Faculties of Birds Generally 123 



dinner-time, placing itself behind its master's chair, fre- 

 quently before the guests entered. The servants were 

 obliged to watch narrowly, and to defend the provisions 

 with switches ; but, notwithstanding, it would frequently 

 seize something or other, and on one occasion purloined 

 a whole boiled fowl, which it swallowed in an instant. 

 Its courage is not equal to its voracity, for a child of eight 

 or ten years old soon puts it to flight with a switch, though 

 at first it seems to stand on its defence, by threatening, 

 with its enormous bill widely extended, and roaring with 

 a loud voice like a bear or tiger. 



It is an enemy to small quadrupeds, as well as birds 

 and reptiles, and slyly destroys fowls or chickens, though 

 it dares not attack a hen openly with her young. Every- 

 thing is swallowed whole, and so accommodating is its 

 throat that not only an animal as big as a cat is gulped 

 down, but a shin of beef broken asunder serves it but for 

 two morsels. 



It is known to swallow a leg of mutton of five or six 

 pounds, a hare, a small fox, &c. After a time the bones 

 are rejected from the stomach, which seems to be volun- 

 tary, for it has been known that an ounce or two of emetic 

 tartar given to one of these birds produced no effect. 



