Carnage of the Leys in the Birds uf Prey. 135 



which strike upon their prey with great force^ only just when 

 shooting down upon the victim, never by such birds as 

 Milvus and Haliastur, which have quite a difiereut mode of 

 capture. — E. HJ] Haliastur indus carries its legs precisely 

 as does Milvus govinda. Halia'etus albicilla carries them 

 behind, for I once noticed a specimen when perching. As 

 regards Accijnter virgatus, though I have kept many of them, 

 I can remember nothing about their mode of perching." 



Again, Mr. Ogilvic Grant, of the British Museum, informed 

 me that I was quite right in what I had said about the situa- 

 tion of the feet in birds of prey in tranquil flight, for he had 

 often watched it when hawking, and that Hawks hold their 

 talons in front only when stooping dow^n upon their prey. 



I do not know why there should be anything strange in 

 these observations, for by far the majority of birds carry 

 their legs behind. Undoubtedly all Waders, Ducks, Herons, 

 Cranes, Storks, and Rails do this, and, I may add, all the 

 Game-birds also ! This last fact has often been doubted, 

 and I regret to see that the splendid Capercaillie in the 

 Natural History Museum at South Kensington is mounted 

 holding its feet drawn up in front. It is very curious that 

 many sportsmen, when asked how Game-birds carry their 

 legs, are not able to give a prompt answer or give the wrong- 

 one, for it is easily to be seen when shooting, if the neigh- 

 bouring gun wounds a bird, how the legs drop down from 

 behind. This I have frequently observed during the present 

 season' near Tring, and Mr. Walter Rothschild assures me 

 that he has also noticed tlie same fact mor-e than once. 

 Mr. Ogilvie Grant also agrees with me, and tells me that 

 he wrote to that eflfect some years ago in ' The Field. ^ Again, 

 Mr. J. G. INIillais has observed the same fact in the Caper- 

 caillie, and has asserted its truth in his splendid book on 

 British Tetraonidse (p. 8) ^. 



* [Ou this subject see also letters from Mr. Barrett-Hamiltou and 

 Mr. Meade-Waldo, below, pp. 166, 167.— Edd.] 



