346 HAWKS. 



This Valley of Vultures seems to us a highly char- 

 acteristic picture of the habits of wild birds during 

 the nesting season. However much they may view 

 with indifference the presence of man during their 

 daily round of search in quest of food, at these periods 

 they generally retire to some lonely haunt, where amidst 

 the solitude of the wilderness, they can rear their tender 

 young, hid far away from all who might desire to 

 break in upon the great peace of Nature which there 

 perpetually reigns. 



The daring and address which birds of prey will 

 often exhibit in carrying off their game is no less 

 remarkable than the suddenness and rapidity with which 

 the act is performed. We have known a hawk to 

 come right into an open window of a drawing-room 

 at home, and dash against the bars of a canary-bird's 

 cage, while several people were seated in the room. 

 The cage of course, was the only thing that saved 

 the canary, which did not recover the shock for 

 days; and the hawk upon seeing he was foiled, was 

 gone again, almost before anyone had time to turn 

 round. 



In India the boldness of kites * is sometimes extra- 

 ordinary ; if meat is left unguarded for a single instant, 

 they will snatch it up and be off long before it is 

 possible to do anything to recover it. Sportsmen in 

 India are apt to suffer from the same sharp practice. 

 Mr. Rice for instance, in his well-known book on 

 sporting matters in India, states that " hawks of dif- 

 ferent sorts may often be seen keeping up with the 

 guns, and occasionally pouncing down on any wounded 



* Milvus Govinda the pariah kite of India 



