THE COMMON BUZZARD. Ill 



my hand. By pm-suing this plan, I brought it to be very famihar ; and, after having 

 shut it up about slx weeks, I began to allow it a little liberty ; taking the precaution, 

 however, to tie both pinions of its wings. In this condition it walked uito my garden, 

 and returned when I called it to feed. After some time, when I judged that I could 

 trust to its fidehty, I removed the hgatures, and fastened a small bell, an inch and a half 

 ia diameter, above its talon, and also attached to the breast a bit of copper, having my 

 name engraved on it. I then gave it entire liberty, wliich it soon abused, for it took 

 wing, and flew as far as the forest of Belesme. I gave it up for lost ; but four hours 

 after I saw it rush mto my hall, which was open, pursued bj five other buzzards, who 

 had constrauied it to seek again its asylum. 



" After tliis adventure, it preserved its fidehty to me, coming every night to sleep on 

 my window ; it grew so fainiliar, as to seem to take smgular pleasure in my company. 

 It attended constantly at dimier, sat on a corner of the table, and very often caressed 

 me mth its head and bill, emitting a weak, sharp cry, which, however, it sometimes 

 softened. It is true that I alone had this privilege. It one day followed me, when I 

 was on horseback, more than two leagues, flying above my head. 



" It had an aversion both to dogs and cats ; nor was it in the least afraid of them ; 

 it had often tough battles \yith them, but always came ofi" victorious. I had four very 

 strong cats, which I collected into my garden with my buzzard : I threw to them a bit 

 of raw flesh ; the nimblest cat seized it — the rest pursued ; but the bird darted upon her 

 body, bit her ears with his bOl, and squeezed her sides with his talons so forcibly, that 

 the cat was obhged to rehnquish her prize. Often another cat snatched it the instant it 

 dropped ; but she suflered the same treatment, till the buzzard got entire possession of 

 the plunder. He was so dexterous in his defence, that when he perceived himself 

 assailed at once by the four cats, he took wing, and uttered a cry of exultation. At 

 last, the cats, chagrmed with their repeated disappointment, wou.ld no longer contend. 



" This buzzai'd had a singular antipathy : he would not suifer a red cap on the head 

 of any of the peasants ; and so alert was he in whipping it ofi", that they found then- 

 heads bare without knowing what was become of their caps. He also snatched away 

 wigs, without doing any injury ; and he carried these caps and wigs to the tallest tree 

 in a neighbouring park, which was the ordinary deposit of his booty. 



" He would sufier no other birds of prey to enter his domain ; he attacked them 

 boldly, and put them to flight. He did no mischief in my court-yard ; and the poultry, 

 which at first dreaded him, grew insensibly reconciled to him. The chickens and duck- 

 hngs received not the least harsh usage, and yet he bathed among the latter. But, 

 what is singiflar, he was not gentle to my neighboui-'s poultry, and I was often obhged 

 to pubhsh that I would pay for the damages that he might occasion. However, he was 

 frequently fired at ; and, at diSerent times, received fifteen musket shots without sufier- 

 ing any fractm-e. But once, early in the morning, hovering over the skirts of a forest, 

 he dared to attack a fox ; and the keeper, seeing him on the shoulders of the fox, fii-ed 

 two shots at him : the fox was killed, and the buzzard had his wing broken ; yet, not- 

 ■withstanding this fracture, he escaped from the keeper and was lost for seven days. 

 This man, having discovered, from the noise of the bell, that he was my bird, came 

 next morning to inform me. I sent to make search near the spot ; but the bird could 

 not be found, nor did it retm-n tUl seven days afterwards. I had been used to call him 

 every evenuig with a whistle, which he did not answer for sLx days ; but on the seventh 

 I heard a feeble cry at a distance, which I judged to be that of my buzzard. I repeated 

 the whistle a second time, and heard the same cry. I went to the place from whence 



