264 NATURAL HISTORY 
has a peculiar mode of hanging in the air in one 
place, his wings all the while being briskly agitated. 
Hen-harriers fly low over heaths or fields of corn, 
and beat the ground regularly like a pointer or set- 
ting-dog. Owls move in a buoyant manner, as if 
lighter than the air; they seem to want ballast. 
There is a peculiarity belonging to ravens that 
must draw the attention even of the most incurious: 
they spend all their leisure time in striking and 
cuffing each other on the wing in a kind of playful 
skirmish, and when they move from one place to 
another, frequently turn on their backs with a loud 
croak, and seem to be falling to the ground. When 
this odd gesture betides them, they are scratching 
themselves with one foot, and thus lose the centre 
of gravity. Rooks sometimes dive and tumble in a 
frolicsome manner; crows and daws swagger in 
their walk ; woodpeckers fly volatu undoso, open- 
ing and clusiag their wings at every stroke, and so 
are always rising or falling in curves. All of this 
genus use their tails, which incline downward, as a 
support while they run up trees. Parrots, like all 
other hooked-clawed birds, walk awkwardly, and 
make use of their bill as a third foot, climbing and 
descending with ridiculous caution. All the gal- 
line parade and walk gracefully, and run nimbly, 
but fly with difficulty, with an impetuous whirring, 
and in a straight line. Magpies and jays flutter 
with powerless wings, and make no despatch: 
herons seem encumbered with too much sail for 
their light bodies; but these vast hollow wings are 
necessary in carrying burdens, such as large fishes, 
and the like; pigeons, and particularly the sort 
called smiters, have a way of clashing their wings 
