108 



THE FALCON S VICTORY. 



PURSUED BY HIS ENEMY.' 



liis cage ; but, suddenly, his 

 gaze having embraced the 

 horizon, he caught sight of 

 the long-necked bird, uttered 

 two or three angry cries, and 

 with a strident flight, like the 

 hissing of a bullet, mounted, 

 in his turn, perpendicularly. 

 Still the heron continued to 

 ascend, until he almost dis- 

 appeared from our sight. We 

 could only descry a couple of 

 black points, which apparently 

 dashed against one another, 

 receded, again drew together, 

 and whirled round and round 

 in wild gyrations. Suddenly 

 these two black points be- 

 came moi'e visible"; the birds 

 resumed their proper forms 

 in our eyes. The heron re- 

 gained the swamps, pursued 

 by his enemy ; and the elon- 

 gated legs, the straight neck, 

 the stiff head, the wings half 

 furled, might well have been 

 taken for an aerolite detached 

 from one of the unknown 

 worlds. Like a skilful blood- 

 hound, the falcon had beaten 

 back the heron in our direc- 

 tion ; but the latter, gaining 



