82 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



away with them. It is claimed that the harpy eagle 

 is able to tear a rabbit into pieces with its powerful 

 claws. Swans, geese, and ducks use their wings 

 as weapons of defence. If disturbed while incu- 

 bating, swans are dangerous, and they are able to 

 use their wings with great power in fighting. 

 Geese can whip most dogs with their wings, while 

 ducks are only able to drive away smaller animals, 

 and chickens. Some birds have knobs on the end 

 of their wings which they use as fists. 



Spurs are perhaps the most dangerous and 

 deadly weapons used by fighters, with the exception 

 of talons. They are used by the pheasant family, 

 and reach their greatest perfection in the jungle- 

 fowl. This interesting inhabitant of India is the 

 ancestor of our domestic fowl of to-day; the old 

 Greeks referred to it as "the bird." When it was 

 first tamed, no one knows, but it is certain that it 

 dates back to a very early age, for the first known 

 authors make frequent mention of it as "the cock." 



Many of our present-day game-cocks have 

 enormous spurs. These weapons are bony, very 

 sharp-pointed sheaths which look like miniature 

 antelope or goat horns. They are located on the 

 back of the ankle and are really specially developed 

 claws. The number of spurs possessed by a single 

 bird depends upon its variety and kind. The 



