THE BIRDS OF PREY 55 



beaks, and longer, sharper claws than their victims. As time went 

 on, the descendants of these marauders gradually improved these 

 weapons, and this improvement is going on even now. 



One of the most remarkable of the Accipitres is the " Secretary- 

 bird " (Plate VII. fig. 3), and this because of the great length of 

 the legs, the long tail, and the long feathers which spring from the 

 head. These last, from their fanciful resemblance to the quill pen 

 behind the ear of a secretary, have given the bird its name. A native 

 of South Africa, it is held in high regard from the fact that its favourite 

 food is snakes, many of which are extremely poisonous, and conse- 

 quently dreaded by all who have to live in this region of the world. 

 The bird attacks and kills these reptiles by pounding them with its 

 feet, using its wings, when necessary, as a shield against bites. It 

 builds a huge nest of sticks, and in this the nestlings remain for as 

 long as six months. 



Of the more typical birds of prey the Kite (Plate VII. fig. 6) is 

 certainly one of the most interesting. It was once an extremely com- 

 mon British bird, and nowhere more plentiful than in London, where 

 its numbers excited the comment of all foreigners visiting the city. 

 But this was several hundred years ago, when this bird was valued 

 as a scavenger. Poultry keepers and game preservers have since then 

 waged such a ruthless war on this fine bird that it is now practically 

 extinct as a British bird, only two or three pairs being found breeding — 

 under special protection — in Wales. No bird has a more beautiful 

 flight than the Kite, and its loss is greatly to be deplored. In olden 

 days it was held in high esteem by the falconer, who hunted it with 

 trained Falcons. 



The Hen Harrier (Plate VII. fig. 5) is one of several different 

 species of Harrier once common in Great Britain. To-day, owing 

 to game preservation, it has become practically wiped out. The 

 Harriers are peculiar in that the feathers of the face are arranged 

 almost after the fashion which obtains among the Owls. The 

 Hen-harrier feeds upon mice, water-voles, small birds, and reptiles. 

 The female differs remarkably from the male in colour, being brown 

 above and having the tail banded with five dark bars — hence this 

 sex was at one time regarded as a distinct species, and known as 

 the Ring-tail. 



