby-throat received them with a certain degree of 
 hauteur, which was responded to with the most super- 
 cilious indifference at all consistent with perfect good 
 breeding. A few days, however, sufficed to break 
 down the icy crust of formality, and they began to 
 appear most guardedly aware of each other's exist- 
 ence. 
 
 " In a few weeks we hung the cage out with open 
 doors again, finding that all the birds were beginning 
 to mope and look as if they were going to die, as 
 
342 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 had been the case with the ruhy-hreast several times 
 before. He had always been relieved by letting him 
 out ; but, as he instantly disappeared, we could not 
 discover what the antidote he sought might be. 
 When we opened the cage this time, it was a bright 
 summer morning just after sun-rise. 
 
 "What was our surprise to see the ruby-throat, 
 instead of darting away as usual, remain with the 
 young ones, which had immediately sought sprays, 
 as if feeling a little uncertain what to do with them- 
 selves. Scarlet flew round and round them, then 
 he would dart off to a little distance in the garden, 
 and suspend himself on the wing for an instant, be- 
 fore what I could not at flrs^ perceive to be anything 
 more than two bare twigs, then he would return and 
 fly around them again, as if to show them how easy 
 it was. 
 
 44 The little bold fellows did not require long per- 
 suasion, but were soon launched on air again, and 
 in a moment or so were using their wings for all we 
 could see with about as much confidence and ease 
 as Mr. Kuby-throat. 
 
 " They, too, commenced the same manoeuvres 
 among the shrubbery, and as there were no flowers 
 there, we were sadly puzzled to think what it was 
 they were dipping at so eagerly, to the utter neglect 
 of the many flowers, not one of which they appeared 
 to notice. We moved closer to watch them to better 
 advantage, and in doing so, changed our relative posi- 
 tion to the sun. 
 
 44 At once the thing was revealed to me : I caught 
 friend Euby in the very act of abstracting a small 
 spider, with the point of his long beak, from the 
 centre of one of those beautiful circular webs of the 
 garden spider, that so abounds throughout the south : 
 the thing was done so daintily, that he did not stir 
 the dew-drops, which, now glittering in the golden 
 sun, revealed the gossamer tracery all diamond 
 strung. 
 
HUMMING-BmD FEEDING. 
 
THE SECRET DISCLOSED. 343 
 
 " * Hah ! we've got your secret, my friends ! hah ! 
 hah ! hah ! ' And we clapped and danced in triumph. 
 
 " Our presence did not disturb them in the least, 
 and we watched them catching spiders for half-an- 
 hour; they frequently came within two feet of oar 
 faces, and we could distinctly see them pluck the 
 little spider from the centre of its wheel, where it 
 lies, and swallow it entire. 
 
 "After this we let them out daily, and although 
 we watched them closely, and with the most patient 
 care, we never could see them touch the spiders 
 again until the usual interval of about a fortnight 
 had elapsed, when they attacked them again as 
 vigorously as ever, but the foray of one morning 
 seemed to suffice. 
 
 " We also observed them carefully, to ascertain 
 whether they ate any other insects than these spiders,, 
 but although we brought them every variety of the 
 smallest and most tender that we could find, they did 
 not notice them at all ; but if we would shut them up 
 past the time, until they began to look drooping, and 
 then bring one of those little spiders along with 
 other small insects, they would snap up the spider 
 soon enough, but pay no attention to the others. 
 
 " We were thoroughly convinced, after careful ex- 
 periment upon two families of them, that they neither 
 live entirely upon the nectar of flowers as all the 
 old naturalists supposed nor upon various small 
 insects in addition to the nectar, as Mr. Audubon 
 asserts : the fact is, they can live no more beyond a 
 certain time about a fortnight upon nectar alone, 
 than they can upon air alone, nor do I believe that 
 life would be preserved beyond a few days upon spi- 
 ders alone. 
 
 "There is another rather curious observation we 
 made, that so long as the white cup was not dry, for 
 so long they did not condescend to notice the thou- 
 sands of flowers by which they were surrounded." 
 
 These accounts appear to be exactly contradictoiy 
 
344 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 to each other, but are in reality not ^o. There is no 
 reason why humming-birds in general should not eat 
 various insects, simply because certain individuals 
 restricted their appetites to spiders. And it must be 
 a fair inference, that when a large number of insect 
 wings are found in the stomach of a bird, the insects 
 to which the wings belonged must have been eaten 
 by the bird. 
 
 If not, we discover a new fact in natural history, 
 namely, that either winged insects are in the habit of 
 walking into the interior of birds without the con- 
 nivance of the birds in question, or that the stomach 
 of birds is the natural habitation of those winged 
 insects, where they are born, live, and die, leaving 
 only their comminuted wings behind them, for the ex- 
 press purpose of puzzling naturalists, as these organs 
 could not have been of the least use to them in so 
 confined a situation. 
 
 Besides, these birds have been seen in the very 
 act of eating insects, and by several observers. Take 
 for instance the following account by Mr. Bullock, of 
 the proceedings of a humming-bird in Mexico. 
 
 "From the edges of the house-tiles to the branches 
 of the trees in the garden, the spiders had spread 
 their webs so closely and compactly, that they resem- 
 bled a net. 
 
 " I have frequently watched with much amusement 
 the active peregrination of the humming-bird, who, 
 advancing beneath the web, enters the various laby- 
 rinths and cells in search of entangled flies, but as the 
 larger spiders did not tamely surrender their booty, 
 the invader was often compelled to retreat: being 
 within a few feet, I could observe all their evolutions 
 with great precision. 
 
 " The active little bird generally passed once or 
 twice round the court, as if to reconnoitre his ground, 
 and commenced his attack by going carefully under 
 the webs of the wily insect, and seizing by surprise 
 the smallest entangled flies, or those which were 
 
WHO SHALL DECIDE? 345 
 
 most feeble. In ascending the angular traps of the 
 spider, great care and skill were required; sometimes 
 he had scarcely room for his little wings to perform 
 their offices, and the least deviation would have en- 
 tangled him in the complex machinery of the web, 
 and involved him in ruin. It was only the works of 
 the smaller spiders he durst attack, as the largest rose 
 to the defence of their citadels, when the besieger 
 would shoot off like a sunbeam, and could only be 
 traced by the luminous glow of his refulgent colours. 
 
 4 ' The'bird generally spent about ten minutes in this 
 predatory excursion, and then alighted on a branch of 
 an avocata to rest and refresh himself, and present- 
 ing to the sun his crimson, star-like breast, which 
 then represented all the glowing fire of the ruby, and 
 surpassed in lustre the diadem of monarchs." 
 
 The mention of the spiders naturally brings us to 
 another disputed question, which is precisely the 
 reverse of that which has just been discussed, for the 
 question is now whether spiders eat humming-birds, 
 and not whether humming-birds eat spiders. 
 
 Now, some humming-birds are so very tiny, being 
 hardly as big as a full-sized hornet, and some spiders 
 are so very large, covering a space equal to the spread 
 human hand, that there can be no doubt of the possi- 
 bility of auch a circumstance, so far as mere physical 
 strength goes. 
 
 There are then left two questions, the first, whether 
 the spider could catch the humming-bird; and the 
 second, whether the instinct of the spider would 
 oermit it to feed on the bird. 
 
 As to the first question, this is easily enough 
 settled ; for any one who has seen the common hunt- 
 ing spider steal upon and capture house-flies, which 
 are quite as active and sharp-sighted as humming- 
 birds, will find no difficulty in comprehending that a 
 spider could in a similar manner creep up to, and 
 then spring upon, a bird. And if it succeeded in 
 doing so, the terrible reservoir of poison with which 
 
846 HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 those large spiders are armed would very soon cause 
 death to so tiny and delicate a creature as the hum- 
 ming-bird. I have known a large garden spider to 
 bite the hand of a lady, and to cause rather an alarm- 
 ing swelling of the hand and arm ; so that when the 
 poison is magnified and the victim diminished, the 
 effects may be imagined. 
 
 But in my opinion the real point at issue is that 
 contained in the second question, whether or not 
 the spider's instinct permits it to prey upon birds ; 
 and this point cannot be fairly decided without careful 
 observation. 
 
 I should be glad to see a collection made of these 
 mooted points, and competent observers sent out for 
 the express purpose of deciding them. 
 
 Most of these difficulties are respecting tropical 
 creatures, and if two or more real lovers of nature 
 were sent to tropical countries with special instruc- 
 tions to observe for a given time, say three years, 
 noting every fact, and reporting their notes of the 
 facts every time that they occurred, the compai^ison 
 of their note-books would set the question at rest, 
 besides furnishing many valuable and interesting 
 additions to our knowledge of creature instincts and 
 reason. 
 
 Madame Merian states that the spiders feed mostly 
 upon ants, but that when the ants are insufficient in 
 number, the spiders climb the trees, drive little birds 
 out of their nests, and suck all the blood out of their 
 poor little bodies. And in her very harrowing illus- 
 tration of the fact, the spider is represented crouching 
 on the body of a humming-bird, while its nest affords 
 a support to one of the legs of its murderer. 
 
 On seeing this drawing, one is irresistibly re- 
 minded of the tragical fate of Tom Thumb, who was 
 cruelly slain by a great spider in spite of his courage. 
 I wonder whether Tom Thumb was metamorphosed 
 into a humming-bird after his death. If not, he 
 ought to have been, and Queen Mab has treated us 
 
PUGNACITY OF THE HUMMING-BIRD. 347 
 
 very badly in neglecting so evident a conclusion to 
 the adventures of her favourite. For his garments, 
 made of butterflies' wings, are easily enough trans- 
 formed into feathers, and his needle-sword into a 
 sharp bill. 
 
 Perhaps it was so after all, for the characters of 
 the humming-bird and of our friend Tom Thumb 
 are very similar, and being very small, they are of 
 course pugnacious to a degree, and ignore fear alto- 
 gether. 
 
 I have already mentioned the fact that a humming- 
 bird has been seen to attack and defeat the eagle 
 himself, and one individual, not so large as many 
 bees, chose to take possession of a certain spot in a 
 garden, and having taken, kept it. 
 
 He was utterly indifferent to the presence of human 
 beings, who would have frightened away many a 
 bigger bird; but if a bird of any kind or size ventured 
 near the tree which he was pleased to call his own, 
 that bird he invariably attacked, and as invariably 
 drove it away, always returning to the same twig, 
 which he had worn bare of leaves by constantly 
 perching upon it. 
 
 The nests of all the humming-birds whose nests 
 have been found and identified, are very pretty speci- 
 mens of bird architecture. As may be imagined, 
 they are very small indeed, and the birds display 
 such exceeding skill in the choice of locality and the 
 materials with which they cover the exterior of the 
 nest, that a very sharp eye is required to discover 
 them. The body of the nest is always made of some 
 very soft substances, suitable to the tender creatures- 
 that are to inhabit it, mostly of thistle or cotton down, 
 and the exterior is covered neatly with lichens and 
 similar objects, which are chosen of the same cha- 
 racter and colours as those in the neighbourhood of 
 the nest, and are fastened with spiders' webs woven 
 over and among the former substances. 
 
 It is remarkable that the lichens are never turned 
 
318 HUMMING BIEDg. 
 
 the wrong way, but are placed in tlu nest just as 
 they grew on the branches.. 
 
 The eggs are only two in number, and although 
 rather larger than might be imagined from the size 
 of the bird, are very small indeed. They are of a 
 delicate, slightly pink, semi-transparent white colour, 
 and have been well compared to pearls. 
 
 I very much regret that, in more than one instance, 
 I have seen humming-birds' nests exposed for sale, 
 in which have been placed three or more eggs of our 
 little golden- crested wren, in the hope of deluding 
 purchasers with the idea that they were the original 
 ggs. And there is on record a case, when a new 
 species of humming-bird was sold, and, after it had 
 been described and named, was discovered to be 
 only a sham, sundry strange feathers having been 
 inserted into its genuine plumage, those of certain 
 parrots among the number. 
 
 A very remarkable, and as far as is at present 
 known an unique, specimen of nest-building is re- 
 corded by Captain Lyons. The little bird, having 
 made a nest, deposited therein the usual two eggs. 
 But when the little birds were hatched, they were 
 found to be too large for their cradle, and so the 
 mother-bird gradually enlarged the nest as the young 
 increased in size, until the nest, which was at first 
 nearly flat and saucer-shaped, assumed the form of a 
 tea-cup. 
 
 The difficulty of finding these little nests is in- 
 creased by a curious habit possessed by some of the 
 humming-birds. When they leave or approach their 
 home, they do so, as if conscious of the many sharp 
 eyes that are watching in every direction, and knowing 
 that by the bright gleam of their plumage they might 
 give an indication of the direction of their nest, they 
 rise perpendicularly until they are out of sight no 
 difficult matter, wee little things as they are and 
 then, having arrived over the spot on which their 
 cradle has been placed, drop down upon it as perpen- 
 
SONG OF THE HUMMING-BIRD. 349 
 
 dicularly as they ascended. And the same precaution 
 is taken on leaving the nest as on visiting it. 
 
 It is said that the Cora humming-bird sings, but 
 the fact has not been perfectly ascertained. They all, 
 however, have a kind of delicate chirp, not unlike 
 themselves. The pugnacious little fellow, of whom 
 mention has been made, was accustomed to celebrate 
 his own praises with a weak, simple, and oft-repeated 
 note. 
 
 What an argument does the very existence of these 
 gorgeous little creatures bring against certain drab- 
 souled individuals called " pious," and certain nlud- 
 encrusted natures called " utilitarians." 
 
 I picture to myself a world such as the former party 
 would have it. 
 
 We should have gray grass and drab flowers ; the 
 roses should smell of assafcetida, and the fruits taste 
 of wormwood. No more should 
 
 " The lark at Heaven's gate sing," 
 
 but, sitting sadly on the desolate moor, whine out a 
 monotonic lament that himself and all creation were 
 at the entrance of a precisely opposite region. Har- 
 mony should reign no longer, but discord bear the 
 rule ; the drone of the bagpipe should be the morn- 
 ing hymn, and every melody should be composed in 
 consecutive fifths. So should we show, by satisfactory 
 proof, that our senses were given us for the express 
 purpose of inflicting upon their owners as much suf- 
 fering as possible. Our sight should be created 
 simply to be shocked, our touch to be pained, our 
 taste to be disgusted, our hearing to be grated upon, 
 and our nostrils to be offended. The sky should be 
 brown, the sun darkened, and the moon should give no 
 light. Omnibuses should be fitted up like hearses, 
 and the supply of brown pocket-handkerchiefs should 
 be insufficient to dry the tears that should everlast- 
 ingly trickle down all noses. 
 
 I confess that I don't see any very great piety in 
 
350 HUMMING-BIEDS. 
 
 closing the senses to the beautiful objects .iround, and 
 for whose reception all those senses were made, nor 
 do I see that religion is tantamount to misery. I can- 
 not think that a gothic cathedral is " carnal" because 
 its windows are stained with the colours of those very 
 gems of which we read that the City of the new Jeru- 
 salem is built ; because its form is beautiful, its orna- 
 ments symbolic, and its spire ever pointing to the sky. 
 Still less can I comprehend that a building is more 
 fit for the service of Him who is in Himself the very 
 essence and origin of all beauty of colour and form, 
 because its substance is brick, and its chief charac- 
 teristics are whitewash and rectangles. 
 
 This is the kind of piety that tells you that millions 
 upon millions of immortal souls are constantly being 
 created for the sole purpose of being cast into torture 
 to all eternity. What wonder that there are infidels, 
 when religion is brought forward in such a guise ! If 
 that be Christianity, I, for one, will not be a Chris- 
 tian. 
 
 , Do such persons never think of their own pre- 
 sumptuous impiety in daring to say that anything that 
 God made is impious ? Still, if they conscientiously 
 think that all things lovely and sweet and beautiful 
 are irreligious, let them think so and welcome, but 
 not interfere with us, who know better. And if they 
 find their happiness in drab, let them be drab and 
 happy. But let us with every sense, and every feel- 
 ing, and every power, thankfully drink in the beauty 
 that is poured forth with so lavish a hand ; and yet 
 seeing in it all only a shadow and an earnest of more 
 beautiful things yet to come. 
 
 As to the second class of individuals, who are 
 always asking of what use a beautiful object is for 
 them language contains no epithet sufficiently con- 
 temptuous. I always feel tempted to answer and 
 have done so once or twice, to the extreme horror of 
 my interlocutor, " Pray, sir, of what use are you?" 
 It generally seems to be a new idea. 
 
DKAB AND MUD. 351 
 
 For they have no conception of the useful, save that 
 which benefits themselves and their own low, grovel- 
 ling, selfish ends. Beyond earth, and things earthy, 
 they have no thoughts, no wishes, no aspirations ; of 
 the earth they are, and of the earth they speak. And 
 when things lovely, and precious, and enduring, are 
 brought before them, they trample upon and con- 
 demn them, precisely as swine condemn pearls. 
 
 Still it is some consolation to think that pearls 
 are precious, even though the swine condemn them. 
 
 Let chains of arguments be forged, many in num- 
 ber as the sands of the sea, strong as the strongest 
 steel, against the love of beauty, and they fall to 
 pieces before the perfume of the rose, the song of the 
 lark, or the plumage of a butterfly, even as the pri- 
 soner's fetters at the touch of an angelic hand. Stand 
 out, little Ruby-throat; spread your plumage to the 
 sun, flash the rainbow light from your glittering fea- 
 thers, and be a silent answer to the drab and the mud. 
 For he who cannot be convinced by such a sight will 
 never be convinced by words. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 OSTRICHES. 
 
 Contrasts of Structure. Legs of the Ostrich. Its Means of 
 Defence. Wings of the Ostrich. Running against Wind. 
 The Camel-bird. Ostrich Plumes. How procured. 
 Cunning of the Bosjesman. Ostrich-Stalking. Arrow- 
 poison. Latet Anguis in Arena. Brains versus Legs. 
 Practical Mathematics. Getting the " Wind " of the 
 Birds. Speed of the Ostrich. Fury of the wounded 
 Ostrich. Singular Use of Ostrich Plumes. Mobbing to 
 Death. Knob-kerries. Curious Treatment of the slain 
 Ostrich. How to preserve Ostrich Plumes. Spur-quills of 
 the Wing. Use of the preserved Skin. 
 
 No two birds can afford a more decided contrast than 
 the Ostrich and the bird whose habits we have just 
 noticed. The one is the tiniest of the feathered 
 tribes, and the other is the largest at present known 
 to exist. The humming-bird is created expressly to 
 pass an aerial life, and all its structure is in entire ac- 
 cordance with its habits. Similarly, and yet diffe- 
 rently, the ostrich, with all its tribe, is essentially a 
 terrestrial bird, and its form is as terrestrial as its 
 nature. 
 
 For example, the legs and feet of all the humming* 
 birds are even smaller than might be imagined from 
 the very minute size of their owners, because the 
 perch is but a relaxation after their hours of constant 
 flight. 
 
 But in the ostrich the legs are enormously deve- 
 loped, their bony scaffolding is thick, heavy, and 
 solid, and their length is such that it is a common 
 circumstance for the bird to exceed eight or nine 
 feet in height, and specimens have been found even 
 
MODES OF DEFENCE. 353 
 
 reaching to the height of eleven feet. This height is, 
 it must be remembered, equal to that of most ele- 
 phants. 
 
 This statement seems rather startling, but it is 
 proved by the catalogue of the College of Surgeons, 
 where eleven feet is recorded as the height of an 
 ostrich from whose body several preparations were 
 formed. But the usual height is about seven or eight 
 feet, and that is tolerably high for a bird. 
 
 On dissecting the legs of an ostrich, the attention 
 is immediately drawn to the array of glistening ten- 
 dons which play, like so many steel bands, along the 
 bones and under the tough skin that encircles the leg. 
 No wonder that the creature can run so fast and so 
 long, when it is furnished with such powerful means 
 of progression. 
 
 Some idea of them may be formed from the ten- 
 dons found in the leg of the pheasant, one of our 
 running birds. But the pheasant can fly as well as 
 run, and so the tendons of the legs are not even pro- 
 portionately so powerful as those of the ostrich. 
 Make these tendons double their size and strength, 
 then magnify the bird until it becomes some eight or 
 nine feet high, and thus a tolerable idea may be 
 obtained of the power of those tendinous bands that 
 give force to the ostrich's leg. And at the joints, 
 and indeed along the greater part of the leg, there 
 is a tendinous sheathing of sufficient strength to 
 prevent these cords from bursting through the skin 
 by their own force 
 
 But these legs can be used not only for flight, but 
 for defence. When attacked closely, the ostrich has 
 a way of kicking at its adversary with these formi- 
 dable legs, and often inflicts severe injury by the 
 claw of its foot, which is sharp and angular. A man 
 has been killed by a single blow from one of these 
 weapons. Curiously enough, it delivers the stroke 
 forwards, so as to attack an advancing foe, and does 
 
 A A 
 
354 OSTRICHES. 
 
 not kick backwards, as a horse does. And when run- 
 ning, it can throw up the pebbles with its feet at 
 every stride, and discharge a constant series of vol- 
 leys against its pursuer, about whose ears they rattle 
 like so many shot. 
 
 Then, as the creature is not intended to fly, the 
 wings are limited to the smallest dimensions con- 
 sistent with the office which they have to perform. 
 They may be aptly compared to the fore-legs of the 
 kangaroo, the jerboa, or any of the leaping quadru- 
 peds, and are quite as small in proportion to the 
 highly-developed hinder limbs. 
 
 The only use to which the wings seem to be put is, 
 to balance the ostrich in its swift course, and, by a 
 constant flapping and quivering, to preserve that accu- 
 racy of equilibrium which is necessary when an ani- 
 mal of such size presses forward with the speed of a 
 railway engine. 
 
 It is generally said that the use of the wings is to 
 catch the wind, and so to aid the bird in its progress. 
 But as far as I see, nothing can be more erroneous ; 
 for, when pursued, the ostrich always runs against 
 the wind, and never with it. Most, if not all, wild 
 animals have the same habit, because the scent of 
 their enemies is carried down the wind, and so they 
 are at once warned of the presence of a foe. 
 
 And even if proof were wanted of this error, there 
 is a very sufficient one in the fact that the ostrich goes 
 much faster than the wind, at all events than such a 
 wind as would blow during a chase. The speed of 
 an alarmed ostrich is sixty miles per hour. Now, a 
 wind that blows at the rate of even fifty miles an 
 hour is classed among the hurricanes ; and if it were 
 to blow at a rate exceeding the speed of the ostrich, 
 bird, horse, and rider, would be dashed to the ground 
 by its force, and hurled before its breath as helplessly 
 as feathers in the breeze. 
 
 So that, for the ostrich to catch the wind with its 
 
THE PLUMES. 355 
 
 wings would be about as sensible as to carry all sail 
 in a five-knot breeze, while the vessel was steaming 
 at fifteen miles an hour. 
 
 As, then, the wings are not used for the purpose of 
 raising the bird into the air, their muscles are very 
 little developed, and, as a natural consequence, the 
 deep keel on the breast-bone, which is so conspicuous 
 in the humming-bird, is altogether wanting in the 
 ostrich, whose breast-bone is as flat as that of man. 
 
 The whole form of the ostrich skeleton is singu- 
 larly like that of the greyhound, especially if viewed 
 from behind. There is the same little head and 
 long slender neck, the same breadth of chest, and 
 the same wide arch of the pelvic bones, giving such 
 strength to the hind quarter. 
 
 It also bears a decided resemblance to the skele- 
 ton of the camel, if viewed in the same way, and jus- 
 tifies its title of camel-bird, given to it by the Orien- 
 tals. The Greeks called it " struthocamelus," a com- 
 pound term, which signifies bird-camel. And the 
 Persians still imagine that the ostrich is produced by 
 a mixture of the camel with the bustard, or some 
 similar bird, just as the giraffe was thought to be a 
 cross breed between the leopard and the camel. 
 
 A most useful, and also ornamental, bird is the 
 ostrich to the African tribes among whom it lives. 
 We, however, discard the useful portion, and only re- 
 tain the ornamental. For those beautiful plumes- 
 that are accessories to so many state occasions, and 
 wave over the coronet of the Prince of Wales, are- 
 all taken from the wings of this bird. They are 
 certainly beautiful ornaments ; and even though the 
 wearing them be a relic of barbaric or savage life, 
 let them still be worn. As it is, the greater part of 
 our clothing is derived from the natural covering of 
 animals ; and as Alphonse Karr observes : 
 
 " Your grandest and most splendid attire is com- 
 posed of the shreds you steal from one or another 
 from sheep and from silkworms. 
 
 A A* 
 
356 OSTRICHES. 
 
 " Observe that woman now passing. Yesterday 
 she was mild and good ; to-day, you see, she is 
 haughty and insolent. What has created this change 
 in her? Nothing: only she has upon her head a 
 feather plucked from the tail of an ostrich. How 
 proud that ostrich ought to be, which has so many 
 more, and all its own ! " 
 
 These feathers are procured in various ways ; 
 sometimes by hunting the ostrich, but more often by 
 purchasing them from the native tribes, whose ready 
 craft supplies the place of superiority of weapons. 
 And of all the tribes that are successful in the feather 
 hunt, the little insignificant Bosjesman is, perhaps, 
 the most successful. The mode which he employs is 
 so singular, and so clever, that it is worthy of narra- 
 tion. 
 
 He first takes a dead ostrich and skins it, cutting 
 off the legs, but leaving the remainder of the skin 
 entire. The neck is so fitted up with a stick running 
 through it, that it can be moved about easily by a 
 person holding an end of the stick in his hand. The 
 skin of the back is then strained over a kind of 
 -saddle, and left to dry. 
 
 When thoroughly hard and dry, and there are 
 ostriches near, the tiny hunter fits the feathered saddle 
 on his back in such a way that, when he stoops, the 
 neck of the stuffed bird is erect, and he can hold the 
 nd of the guiding stick in his hand. He takes with 
 him his bow and a supply of poisoned arrows, and 
 after rubbing his black legs with some white sub- 
 stance, goes off towards the unsuspecting ostriches. 
 
 By means of the stick he manoeuvres the neck of the 
 ostrich- skin as if it were animated by the bird itself; 
 sometimes stooping it towards the ground as if peck- 
 ing at something, sometimes turning the head from 
 side to side as if the bird were looking out for 
 foes. 
 
 And so well does he imitate the action of an 
 ostrich, that those who have seen the performance 
 
OSTRICH-STALKING. 857 
 
 declare that it is almost impossible to distinguish be- 
 tween the false bird and the true. 
 
 On he goes, now and then stopping, but always 
 drawing nearer and nearer, until he gets among the 
 birds. Down goes the neck, out comes an arrow, 
 and, in a moment, one or more of the ostriches has 
 a poisoned dart in its body. The wounded birds 
 start, give the alarm, and away they run, the Bosjes- 
 man after them, just as if he were one of themselves, 
 and quite as frightened. 
 
 About the birds that have been struck he does not 
 trouble himself; for he knows well enough that, even 
 if the wound were no more than the scratch of a pin, 
 it would be as surely the death-blow as if the arrow 
 had gone through the heart : it is simply a question 
 of time. So, by industriously keeping up the decep- 
 tion, the cunning little fellow lays low many a swift 
 and wary bird, who would laugh at the speed of a 
 racehorse, and could annihilate, with a single kick, 
 its small and formidable foe. 
 
 The arrows, by the way, are curiously constructed. 
 They have no feathers, and the points are of bone, 
 fitting loosely into the shaft, so that when the animal 
 is struck, the shaft is shaken off by its struggles, leav- 
 ing the poisoned point in the wound. These bone-tips 
 are pointed at each end, but only one end is poisoned; 
 and when not immediately required for use, the bony 
 point is carried with its unpoisoned end outwards, scr 
 as to guard against accidents. When, however dan- 
 ger is near, or prey is to be pursued, the tips are re- 
 versed, and then the Bosjesman becomes more dan- 
 gerous than a nest of cobras. 
 
 It is rather a remarkable circumstance that the- 
 poison with which the arrows are charged does not 
 injure the flesh of the animals killed by its effects, 
 although it must necessarily mix with the blood, and 
 course through every portion of the victim. Such is 
 also the case with the venom of snakes, of which,, 
 indeed, the arrow-poison is chiefly composed. It is 
 
358 OSTEICHES. 
 
 a well-known fact that this secretion may be swallowed 
 with impunity, while if it even mixes directly with 
 the blood by so much as the scratch of a pin, death 
 is the inevitable result. 
 
 Now this is a more curious phenomenon than is 
 generally supposed ; for, whether the substance in 
 question be introduced to the blood by direct means, 
 or whether it passes into the blood indirectly by the 
 process of digestion, the ultimate result is the same. 
 There is, therefore, in the living laboratory of the 
 nutritive system some wondrous process of chemistry 
 that destroys the noxious effects of a substance when 
 brought under its sway, and renders it harmless to 
 the blood, which it is its mission to form ; although, 
 if introduced to the same blood without passing 
 through the digestive process, it paralyses the very 
 life, stagnates the blood, and stills the beating of the 
 heart. 
 
 There is another plan adopted by the Bosjesman 
 that does not require so much craft and exertion as 
 that just mentioned. When he discovers an ostrich- 
 nest, and does not care about a lengthened supply of 
 eggs, he waits for the absence of both birds, and then 
 creeping up to the sand-heaped nest, scoops out a 
 hollow in the sand, covers himself up neatly, and 
 lies there patiently until the parent birds return to 
 their home. When they do so, in some three se- 
 conds, each of the birds has received a poisoned dart, 
 and soon succumbs. 
 
 Springes are also employed for the purpose of 
 ostrich- catch ing, and are made in a manner almost 
 identical with those which we employ in England for 
 the capture of less noble game. 
 
 European hunters, however, not having the patience 
 or the cunning of the savage, take the more manly 
 view of the case, and hunt the ostrich by fair riding. 
 
 Now, an ostrich walks away from a horse much as 
 a steamer walks away from a sailing vessel in a light 
 wind, and were it a mere stern chase, the ostrich 
 
PEACTICAL MATHEMATICS. 359 
 
 would never be caught. But -when brains are pitted 
 against legs, the scales are generally turned ; and so 
 it is in this case. Eepeated observations have shown 
 that an ostrich always runs against the wind, and 
 not with it, so that, when the direction of the wind 
 is known, the course which the bird will take is 
 known also. Moreover, this bird does not usually 
 take a direct course ; but bears up so as to describe 
 a segment of a very large circle. 
 
 Now it is a contest of legs versus brains. The 
 legs, when their owner takes the alarm, ply themselves 
 with all the celerity practicable, and run off in their 
 curved path. Brains, however, knowing that the 
 chord is shorter than the arc, choose the chord, and 
 so make up for the difference of speed. 
 
 In plain terms, when an ostrich is started, the 
 hunter does not attempt to follow it, but getting his 
 horse to speed, he makes a short cut to the spot for 
 which he knows the bird will make. Having arrived 
 there, he leaps from his horse, and, as the ostrich 
 runs past, he gets a fair broadside shot, which tum- 
 bles the bird over. 
 
 The great object of the hunter is therefore to work 
 up well to windward of the birds before he alarms 
 them, as then he is sure to be on the short line. And 
 even if he is ahead of them, they run up the wind, so 
 that he can generally make sure of his bird, if he 
 knows how to manage. If he should see the birds on 
 the wrong side, he has to make a wide detour, in order 
 to cross the wind out of their reach, and so to creep 
 up to them in the proper direction. 
 
 Hunters, in those wide plains, seem to think 
 nothing of making a circle of seven or eight miles 
 merely to circumvent an animal which they are chas- 
 ing, even if they have to crawl half the distance like 
 so many lizards or snakes. 
 
 Some practice is required even for this process, as 
 the ostrich scuds past with speed almost incredible ; 
 and if the marksman's hand is not quite steady, and 
 
8(50 OSTRICHES. 
 
 plenty of allowance made for the pace, the shot fails, 
 and there is very small likelihood of another chance. 
 And when one considers the exertion of a smart ride 
 under a burning sun, together with the necessity of 
 firing immediately after dismounting, it is easy to see 
 that steadiness of hand is likely to be compromised 
 under such circumstances, even if time were given for 
 a deliberate aim. 
 
 Although the swiftness of the ostrich is such that, 
 under ordinary circumstances, a horse has no chance 
 against it, yet it is said that at the approach of the 
 rainy season its vigour decreases sufficiently to en- 
 able a good horse to overtake it. When caught, the 
 feathers are stripped from its wings and tail ; the 
 best are reserved for the European market, while the 
 others are stuck round the hat as trophies, so that the 
 apparent anomaly of a wide-awake hat, profusely de- 
 corated with ostrich plumes, is a common enough 
 sight in the semi-civilised district near the Cape and 
 Natal. 
 
 There is a popular saying that tells us to beware 
 of the anger of a quiet man, and the same remark 
 holds good with the quiet birds. 
 
 Among the fiercer quadrupeds and birds, an indi- 
 vidual that has been wounded becomes more danger- 
 ous than when unhurt, and the severer the wound the 
 more furious the creature, always provided that it is 
 not paralyzed by the stroke that irritates it. A mor- 
 tally-wounded lion is an antagonist more to be 
 dreaded than one who has been only slightly hurt, and 
 from all descriptions the dying efforts are the most 
 terrible. It is so with the eagles, as has already been 
 mentioned, and is so with the whales. Even the 
 mild and gentle Greenland whale, when mortally 
 wounded, is nearly as dangerous as the spermaceti 
 whale, with all its huge jaws and formidable array of 
 teeth. 
 
 The ostrich, although essentially a shy and timid 
 bird, avoiding mankind as an Oriental avoids lepers, 
 
CURIOUS USE OF THE PLUMES. 361 
 
 yet when brought to the ground by a wound, and 
 unable to escape, becomes animated by despair, and is 
 straightway transformed into a furious and dangerous 
 foe. 
 
 It plunges itself about, spins round as it lies, and 
 lashes out in every direction with its powerful legs. 
 No one dares then approach within its reach, for even a 
 simple blow from its foot would break a limb, or frac- 
 ture a skull. But each foot is armed with a long and 
 sharp claw, which, when urged by the powerful limb 
 to which it is attached, cuts like a sword blade. 
 
 In such a case it is necessary to give the coup de 
 grace before approaching the prostrate bird. So, to 
 pluck the feathers from the living bird is not quite so 
 easy a business as might be supposed from the mild 
 aspect of the ostrich. The object of so doing will 
 be mentioned in a succeeding page. 
 
 Sometimes even the domesticated ostriches are 
 liable to sudden gusts of fury, especially at the sight 
 of strangers, and attack their real or imaginary foe 
 with great ferocity. 
 
 There is another and rather a singular use to which 
 their plumes are put by the Kaffir tribes. Large 
 bunches of them are made up, something like those 
 sable exhibitions of ostentatious folly that nod from 
 the top of a hearse at an expensive funeral. These 
 plumes are attached to long rods, about the size and 
 shape of the ordinary assagy, or spear, and on 
 peaceable occasions answer the purpose of fans. 
 But there are circumstances in which these plume- 
 decorated spears are made the means of saving 
 human life. 
 
 When a band of bold Kaffirs unite for the purpose 
 of attacking a lion, every man carries, beside his 
 Usual bundle of spears, one of these plumed rods, the 
 other end of which is armed with a spike, but not 
 ibr any destructive purpose. 
 
 Thus prepared, the band surround the lion, and 
 
362 OSTKICHES. 
 
 when within proper distance, one of them delivers 
 his spear, and, as the lion rushes at him, plants his 
 rod in the ground and springs aside. The wounded 
 lion, blinded with rage, attacks the feathers instead 
 of the man, and thus not only gives him time to 
 escape, but affords an opportunity for more spears to 
 be thrown. 
 
 Each man, as he finds his opportunity, throws his 
 spear and leaps aside, until the lion his strength ex- 
 hausted with vain attacks, and his life-blood ebbing 
 away from the innumerable wounds that are inflicted 
 slowly sinks under them, and dies. 
 
 By the time that the lion has fairly breathed his 
 last, he has assumed somewhat of the aspect of a 
 porcupine, or a well-stocked pincushion, from the 
 number of spears that are sticking in his body, irre- 
 spective of those which he has torn out by his teeth, 
 or shaken out by his struggles. For the tenacity of a 
 lion's life is even more remarkable than that of a cat, 
 who is popularly said to possess nine lives, and when 
 wounded his ferocity must be seen to be compre- 
 hended. So that were it not for the timely aid offered 
 by these plumed spears, upon which the animal ex- 
 pends his fury, many a Kaffir would bite the dust. 
 
 Mobbing, indeed, seems to be a favourite mode of 
 pursuit in these regions, and the savages supply their 
 want of suitable weapons, by their numbers and their 
 perseverance. Savage man is generally compared 
 to a wolf, and certainly he has this much of the wolf 
 nature, that he will band together with his comrades, 
 and perseveringly hunt to death an animal that he dare 
 not oppose openly The elephant is often destroyed in 
 this manner, the hunters following him for days to- 
 gether, and fairly wearing him out by want of rest, 
 and myriads of wounds. For, although a single well- 
 aimed bullet will drop an elephant on the spot, he 
 may be stuck full of spears without seeming very 
 much the worse for it at the time. 
 
KNOB-KERRIES. 363 
 
 Elephants are mobbed because they are so large, 
 and won't die easily. Lions are mobbed because they 
 are so fierce and strong, and ostriches are mobbed 
 because they are so swift. 
 
 When the natives mob an ostrich, they do so very 
 cleverly. They make a wide circle round it, and 
 gradually inclose it The bird becomes alarmed, and 
 tries to run through the line, but is sent back by a 
 knobbed stick hurled at it. As the circle decreases, 
 the knobbed sticks fly faster and faster, until the bird 
 is finally disabled. If possible the hunters try to 
 drive it into water, when it falls an easy prey. 
 
 These knobbed sticks, or knob-kerries, as they are 
 called, are most formidable weapons in a Kaffir's 
 hand. They are formed either of some very heavy 
 wood, or of the horn of the rhinoceros. These latter 
 are much valued, and can hardly be purchased. 
 There is, or was, one in Gordon Cummin g's collec- 
 tion nearly four feet in length. 
 
 They are not generally very long, and can be used 
 much as the ancient battle-axes, either in the light of 
 clubs for hand-to-hand fighting, or as missiles. In 
 this latter capacity they are much used, and can be 
 hurled from the Kaffir's hand with a force and accu- 
 racy that can hardly be conceived by those who have 
 not seen it. The Kaffirs will often go out armed 
 merely with their knob-kerries, and bring in a parcel 
 of birds, which they have killed simply by throwing 
 these clubs at them. 
 
 There is a curious custom prevalent at the death of 
 an ostrich. When the bird has been knocked over, 
 the throat is cut, so as to separate the great veins and 
 arteries, and a ligature is placed over the wound so as 
 to prevent the blood from escaping. The bird is then 
 rolled about, and agitated, until at last, when the liga- 
 tures are removed, a mixture of blood and fat pours 
 out in a liquid state, and is carefully preserved. So 
 great is the amount of this singular substance that 
 
364 OSTEICHE8. 
 
 nearly twenty pounds weight have been preserved 
 from a single bird 
 
 It is chiefly used for medicinal purposes. 
 
 It is said, but with what truth I know not, that 
 feathers, plucked from the ostrich during its life, are 
 not liable to the attacks of those little worms that are 
 so detrimental to feathers and similar substances. 
 The comparative cruelty or humanity of the practice 
 is, of course, not considered at all. But, as it is a 
 matter of some importance to those who possess these 
 feathers, and dread the worms or the moths, I here 
 mention a very easy way of getting rid of them, and 
 preventing their attacks for ever. 
 
 Take rectified spirits of wine, say half a pint, and 
 place therein about enough powdered corrosive sub- 
 limate to be taken up on the point of a penknife. 
 Let it remain there for several hours, or a whole day 
 will be better, in order to secure its perfect solution, 
 taking care frequently to shake or stir it. 
 
 Then take the feather and soak it thoroughly in 
 the poisonous spirit, letting every part have its equal 
 share. The dry feather will suck up the spirit like a 
 sponge, and when it is removed from the liquor it 
 will present the most miserable and draggled appear- 
 ance imaginable. Never heed its look, but just wave it 
 about in the air, keeping it constantly on the move. 
 Spirit soon evaporates, and in a short time the feather 
 will resume its former appearance. 
 
 From that time it is invulnerable. Not an insect 
 dares to put a tooth into it, and it may be left with 
 impunity in the midst of the most moth-haunted 
 garments and furs. 
 
 Great caution must be taken, as corrosive sublimate 
 is very poisonous, and although the amount mentioned 
 affords but a weak solution, yet if there is an un- 
 guarded cut on the fingers, or the eyes are rubbed 
 with the hands before they have been washed, very- 
 unpleasant inflammation may follow. But with ordi- 
 
PRESERVATIVE FLUID. 365 
 
 nary caution there is not the slightest danger. I have 
 thus preserved many thousands of insects and other 
 objects without receiving the least detriment. 
 
 The solution should not be stronger than the pro- 
 portions that have been mentioned, because if it is 
 too strong, the corrosive sublimate becomes deposited 
 in a white powder on the exterior of the object, and 
 may be dangerous to handle. But when it is mixed 
 according to the directions, the poison is absorbed into 
 the substance of the feather, and there is no danger. 
 Should, however, the mixture be inadvertently made 
 too strong, the superabundant substance can be re- 
 moved by washing the feather in pure spirit. The 
 scientific name of corrosive sublimate is Bichloride of 
 Mercury. 
 
 Fur, cloth, or any similar substances, can be pre- 
 served by this means. I have, as an experiment, 
 soaked a butterfly in it, and when dry put it into a 
 box among numerous specimens of insects that were 
 eaten up by those detestable mites and other creatures 
 that destroy so many fine collections. After the 
 expiration of some months, I opened the box, and 
 found my butterfly hidden beneath a layer of dust, 
 fragments of eaten insects, and other substances ; 
 so that I at first thought that the experiment had 
 failed. But, after the dust had been taken off with a 
 camel's-hair brush, the insect appeared as bright and 
 uninjured as it was when first placed in the box. 
 
 Camphor is just useless against many insects, for 
 some of them have been actually known to live in the 
 little recesses under the camphor itself. And by its 
 evaporation it is apt to form a crust on the glass covers 
 of the drawers and cases. To poison the atmosphere 
 is but a temporary remedy, but to poison the sub- 
 stances attacked answers effectually. 
 
 The wings of the ostrich bear, beside their feathers 
 already mentioned, two rather short, dark, sharp quills, 
 not unlike those of the porcupine, both in appearance 
 and texture. Their object is not at present known. The 
 
366 OSTRICHES. 
 
 cassowary bears five similar quills on each wing. 
 TKey are curious objects, and look as if they had 
 originally intended to be feathers, but had stopped 
 short in their growth. 
 
 The skin of the ostrich is very strong, and, after 
 undergoing certain processes of preserving, is used 
 for the manufacture of shields and other portions 
 of armour. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 OSTRICHES continued. 
 
 "Salmagundi." Contents of an Ostrich's Stomach. Bullet- 
 eating. Ducklings devoured. Ostriches destructive to 
 Corn. Ostrich Eggs. How to make an Omelet. Egg- 
 pebbles. The Eggs easily preserved. Egg-shells used as 
 Water-jars. Singular Stratagem. Number of Eggs in a 
 Nest. Jealousy of the Parents. Their Care of the Eggs. 
 Arabic Fable. Decoy Ostrich. Medicinal Properties of 
 Ostrich Egg. Medical Science. Voice of the Ostrich. 
 Winged Horses. The Spine of the Ostrich. Wholesale 
 Destruction. Curious Resemblances of Structure. In- 
 ternal Water- vessel. An Ostrich Chase. 
 
 THERE is a book of poems, hardly known so well as 
 it deserves, called " Salmagundi." It contains a 
 number of clever pieces, mostly political in their ten- 
 dency, and among them a rather long poem called 
 " The Dragon of Wantley," being an attack on the 
 famous Wilkes. In it are the following lines : 
 
 " Your ostrich, he will swallow brass, 
 
 And iron he loves dearly; 
 He '11 pick up a peck of tenpenny nails, 
 As cocks and hens do barley." 
 
 An assertion which is quite as true of the ostrich, as 
 of the all -devouring John Wilkes, who is here squib- 
 bized. For there is hardly any substance existing that 
 an ostrich will not swallow, and that sometimes in 
 the most unexpected manner. 
 
 When sailors catch a shark, the first thing they do 
 is to examine his interior, to discover what description 
 of nutriment he may have eaten, and often turn out 
 very curious objects indeed. Shoes, a lady's work- 
 box, an entire bull's hide, several packets of needles, 
 
368 OSTRICHES. 
 
 and a south-wester hat, are among the substances that 
 are recorded as having been dissected out of a shark 
 that had been caught after following a ship for some 
 time. And as the sailor looks with eagerness to the 
 opening of a shark's stomach, so does an anatomist 
 take his scalpel in hand with a flutter of pleasing 
 anticipation when the body of an ostrich is laid be- 
 fore him. 
 
 I have assisted at such an operation, and have 
 somewhere a list of the contents of that ostrich's sto- 
 mach, but at present I only remember that the most 
 prominent objects were large pebbles, several brick- 
 bats, and a good-sized piece of deal. 
 
 The omnivorous properties of this bird were known 
 long before any specimens were publicly exhibited in 
 England, and, as is usually the case with oral descrip- 
 tions of character, there was considerable exaggera- 
 tion. For example, it was supposed that not only did 
 the ostrich eat iron and brass, but that those metals 
 were its constant food, and that from them it de- 
 rived its nourishment. Accordingly, when an ostrich 
 was brought over to England, people were very as- 
 siduous in supplying it with bags of new nails, all 
 of which it ate, but, as may naturally be supposed, 
 pined away under such a system of feeding, and 
 soon died. 
 
 The object of taking such harsh materials into its 
 interior is, of course, the same that actuates many 
 birds when they eat gravel or sand. For the vegetable 
 food, on which the ostrich lives in its native land, is of 
 so harsh and dry a nature that adventitious aid is re- 
 quired, to enable the bird to grind such substances. 
 And, therefore, the ostrich eats stones in order that 
 they may assist the gizzard in its work of comminution. 
 
 But how the interior of any animal can be formed 
 of sufficient strength to withstand the attrition of 
 such substances as the ostrich will eat, is perfectly 
 astonishing. Even pieces of broken glass have been 
 discovered in that locality, mixed with a hetero- 
 
BULLET-EATING. 369 
 
 geneous mass of nuts, cords, brass, iron, lead, copper, 
 and tin, some wood, and a collection of stones, some 
 of which weighed more than a pound. 
 
 Metals, indeed, seem to be great favourites of the 
 ostrich, who is not particular as to their quality or 
 quantity. Sometimes, however, too great a prepon- 
 derance of one metal has caused death, especially 
 where its oxide is poisonous. So that, although a 
 moderate amount of copper or brass does no harm, 
 when there is too large a quantity it poisons even an 
 ostrich. 
 
 There is on record one instance where from an 
 ostrich's stomach were taken seventy largish cop- 
 per coins, which, by their oxidizing in the bird's 
 interior, had tinged everything in the stomach of a 
 green colour. Most of them had been so worn away 
 by friction against each other 'and the stones that 
 shared their fate, that barely one-fourth of their 
 original substance remained. Some of them had been 
 bent when the bird ate them, and it was found that 
 the convex side was rubbed and polished quite 
 smooth, while the other, and concave side, was left 
 in its original state. 
 
 But even these metal-eating experiences fall short 
 of the feat performed by a tame ostrich. Its owner 
 was employing himself in casting bullets, and, as he 
 turned them out of the mould on the floor, the ostrich 
 deliberately picked them up and swallowed them. 
 The non-bullet-manufacturing reader may as well be 
 informed here, that, when bullets are shaken out of 
 the mould, they are all but red hot ; they cause cold 
 water to hiss when they are plunged into it, and if 
 they are laid upon a wooden surface they burn black 
 spots wherever they touch it. And if an unwary 
 bystander should pick up one of these new shining 
 bullets, he finds his fingers wofully burnt. 
 
 So the callousness of the bird's interior may be 
 imagined. And this insensibility to pain evidently 
 extends to the throat, neck, and mouth, for if the 
 
 B B 
 
870 OSTEICHES. 
 
 first of those hot bullets had caused any pain as it 
 was passing down the bird's long neck, it would 
 hardly have picked up a second. 
 
 Still, an ostrich can swallow substances that are too 
 hot and too hard for it to bear, and one has been 
 killed by eating a large quantity of quick lime. And 
 one of tho se birds that was kept in the Zoological 
 Gardens swallowed so large a portion of a parasol, 
 that even its powerful digestion could not overcome 
 the difficulty, and after becoming deformed from the 
 effect of the parasol, it ultimately died. 
 
 Those tame ostriches are certainly wonderful crea- 
 tures in the eating line. One day I was walking by 
 the side of the ostrich department in the Zoological 
 Gardens, having in my hand part of a bun, the 
 remainder of which had been given to sundry 
 animals. Suddenly a dark shadow came over my 
 head, a smart blow was given to my right hand, and, 
 on looking round, I saw an ostrich swallowing the 
 bun with a sedate aspect. It was but a little piece, 
 and was almost entirely hidden in the closed hand, 
 but the bird's beak acted like a wedge, drove the hand 
 open, and, with the same movement, extracted its 
 contents. 
 
 Another tame ostrich took an ordinary door-key 
 out of a spectator's hand, and swallowed it on the spot. 
 
 As a general fact, the food of the ostrich is strictly 
 vegetable, but there are exceptions to most rules, and 
 an exception to this rule is not wanting. A mother 
 duck had successfully hatched a large brood of duck- 
 lings, and was leading them about in all the pride 
 and pomp of maternity. Unfortunately, she happen- 
 ed to pass by a spot where a tame ostrich was kept, 
 and then happened a terrible catastrophe. For with 
 the mildest and most entle expression imaginable, 
 the ostrich stretched out its neck, pecked up one 
 duckling after another, and swallowed in rapid 
 succession the whole brood, heedless of the remon- 
 strances and attacks of their afflicted mother. 
 
P. 370 
 
 OSTRICH EATING DUCKLINGS. 
 
RECIPE FOR AN OMELET. 371 
 
 How the ostrich procures its food in the midst of 
 the sandy desert, where it is often found, seem? 
 somewhat of a mystery. But it is extremely fond of 
 grain of all kinds, and is, therefore, rather a terror to 
 the corn-growers of Southern Africa. A whole posse 
 of ostriches will sometimes make a raid upon a 
 corn-field, and make sad havoc in a single night. For 
 the ostrich is a bird of discrimination, and eats only 
 the ears of the corn, not troubling itself about the 
 straw ; so that, after a flock of ostriches have passed 
 through a rich corn-field, little but the straw is left. 
 
 In its native country, the chief use to which the 
 ostrich is put, is to keep up a supply of eggs, these 
 being absolute necessaries of life in these dry and 
 sandy regions. 
 
 In the first place, they are in great request as 
 articles of food, and are dressed in various modes. 
 That method of cooking them, however, which seems 
 to be in greatest estimation, is remarkable for its 
 simplicity. The egg is placed upright in a pile of 
 hot wood ashes ; a hole is broken in the upper end, 
 whether big end or little end I do not know, and 
 through that hole a stick is introduced. The stick 
 is kept constantly rotating round the interior of the 
 egg, so that as the heat increases, it is equally diffused, 
 and the entire contents, yolk and white together, 
 are converted into a kind of omelet. 
 
 Sometimes butter is introduced by way of improve- 
 ment, but whether any especial improvement is 
 gained may be doubted. For it may be said of the 
 African butter, as has been well remarked of the 
 Norwegian article, that you may have it of all 
 qualities, ranging from very bad to indescribably 
 beastly, and the introduction of either of these sam- 
 ples would hardly cause much improvement, at all 
 events to the palate of an European. 
 
 The flavour of them is not unlike that of the duck's 
 egg, but stronger. 
 
 There is a very remarkable formation that is gene- 
 
 B B 2 
 
372 OSTRICHES. 
 
 rally found in ostrich eggs. In their interior are 
 many oval-shaped pebbles ; these are smooth, very 
 hard, and either of a yellow tint, or quite white. As 
 many as nine or twelve have been found in a single 
 egg. Those egg-eaters who are sufficiently civilised 
 to wear clothes, use these pebbles as buttons, their 
 shape arid size being well adapted for such a purpose. 
 " They are," as an author says, " about the size of a 
 large pear," but I imagine that the last word is a mis- 
 print, and that it ought to have been a " large bean." 
 I never ate an ostrich egg myself, but I know those 
 who have eaten many, and they tell me that these peb- 
 bles are of various sizes, from that of a pea to a large 
 scarlet-runner bean. Their object is not yet, I 
 believe, known, nor how they get into the egg. The 
 reel in the bottle is nothing to so difficult a pro- 
 blem. 
 
 The ostrich egg has a very useful property, that of 
 keeping fresh for a long time. On voyages, there- 
 fore, or long journeys, they are invaluable, for they 
 do not even re q lire that constant turning and atten- 
 tion which is needed to preserve ordinary eggs sweet. 
 And they are so large that one egg will serve as a 
 very tolerable meal for several human beings. That 
 is, for civilised human beings ; for no one yet has 
 been able to place any limit to the amount of food 
 which a hungry savage will consume, and still call 
 himself hungry. 
 
 The shell of the ostrich egg is very thick, and 
 nearly as strong as bone, so that it is of fhe greatest 
 use for holding liquids without much likelihood of 
 Creaking. 
 
 When a spring contains good water, the women 
 ^f the neighbouring tribes are sent to it from very 
 great distances, having on their backs either karosses 
 or nets, containing some fifteen or twenty empty 
 ostrich eggs. These are filled with water through 
 a small hole at one end, which is stopped up with 
 dried grass, and then the poor women have to toil 
 
SINGULAR STRATAGEM. 373 
 
 back again to their lords under a burning sun, and 
 carrying this heavy load. 
 
 For there the women are the working cattle, the 
 men do nothing but sleep, eat, drink, smoke, and 
 snuff ; their only occupation being battle or hunting, 
 and their only toil cattle-stealing. 
 
 The Bosjesmen make use of these eggs in a very 
 singular manner. When they determine upon a raid 
 in some particular quarter, they send forward women 
 and others laden with ostrich shells filled with water. 
 These they bury in the sand at regular intervals, and 
 then return. 
 
 Preliminaries having been thus arranged, off goes 
 the little army, carrying their bows and a plentiful 
 supply of poisoned arrows. They arrive at the spot 
 marked out, seize the cattle, drive off as many of 
 them as they can manage, and destroy the others 
 by putting a poisoned weapon into each of them. 
 On their return the buried ostrich eggs afford suffi- 
 cient water for themselves and the cattle, while the 
 plundered foes are forced to stay at home. For, in 
 those regions to wander to any distance from water is 
 certain death to the horse if not to the rider also, 
 and the robbers are therefore as safe as if the sea di- 
 vided them from those whose goods they had taken. 
 
 The number of eggs in one nest is often very con- 
 siderable, and it is generally supposed that several 
 females have a common nest among them. From 
 twenty to forty eggs are frequently found in the nest, 
 beside some ten or twelve others, which are arranged 
 round the margin. 
 
 The nest is hardly deserving such a name, for 
 it very much resembles those circular pits dug by 
 children on the sands with their wooden spades, 
 and in which they sit in a circle. It is a mere shal- 
 low pit scraped out of the sand, about three or four 
 feet in diameter. The sand that is scooped from 
 the interior is arranged round the margin so as 
 to make a slight parapet. 
 
374 OSTRICHES. 
 
 The ostrich is a very wary bird, quick-eyed, sharp- 
 scented, and jealous in the extreme. So, if a human 
 being has even passed by the nest on the windward 
 side, the ostrich discovers the fact on her return, 
 and breaks all the eggs. In order to procure a con- 
 stant supply of eggs, the natives take with them 
 certain very long sticks, and stand well on the lee 
 of the nest. By means of the rods, they rake out 
 the eggs without polluting the nest with a human 
 touch. 
 
 As far as the native human goes, there is small 
 credit to the ostrich for detecting the scent. Water 
 is not particularly abundant in those regions, and 
 washing is a thing unheard of. Moreover, the 
 savages decorate themselves with grease in vast 
 quantities, and as that substance soon becomes 
 rancid, even if it is not in that state before it is 
 placed on the person, the perfume is not one of the 
 most agreeable, but certainly sufficiently strong. 
 
 It is now well enough ascertained that the ostrich 
 is not quite so cruel a mother as has been imagined. 
 The popular idea on the subject used to be, that 
 when the eggs were laid, the parent bird took no 
 further trouble about them, but left them to hatch 
 or addle just as might happen. However, it is now 
 known that not only does the hen bird sit upon her 
 eggs, but that the male takes his turn also. Both 
 birds certainly do leave the nest in the middle of the 
 day, but that is only because the heat of the sun is 
 sufficient to keep up that supply of warmth neces- 
 sary for the perfection of the young birds. 
 
 There used to be a pretty superstition regarding 
 the manner in which the ostrich hatched her young. 
 She was said to sit beside the nest and look fixedly 
 at the eggs, and so to hatch them by the ardent gaze 
 of her love. 
 
 An old Arabic manuscript says that " When the 
 ostrich would hatch her eggs, she does not cover 
 them as other fowls do, but both the male and female 
 
DECOY OSTRICH. 375 
 
 contribute to hat^hthem by the efficacy of their looks 
 only : and therefore, when one has occasion to go to 
 look for food, it advertises its companion by its cry. 
 The other never stirs during its absence, but remains 
 with its eye fixed upon the eggs until the return of 
 its mate, and then goes in its turn to look for food. 
 
 " This care of theirs is so necessary, that it cannot 
 be suspended for a moment; for if it should their 
 eggs would immediately become addle." 
 
 Southey makes a very happy use of this passage in 
 his "Thalaba." 
 
 The eggs that skirt the nest are supposed to be 
 laid for the purpose of feeding the young birds with 
 soft food before they are able to eat the hard and 
 coarse substances on which the adult bird feeds. 
 
 Both parents have been seen to take great care of 
 their young brood, thus putting to shame those censo- 
 rious personages who assert that the ostrich cares 
 not for her eggs or her young. And on several occa- 
 sions these birds have been seen to perform an action 
 closely resembling the well-known habit of the lap- 
 wing. 
 
 It has sometimes happened that a traveller has 
 come suddenly upon some adult ostriches surrounded 
 with their young. All the party scampered off, but 
 suddenly the male bird appeared as if he had broken 
 a leg, fell down in the sand, and struggled violently. 
 And while he was thus distracting the attention of 
 the intruders, his mate was quietly leading off the 
 young brood in another direction. Sometimes the 
 female bird shams lame, while the male carries off 
 the young. And when a deceived spectator is flatter- 
 ing himself that he shall find the maimed bird an 
 easy prey, it picks itself up and vanishes. 
 
 On account of the great length of its legs, the 
 ostrich has to sit on the nest in a curious attitude, 
 with its feet thrust forward. 
 
 The natives contrive to make use even of the frag- 
 ments of broken egg-shells, by grinding them into 
 
376 OSTRICHES. 
 
 various shapes, and making ornaments from them, 
 such as rings or beads. 
 
 In former days, when ostriches were not so well 
 known as they are now, the shells were ranked high 
 among medicinal substances. Several diseases were 
 thought to yield to the effect of a dose of ostrich 
 shell, blindness being one of the maladies that was 
 curable by it. The shell was administered as a very 
 fine powder. 
 
 I wonder whether the medical men of A.D. 2000 
 will laugh at our medicines as we now ridicule those 
 of the doctors of 1 600. We now don't think that there 
 is very much efficacy in powdered egg-shell, or even 
 m that most precious of substances, the egg of the 
 Phoenix, which we, in these days, call the cocoa-nut. 
 We don't now cure fractures by mingling the ashes 
 of a woodmouse with barley, and putting the mix- 
 ture to the part affected, nor even do we spread those 
 ashes upon a little piece of cloth and cover it with wool 
 for the same object. And if we were short-sighted, we 
 should not endeavour to lengthen our vision by the 
 following rather obscure prescription. 
 
 " Country mice, that is to say those mice which 
 are found in the fields, being bruised and burned to 
 ashes, and mingled with fresh honey, doth comfort 
 or restore the sight of the eyes by diminishing the 
 darkness or dimness thereof ; in what field soever you 
 shall find anything, dig them up by the roots with a 
 little stake or post." 
 
 Now-a-days we laugh at such queer notions, but if 
 a medical practitioner at that time had dared to give 
 his opinion that the remedy was useless, he would 
 have met with very bad treatment at the hands ot 
 his associates. 
 
 The voice of the ostrich is variously described, 
 according to the temper of the bird, or the hour 
 of the day. Its ordinary night cry is said to be 
 deep and powerful, not unlike the distant roaring of 
 a lion. But when the ostrich is angry and fights, it 
 
WINGED HOUSES. 377 
 
 hisses, something after the goose fashion, and if it 
 drives away its adversary, or overcomes him, it utters 
 a self-satisfied kind of cackle. 
 
 The ostrich is easily tamed, and it has even been 
 taught to carry weight, after the manner of a horse. 
 Adanson relates an anecdote concerning two ostriches 
 that lived at a factory on the banks of the Niger, and 
 had been trained for this purpose. One of them was 
 so strong, that it carried two full-grown men on its 
 back without seeming to be at all distressed by their 
 weight. Even when thus loaded, it ran with such 
 speed that it hardly seemed to touch the ground with 
 its feet. And the other bird, which was smaller than 
 its companion, carried a single man with the same 
 ease. 
 
 This amusing scene was often repeated in Mr. 
 Adanson 's presence, and he seems greatly to wish 
 that the birds could be regularly brought into the 
 service of man, for their swiftness would surpass that 
 of a racehorse, although they might not be able to 
 keep up for so long a time. 
 
 These birds seemed to be very proud of themselves, 
 and quite conscious of their own beauty. They were 
 accustomed to strut in the sun along the side of the 
 house for the purpose of admiring their own shadows. 
 As they went along, turning round every moment for 
 another peep at their beautiful forms as reflected on 
 the wall of the house, they used to keep their wings 
 continually quivering, probably for the object of fan- 
 ning themselves by their vibration. 
 
 As so vast an amount of strength is concentrated 
 in the loins and hind-legs of an ostrich, it is evident 
 that there must be a corresponding amount of nerve, 
 through which to supply the muscles with vital fluid. 
 And on dissection of the spinal column, it is found 
 that the volume of nervous matter receives a sudden 
 increase, precisely where reason would show it to be 
 required. 
 
 The entire spinal cord and brain present a curious 
 
378 OSTRICHES. 
 
 appearance when separated from the rest of the bird. 
 That of the ostrich, whose stomach and its contents 
 I have already recorded on p. 368, was placed in a 
 long glass tube filled with spirits, the tube having 
 been made expressly for its reception. Almost every 
 one who sees it, takes it for a snake. I never 
 saw any one who was not a comparative anatomist 
 refer it even to the bird tribes. 
 
 Curiously enough, in its wild state, the ostrich as- 
 sociates with those enormous herds of quadrupeds 
 that are found in Africa. And the aspect of one of 
 these herds is most astonishing, for there are to be 
 seen mixed up together, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, 
 gnoos, ostriches, and all kinds of creatures, in wild 
 confusion. 
 
 Happy is the Bosjesman who finds one of these 
 herds in a spot tolerably near a rocky pass. For he 
 collects plenty of his companions, some of whom line 
 the pass, well armed with spears and arrows, while 
 others go silently into the plains, and, by judicious 
 management, drive the herd into the pass. Once 
 there, the fate of most of them is sealed. For, not only 
 are they attacked by a shower of assagies and arrows, 
 while their comrades are driving the herd, those that 
 line the pass loosen sundry rocks, and rough stones, 
 which come thundering down the rocky heights among 
 the herds, killing and disabling, like so many cannon- 
 balls. 
 
 The structure of the young bird bears some resem- 
 blance to that of the reptile, especially in its earlier 
 stages of existence. This similitude is shown chiefly 
 in the skeleton and in the formation of the vertebrae. 
 There are certain processes from the vertebrae of the 
 neck called "costal appendages," and even in the 
 half-grown ostrich these are not united to the verte- 
 brae from which they proceed, but are movable, and 
 quite separate. 
 
 This structure is found to exist in the crocodiles, 
 and in those reptiles the bones remain permanently 
 
INTERNAL WATER-VESSEL. 379 
 
 separated from each other, while in the bird they be- 
 come fixed when it attains its full growth. There 
 is also in the ostrich a curious expansion of the tail 
 vertebrae, which is supposed to exist for the purpose 
 of supporting the large plumes that adorn that re- 
 gion. 
 
 In so dry a country as Africa, where the water- 
 springs are few and far between and yet the birds 
 make their nests in the thirsty desert it is evident 
 that either the ostrich must be made capable of 
 existing without water, or that it should be endued 
 with some structure for maintaining the supply. 
 
 Now, no creature, in whom is blood, can exist 
 without water, without which the blood would be only 
 a hardened cake ; and, consequently, some structure 
 must exist to meet the difficulty. The peculiar 
 organs which are found in the interior of the camel 
 for this purpose are well known, and it is found, on 
 dissection, that an arrangement similar in effect, 
 though not in form, gives to the bird the power of 
 taking in a large supply of water and of retaining it. 
 
 This object is attained by a modification of the 
 crop, which is so formed as to present the appearance 
 of another stomach, and, indeed, has been so termed. 
 It is, however, merely the crop very much enlarged, 
 and so forming a pouch, or reservoir, capable of con- 
 taining several pints of water. 
 
 There are many other interesting anatomical pe- 
 culiarities in the structure of this remarkable bird, 
 but in a work of this character they would be rather 
 out of place, and I therefore omit them. 
 
 Of a genuine ostrich hunt I was never a spectator, 
 but I did once see an ostrich chase, which, if not 
 so exciting as those of Southern Africa, was yet su- 
 premely amusing. The chase in question took place 
 in a Hippodrome, and, being quite unpremeditated, 
 was, of course, far more spirited than if it had been 
 previously got up. 
 
 On the hand-bills it was mentioned, that two living 
 
380 OSTRICHES. 
 
 ostriches would be produced, and that there would 
 be an ostrich chase. In due time, out came the birds 
 in question, followed by men on horseback, dressee 
 according to the theatrical ideas of South-African 
 savages. I will not be certain that they did not wear 
 scalps and bison skins. However, out they came, 
 and put their horses to speed after the ostriches, who 
 trotted away with the greatest coolness. This lasted 
 for some time, until the order was given for them to 
 be withdrawn. The horses went away easily enough, 
 but the ostriches took a sudden turn under the nose 
 of the horses, and ran back again. 
 
 Several men ran shouting after them, but all to no 
 purpose, and they were obliged to call a number of 
 mounted men to their aid. And then occurred such 
 a comical scene, the ostriches appearing to enjoy 
 themselves thoroughly. 
 
 After an enormous amount of manoeuvring and 
 shouting on the part of the horsemen, and of applause 
 and laughter on that of the audience, the birds 
 were fairly penned in a corner, and there was ap- 
 parently an end of the matter 
 
 But hardly had the mingled mass of horse and foot 
 closed up, than, in some mysterious manner, the 
 ostriches ducked their heads, disappeared among 
 the horses' legs, upset a man who tried to stop them, 
 and were next seen twenty paces in the opposite 
 direction, running away quite at their ease. 
 
 Here there was tumultuous applause and cheering 
 from the audience, and much recrimination among 
 the would-be captors. 
 
 Another sharp struggle then took place, when the 
 birds, altering their plans, scrambled over the skirt- 
 ing boards, and got into the open space in the centre 
 instead of remaining in the exterior circle. Here 
 they had plenty of space to run, and the difficulty 
 was increased. 
 
 I do not know how long the birds baffled their pur- 
 suers, for it was much too exciting a business to leave 
 
OSTRICH-CHASE. 881 
 
 leisure for looking at watches. At last, a boy literally 
 threw himself on one of the ostriches as it passed 
 under the spot where he was standing, clasped his 
 arms round its neck, and hung on gallantly, in spite 
 of the struggles of the bird. 
 
 Its progress being now partially arrested, others 
 came up, and by dint of pulling, and hauling, and 
 pushing, they got that bird safely out of the inclosure, 
 and then went back for the other. After a spirited 
 struggle, the second bird was caught also. 
 
 All who witnessed the scene agreed that this un- 
 premeditated scene was better worth witnessing than 
 all the rest of the performance, and we would will- 
 ingly have paid a second time to be indulged with a 
 repetition of the proceedings. The birds were two 
 young specimens, and about two-thirds grown ; and 
 they took to the amusement as if they were a couple 
 of boys playing at prisoners' base, or some similar 
 game. 
 
 " And when they next do run abroad, 
 May I be there to see." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 , 
 
 OSTRICHES continued. 
 
 The Ostriches of both Worlds. Asia. The Cassowary. Its 
 Plumage and Colour. The Wing-spurs. Structure of the 
 Head. Its Food. Irritated by the Colour red. America. 
 The Rhea. Its Voracity. How destroyed. Its Power 
 of swimming. Structure of Nest, and Description of 
 Eggs. The "Huachos." Ferocity of the Rhea when sit- 
 ting. The " Bolas." The Petise. Australia. The Emu. 
 Its Sanctity. Curious Custom. Emu Oil. Young 
 Emus. Yoice of the Emu. Its Size. Arrangement of its 
 Feathers. New Zealand. The Apteryx. Why so called. 
 Its native Name. Uses of its Plumage. How obtained. 
 Discretion and Yalour. Warning to Taxidermists. 
 Curious Habits. Beak of the Apteryx. Its Mode of ob- 
 taining Food. Its probable Extinction. 
 
 BOTH the New and Old Worlds have their represen- 
 tatives of the ostrich family, and these representatives 
 I shall briefly mention. Among them, by the way, is 
 placed the dodo, but as its position in the ornitholo- 
 gical series has been so repeatedly changed, and we 
 know so little of it, I shall not here insert it among 
 the ostrich tribes. 
 
 The ostrich of Africa has but two toes, while those 
 found in the Asiatic Archipelago, America, Australia, 
 and New Zealand, possess more of those members ; 
 the Cassowary, the Rhea, the Emu, being each gifted 
 with three toes on each foot, while that very singular 
 bird, the Apteryx, has four. 
 
 The Cassowary is found in tolerable quantities 
 in the Malaccan peninsula and the neighbouring 
 islands The two points of the bird that strike the 
 observer are the plumage and the head. The plumage 
 
THE CASSOWARY. 383 
 
 is of a very singular character, and hardly seems to 
 be composed of feathers, but of a succession of hairs, 
 arranged evenly over the creature's body. These 
 are, however, true feathers, although curiously modi- 
 fied, for some reason at present unknown. 
 
 Their colour is of a black tint, with the slightest 
 possible idea of red, and each feather is double, two 
 plumes growing out of one shaft. The plumes are 
 often some thirteen or fourteen inches in length, and 
 are of a substance very much resembling the hair of 
 a horse's tail. The shaft, or stem, from which they 
 spring is very short, black, and flattened. A kind of 
 soft down proceeds from the shaft, and defends the 
 skin from sudden changes of temperature, but this 
 down is so short, that it is quite concealed by the 
 long hairy feathers that droop over it. 
 
 The whole of the body is covered with these strange 
 plumes, and even those on the wings, with but a 
 single exception, are of a similar character. In gene- 
 ral, the wings and tails of birds are furnished with 
 feathers of a firmer consistency than those which 
 seem merely to clothe the body ; but in the cassowary, 
 the entire body, tail, and wings, all have the same 
 covering. There is, indeed, on the wings a modifi- 
 cation of the feathers that correspond to the quills of 
 flying birds, but it is only a modification. On each 
 wing are five short, round, spines, something like 
 those of the porcupine. The largest of them is only 
 eleven inches in length, and its tip is not so sharp 
 as those of the others, probably because it is more 
 exposed to friction. 
 
 The whole wing when stupped of feathers, only 
 stands out some three inches in length, so that its 
 inadequacy to support the bird may be easily 
 imagined, the cassowary standing about five feet in 
 height. 
 
 The head of this bird is surmounted with a curious 
 structure that gives the bird a look of being helmeted. 
 The helmet was even thought to be only a process of 
 
384 OSTBICHES. 
 
 the outer covering, and to be annually shed with the 
 feathers in the moulting-season ; but it is really com- 
 posed of bone, honey-combed in a manner that very 
 much resembles the interior construction of the 
 elephant's skull. This bony crest is barely percep- 
 tible in the young bird, and only attains its full 
 height and perfection when the bird arrives at adult 
 age. The same circumstance takes place with the 
 common guinea-fowl. 
 
 Whatever may be its food in its wild state, it is 
 sufficiently voracious in captivity. It seems much to 
 affect apples, and has been known to swallow, entire, 
 an apple of considerable size, trusting to the gizzard 
 to bruise it. It is fed generally on bread, fruits, and 
 vegetables, among which carrots are mentioned; and 
 it drinks about half a gallon of water per diem. 
 
 It is rather remarkable that the cassowary should 
 so far partake of the nature of the bull as to be 
 irritated by the colour red, and so far of the nature 
 of the house dog, as to dislike rags. . Yet such is the 
 case ; and a tame cassowary has been repeatedly seen 
 to dash at people, and to use its best endeavours to 
 kick them, simply because they wore red garments, 
 or were not dressed respectably. 
 
 The eye of the cassowary is very brilliant and fierce, 
 and, aided by the bone helmet, gives it quite a warlike 
 aspect. It does not seem to be a particularly intel- 
 ligent bird, although closer observation might, per- 
 haps, discover in it as much reason as is possessed 
 by other birds of whose habit in a wild state more is 
 known. 
 
 The American ostriches go under the scientific 
 title of Kheas, and very curious birds they are. 
 
 They have much the same kind of habit as the 
 African ostrich, especially in their speed, their mode 
 of nest-making, and their propensity for eating all 
 kinds of strange substances. It is said of them, 
 that when little fish are washed on shore, they are 
 eaten by the rhea, which circumstance affords a 
 
THE RHEA. 385 
 
 parallel to the duckling- devouring ostrich mentioned 
 on p. 370. And they are also said to eat amber, when 
 they can get it. 
 
 Of the habits of the Khea, so excellent an account 
 is given by Darwin, that part of the description is 
 here, given in his own words. 
 
 " This bird is well known to abound on the plains 
 of La Plata. To the north, it is found, according to 
 Azara, in Paraguay, where, however, it is not com- 
 mon ; to the south, its limit appears to have been 
 from 4 k 2 to 43. It has not crossed the Corderillas, 
 but I have seen it within the first range of moun- 
 tains on the Uspallata plain, elevated between six and 
 seven thousand feet. 
 
 " The ordinary habits of the ostrich (rhea) are well 
 known. They feed on vegetable matter, such as 
 roots or grass; but at Bahia Blanca I have repeatedly 
 seen three or four come down at low water to the 
 extensive mud banks, for the sake, as the Gauchos 
 say, of catching small fish. 
 
 "Although the ostrich in its habits is so shy, wary, 
 and solitary, and although so fleet in its pace, it falls 
 a prey, without much difficulty, to the Indian or 
 Gaucho armed with the bolas. When several 
 horsemen appear in a semi-circle, it becomes con- 
 founded, and does not know which way to escape. 
 They generally prefer running against the wind, yet 
 at the instant they expand their wings, and, like a 
 vessel, make all sail. 
 
 " On one fine hot day I saw several ostriches enter 
 a bed of tall rushes, where they squatted, concealed, 
 till quite closely approached. 
 
 "It is not generally known that ostriches readily 
 take to the water. Mr. King informs me that at 
 Patagonia, at the Bay of St. Bias, and at Port Valdes, 
 he saw these birds swimming several times from 
 island to island. They ran into the water both when 
 driven down to a. point, and, likewise, of their own 
 accord, when not frightened. The distance crossed 
 
 G 
 
386 OSTRICHES. 
 
 was about two hundred yards. When swimming, 
 very little of their bodies appear above water, and 
 their necks are extended a little forward ; their pro- 
 gress is slow. On two occasions I saw some ostriches 
 swimming across the Santa Cruz Elver, where it 
 was about four hundred yards wide, and the stream 
 rapid. 
 
 " The inhabitants who live in the country readily 
 distinguish, even at a distance, the male bird from 
 the female. The former is larger, and darker coloured, 
 and has a larger head. 
 
 " The ostrich, I believe the cock, emits a singular 
 deep-toned hissing note. When first I heard it, while 
 standing in the midst of some sand hillocks, I 
 thought it was made by some wild beast, for it is 
 such a sound that one cannot tell from whence it 
 comes, or from how far distant. 
 
 " When we were at Bahia Blanca, in the months of 
 September and October, the eggs were found in 
 extraordinary numbers, all over the country. They 
 either lie scattered single, in which case they are 
 never hatched, and are called by the Spaniards 
 " huachos," or they are collected together into a hollow 
 excavation, which forms the nest. Out of the four 
 nests which I saw, three contained twenty-two eggs 
 each, and the fourth twenty-seven. In one day's 
 hunting on horseback, sixty-four eggs were found ; 
 forty-four of these were in two nests, and the remain- 
 ing twenty scattered huachos. 
 
 "The Gauchos unanimously affirm and there is no 
 reason to doubt their statement that the male bird 
 alone hatches the eggs, and that he for some time 
 afterwards accompanies the young. 
 
 " The cock, when on the nest, lies very close ; I have 
 myself almost ridden over one. It is asserted that 
 at such times they are occasionally fierce, and even 
 dangerous, and that they have been known to attack 
 a man on horseback, trying to kick and leap on him. 
 My informant pointed out to me an old man whom 
 
THE BOLAS. 387 
 
 he had seen much terrified bygone of these birds 
 chasing him." 
 
 This account corroborates the assertion respecting 
 the iisli-eatiiig habits of the Khea. And the fact of 
 its s wim in ing so well is very remarkable, for the 
 ostrich, to which it is so nearly allied, does not seem 
 to have any power in the water. Indeed, it would 
 have but little chance of exercising that power, and, 
 as has already been mentioned, is purposely driven 
 into water whenever practicable, because it can be 
 there easily knocked on the head. 
 
 The ' bolas," by which this bird is taken, form a 
 terrible weapon in the hands of any one, terrible to 
 the foe in the hands of an experienced hunter, and 
 equally terrible to himself in those of a tyro, who 
 will be quite as likely to knock out his own brains as 
 those of his enemy ; much in the same way as an 
 inexperienced thresher generally fetches himself some 
 severe blows on the top of his head before he learns 
 to strike the corn at his feet. 
 
 The form of the bolas is simple enough. Two 
 round, heavy balls, sometimes spherical pebbles, but 
 generally made of iron, are affixed at the ends of a 
 thin but strong rope. This weapon is carried in the 
 hunter's hands, and can be used in various ways 
 
 If he comes up close to an antagonist, he holds 
 the rope near the end, and delivers a violent blow 
 with the iron ball, much after the fashion of the " life- 
 preserver " of this country. 
 
 Sometimes he swings it round his head like a lasso, 
 and hurls the loaded end at his adversary, retaining 
 the other end so as to draw back the weapon after the 
 blow has taken effect, or in case of missing. But when 
 he is chasing game, he employs the bolas in a very- 
 different way. Having ridden as near as he judges ex- 
 pedient for his aim, and still whirling the bolas round 
 his head, he launches one of the balls at his intended 
 victim, following it immediately with the other. 
 
 The two balls circle through the air, and they are 
 
 ^ c a 
 
388 OSTEICHES. 
 
 thrown with so excellent an aim that a portion of 
 the cord comes on the creature's back, neck, or legs. 
 The weight of the balls instantly wraps the cord 
 round the embarrassed creature, and the more they 
 turn, the tighter the cord becomes, so that in most 
 cases the animal is so entangled as to be brought to the 
 ground at once, even if the heavy balls do not stun it 
 as they twist round the body. But in any case, the 
 bolas impede the course so much that the hunter 
 easily comes up with his chase. 
 
 Some hunters use a third ball, attached to one 
 end of a cord, whose other end is fastened to the 
 centre of the chief rope, so that there are three of 
 these terrible weapons revolving at the same time. 
 
 The facts that have been ascertained respecting the 
 eggs of the rhea, and the mode of their maturing, 
 will probably afford a key to the difficulties concern- 
 ing those of the African ostrich ; for their habits are 
 so very similar that there is good ground for suppos- 
 ing the rhea may be, as it were, a telescope through 
 which to observe the ostrich. 
 
 Mr. Darwin noticed, as may be seen . above, that 
 the eggs of this bird were collected together in nests 
 precisely similar to those of the ostrich ; and it has 
 been satisfactorily proved that four or five hen birds 
 unite in laying in the same nest. But as much as 
 that was known concerning the ostrich-nest; and 
 there yet remains a difficulty. 
 
 As many as eighty eggs have been found in one 
 jaest; and as it has been discovered that the bird 
 <0nly lays one every three days, that will give an 
 aggregate of sixty days occupied in laying so many 
 eggs. Now, when the young brood are seen, the 
 whole posse of little ones appear to be of much the 
 same age. It is, therefore, conjectured that, although 
 there are several females to each nest, yet that there 
 are as many nests as females ; and that, by an ami- 
 cable arrangement among themselves, they so manage 
 as to get all the eggs of one period collected into one 
 
THE PETISE 389 
 
 nest, and all those of another into a second nest, 
 leaving to their husbands the trouble of collecting 
 them and attending to their safety. 
 
 The great number of scattered eggs, called huachos, 
 strengthen this idea; and Mr. Darwin supposes 
 them to be the eggs which have been laid and forgot- 
 ten before the females could manage matters among 
 themselves and find convenient husbands. 
 
 The huachos can hardly be meant for the young 
 birds' food, because they are usually found in an un- 
 broken state, but addled. 
 
 One writer, by the way, when treating of the 
 ostrich and its curious habit of laying supernumerary 
 eggs around the nest, puts forth a theory, which is 
 ingenious enough. He says that the exposed eggs, 
 being thus exposed, become addled and putrid, while 
 those on which the mother sits are being hatched. 
 When the young ostriches come forth, the parent 
 bird breaks the addled eggs, which immediately 
 attract a swarm of flies and beetles, which the young 
 eat as fast as they come, so that there is a constant 
 and never-failing supply of food for them. 
 
 There seems to be hardly any doubt that both the 
 male and female bird take their proper share of the 
 work of sitting on the eggs ; and a traveller in the 
 countries where the rhea lives tells us that the female 
 bird sits by day and the male by night. 
 
 There is another species of rhea, not so large as 
 that just mentioned, which has been introduced to 
 the scientific world by Mr. Darwin, and has very pro- 
 perly been called by his name. The Gauchos call it 
 "Avestruz Petise." The bird had a narrow escape 
 of losing its British reputation, at all events for the 
 present ; for when it was shot, it presented much the 
 appearance of a common rhea two-thirds grown. 
 The travellers being hungry, skinned and cooked it 
 before the error was discovered, and, consequently, 
 only portions of the specimen were preserved. It is 
 
390 OSTRICHES. 
 
 said, however, by the Patagonian Indians, to be com- 
 mon in many parts of the country. 
 
 It was remarked by those who had many opportu- 
 nities of seeing the birds, that they did not expand 
 their wings when first starting off at full speed, as 
 most similar birds do. 
 
 There now remain two curious species of birds 
 belonging to the ostriches, one of which is a native 
 of Australia, and the other of New Zealand. The first 
 of these birds is well known in England ; for it is of 
 a tolerably hardy constitution, stands our climate 
 well, and breeds in captivity. 
 
 Among the native Australians, who are as curious 
 examples of the savage man as can be found any- 
 where, the Emu appears to be a sacred bird, as far as 
 their idea of sanctity goes. Boys and young men 
 are not permitted to touch its flesh, so that to be an 
 emu-eater is a privilege conceded only to the sage 
 and venerable. There are many other similar cus- 
 toms among the Australians, and also among other 
 savage nations. 
 
 They have another remarkable custom, and a very 
 cruel one, with regard to the emu itself. When they 
 capture one of these birds, they break its wings, an 
 action for which they assign no reason, and whose 
 object seems sufficiently incomprehensible. For the 
 wings are so remarkably small, being, in fact, almost 
 entirely hidden in the long plumage of the body, 
 that a reason for breaking them is not easily found. 
 The custom may have some religious significa- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Bennett, who had many opportunities of see- 
 ing this bird, remarks of it 
 
 " Its food appears to be wholly vegetable, consisting 
 chiefly of fruits, roots, and herbage, and it is con- 
 sequently, notwithstanding its great strength, per- 
 fectly inoffensive. The length of its legs, and the 
 muscularity of its thighs, enable it to run with great 
 
THE EMU. 391 
 
 swiftness ; and as it is exceedingly shy, it is not 
 easily overtaken or brought within gunshot. 
 
 " Captain Currie states that it affords excellent 
 coursing, equalling, if not surpassing, the same sport 
 with the hare in England ; but Mr. Cunningham says 
 that dogs will seldom attack it, both on account of 
 some peculiar odour in its flesh which they dislike, 
 and because the injuries inflicted upon them by 
 striking out with its feet are frequently very severe. 
 . " The settlers even assert that the emu will break 
 the small bone of a man's leg by this sort of kick ; 
 to avoid which, the well-trained dogs run up abreast, 
 and make a sudden spring at their neck, whereby they 
 are quickly dispatched." 
 
 " Its flesh has been compared to coarse beef, 
 which it resembles both in appearance and taste. 
 There is but little fit for culinary use upon any part 
 of the emu except the hind quarters." 
 
 Not only is the flesh of this bird good for food, 
 but it is much sought after both by natives and 
 settlers, for the sake of its skin. Independently of 
 the feathers, the skin affords an oil of a peculiarly 
 pure and bright nature. Its eggs are also valued for 
 food. Each emu generally lays some six or seven 
 eggs, which are of a dark green colour, and, being 
 tolerably large, afford much nourishment even to the 
 Australian, who, of all gormandizing savages, appears 
 to possess by far the greatest powers of gluttony. 
 Some of their exhibitions in this way are almost in- 
 credible, and the weight of cooked flesh that a native 
 will eat, and the pails of sweetened water that he 
 will drink, almost surpass belief. 
 
 Like the rhea, to which bird it presents a consi- 
 derable resemblance, the emu is a good swimmer, 
 and has been often seen to take the water volun- 
 tarily. 
 
 The young of this bird are pretty little creatures, 
 and as is often the case with creatures that when 
 adult are of an uniform colour, their plumage, instead 
 
392 OSTRICHES. 
 
 of the sober and simple brown mixed with gray that 
 forms the only tinting of the full-grown emu, the 
 young birds are adorned with four longitudinal black 
 bands, passing over the back and sides, and divided 
 from each other by a narrow white line. These black 
 stripes pass up the neck, but do not quite reach the 
 head, which is, however, decorated with scattered 
 Hack spots. The breast, also, and the fore part of 
 the neck are marked with two similar stripes, but 
 hardly so well defined 
 
 The nest of the emu does not seem to be very 
 well known, but it is certain that both birds share the 
 trouble of hatching, although in this case the male 
 seems to have the sitting part of 'the business, while 
 the female stands sentinel outside the nest. When in 
 a wild state it will assemble in flocks of some num- 
 bers ; one flock having been seen in which thirty- 
 nine birds were counted. They came so close that one 
 of the party who saw them fired at them with a pistol, 
 but did not succeed in bringing one of them to the 
 ground. 
 
 The voice of the emu is rather peculiar, being a 
 kind of low, booming sound. Its height equals that 
 of many ostriches, and, indeed, next to the ostrich 
 it is the largest bird known to exist ; some specimens 
 reaching the height of seven feet, while five or six feet 
 is an ordinary height even for the captive birds, which 
 are seldom the best examples of their race. 
 
 The feathers are remarkable for their arrangement. 
 They are regularly parted down the back, as if they 
 had been carefully manipulated with a comb, and thus 
 they have a peculiarly graceful droop over the sides. 
 The native name for the emu is the Parembang. It is 
 found spread widely over the greater part of Southern 
 Australia, and has been seen on the west coast, and 
 in Kangaroo Island. 
 
 There is, probably, a second species, either exist- 
 ing, or that has existed, and been extirpated, as was 
 the dodo, in Madagascar. 
 
THE APTERYX. 393 
 
 We now take a leap across the sea, and land in 
 New Zealand. This country seems to have deter- 
 mined on a rivalry with Australia in the production 
 of queer creatures. The mammalian classes were 
 beyond its powers, for Australia had already taken 
 possession of them by producing the duck-bill, or 
 ornithorhyncus, an animal that could by no possibility 
 be surpassed in eccentricity of shape. So New 
 Zealand, being anticipated in the mammalia, took to 
 the birds, and, as if in defiance, produced the Apteryx 
 a bird of a shape quite as quaint in its way as 
 the duck-bill. Of the apteryx we are now about to 
 treat. 
 
 The name apteryx is as appropriate a title as can 
 be found, at all events to those among whom the 
 bird does not live, and who, consequently, can know 
 but little of its habits, for the word signifies " wing- 
 less." Now, all the other examples of the ostrich 
 tribes, or the Struthionidse, if we are to speak learn- 
 edly, show at least some external indication of a wing. 
 But the apteryx appears to be wholly destitute of such 
 members, even of their rudiments, and a tolerably 
 close examination is required to discover an indication 
 of the spot where wings would be in an ordinary 
 bird. And the bird is just as destitute of tail as of 
 wings, and is finished off short behind. The natives 
 call it " Kiwikiwi," probably from the sounds that it 
 utters. 
 
 To us civilised beings the apteryx is of no very 
 great use, but to the natives it is a bird of strange 
 value, especially to the chiefs, who, as savage chiefs 
 generally do, take everything that happens to hit their 
 fancy, whether it incommodes their subjects or not. 
 And the kiwi hits the fancy of the New Zealand 
 chief very hard, for he covets its skin wherewith to 
 make the mantle that none but chiefs may wear, and 
 which few even of the chiefs are able to procure, as 
 signs of great pomp and power on state occasions. 
 So great a value do they set upon the feathers, that 
 
394 OSTEICHES. 
 
 they can with difficulty be persuaded to part even 
 with a single skin. 
 
 Stray feathers are also in much request for the 
 manufacture of artificial flies, which are made in 
 much the same manner as those that are offered for 
 sale in our angling shops, and used in the rivers of 
 England. 
 
 The colour of the plumage is tolerably uniform, 
 being of a rather bright brown, with something of a 
 chestnut tint, while the feathers of the lower part of 
 the breast and the abdomen are of lighter colour, 
 merging upon gray. The shape of the feathers 
 reminds one of those of the cassowary, as they are 
 long, hair-like, and have the same droop, but a closer 
 inspection shows very decided differences. 
 
 In order to obtain the feathery mantles, regular 
 hunts are organised. These chases are always con- 
 ducted by night, and the hunters are armed with 
 torches and sticks, and accompanied by dogs. These 
 precautions seem somewhat considerable to be taken 
 against so helpless a bird as the apteryx, but they 
 are quite necessary. For, although the bird cannot 
 fight, it can run, and in its opinion discretion is not 
 only the better part of valour, but a perfect substitute 
 for that quality. 
 
 The torches are used, not so much for the purpose 
 of affording light, but in order to distract the atten- 
 tion of the bird, and startle it so effectually, that it 
 forgets for the time the way home. 
 
 If it succeeds in reaching its house there is a hard 
 piece of work in hand, for it forms its places of refuge 
 in rocky clefts, or in burrows excavated in the earth. 
 Its general residence is among the fern-beds, where 
 the thick foliage affords an effectual means of con- 
 cealment. In the burrows above mentioned, the 
 apteryx makes its nest and lays its eggs. The nest 
 is formed of dried fern and grasses, but the eggs 
 themselves have not been brought to England. 
 
 As is the case with the other birds of the same 
 
ERKOES OF TAXIDEEMI5T6. 395 
 
 tribe, when fairly brought to bay, it fights desperately, 
 although it cannot do so much damage as its gigantic 
 relation. But its legs, made for running and scratch- 
 ing, can strike with considerable force, and it employs 
 these weapons to the best advantage. 
 
 This bird has been before the scientific world for 
 many years, although it got into its wrong place at 
 first, and has only lately been properly located ac- 
 cording to its rank in the bird-world. This error 
 was partly attributable to an engraving, and ought to 
 be a warning to taxidermists, by which long word is 
 meant those who stuff, or " set up," the skins of 
 birds, beasts, and other beings. 
 
 In the engraving just mentioned, the apteryx was 
 represented as sitting upright on its tail, or rather 
 on the spot where its tail would have been had it 
 been furnished with such an addition to its plumage* 
 and its head and legs so arranged as to give it the 
 aspect of a penguin. And, accordingly, it figured in 
 the writings of one ornithologist as the apteryx 
 penguin. 
 
 Exceeding harm may be done by an illustration, 
 or by a wrongly-stuffed animal ; and when a false 
 idea has once got into the mind it cannot be rooted 
 out again without a painful wrench. 
 
 Although a few years since the apteryx was a very 
 rare bird, there are now several specimens in Eng- 
 land, and it is to be hoped that others will be for- 
 warded as soon as they can be procured, for the bird 
 has become gradually scarce in New Zealand, and 
 runs a great risk of extirpation. The skeleton has 
 already been minutely described, and a curious 
 skeleton it is. 
 
 When at rest, the bird has a curious habit of turn- 
 ing itself into a tripod, by resting the top of its beak 
 on the ground. In this position it will stand quite 
 still for a long time. 
 
 The beak is a very peculiar one, and is rendered 
 more remarkable by the fact that its nostrils are placed 
 
396 OSTRICHES 
 
 at the extreme tip, and not at the base, as might be 
 imagined from our general knowledge of long-billed 
 birds. So it is evident that the bird does not feed 
 after the manner of the snipe and woodcock, by 
 thrusting its beak into soft mud, as it would in 
 that case be suffocated by the mud getting into the 
 nostrils, and indeed the shape of its feet and legs 
 does not give the idea of a water or marsh- haunting 
 bird. 
 
 It is said to draw worms to the surface of the 
 earth by stamping and kicking, a work which it can 
 perform with great energy, and then to seize them 
 with its bill as they poke out their heads to discover 
 what all the noise can be about that disturbed them in 
 their quiet homes. 
 
 It may be that this plan is only resorted to in the 
 daytime when the worms are at home, for the apte- 
 ryx is an exclusively nocturnal bird, and probably, as 
 the worms are nocturnal creatures too, finds plenty of 
 them within reach. It also feeds on insects, more 
 especially on caterpillars of various kinds, and pro- 
 bably on snails. 
 
 Supposing that the apteryx does become extinct, a 
 circumstance which seems inevitable at no very distant 
 period, and that the dodo is really one of the same 
 tribe, we have the curious fact that no less than three 
 entire genera have been erased from the earth by the 
 hand of man within a comparatively short time, and 
 that all the three belong to the ostrich family. For 
 the discovery of that giant of birds, the Dinomis, or 
 rather of its relics, in New Zealand, has shown that 
 New Zealand once possessed the largest of all birds, 
 but has deprived herself of that honour by the ruth- 
 less hands of her featherless bipeds. 
 
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