BIRDS OF THE BIBIyE 



The griffon has been known to live more than 

 a hundred years in captivity, and this remarkable 

 longevity is noted in the Psalms. The figure 

 of this bird was the emblem of Persia, as well as 

 of Assyria. 



In other passages reference is made to the 

 lammergeier or bearded vulture, and to the 

 Egyptian vulture, the common scavenger of the 

 East. 



Of the true eagles the osprey is named, but this 

 term probably includes all the smaller eagles of 

 which there are many species in Syria. 



The sparrow-hawk, kestrel, merlin, hobby, and 

 others are all common in the Holy Land, but these 

 would appear to be named indiscriminately under 

 the common term hawk. The buzzard, of which 

 there are three species in Palestine, is believed 

 to be indicated by the word translated glede, and 

 the kites, both black and red, the former the 

 commonest of the scavenger birds-of-prey in the 

 country, and protected by the villagers, are also 

 named. 



Of the owls, the Egyptian eagle owl is referred 

 to, together with the scops, the tawny, and the 

 little owl, the last being very common about all 

 villages, ruins, and wells. It was the symbol 

 of ancient Athens, the bird of Minerva or of 

 wisdom. 



The habits of the raven are frequently illus- 

 trated — finding its food on floating carcasses 

 (Genesis), picking out the eyes of newly dropped 

 or weakly animals (Proverbs) , resorting to desolate 

 places (Isaiah), its glossy black plumage 

 (Canticles) and the distance it wanders for its 

 precarious meal (Job). 



In like manner the bittern once well known in 

 Enghsh marshlands is described. It is still to 

 be found in the reedy swamps of the Tigris, where 



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