466 



The Living Animals of the World 



ranges as far north as New York and British 

 Columbia, and in the Southern and Middle United 

 States is very common, perambulating the streets 

 or perching on the house-tops. 



Other species are the small BLACK VULTURE, 

 a dull, uninteresting-looking bird, and the CALI- 

 FORNIAN VULTURE. This latter is a large species, 

 and in the expanse of wing may even exceed the 

 condor. At one time its extermination seemed 

 certain, owing to its falling a victim to the 

 poisoned meat laid out by the stock-keepers for 

 carnivorous mammals, but in the more barren and 

 inaccessible regions it appears to be on the increase. 



THE SECRETARY-BIRD. 



The second of the three main divisions into 

 which the Birds of Prey are divided is reserved 

 for the SECRETARY-BIRD. This bird derives its 

 name from the crest of long feathers which bear 

 a fanciful resemblance to the quill-pens a clerk 

 is supposed to stick above his ear. It differs 

 from all the other members of the Hawk Tribe 

 in the exceedingly long legs, which in the young 

 are said to be so fragile as to fracture if the bird 

 is suddenly alarmed. It feeds chiefly on insects 

 and reptiles, especially snakes, for which last it 

 seems to have a special liking. It attacks even 

 the most venomous species, striking at them with 

 its powerful wings and pounding them with its 

 feet, jumping upon them with great force, till 

 rendered helpless, when they are at once swallowed 

 head-foremost. On account of its great value as a snake-eater it has been accorded special 

 protection, though unfortunately there is a tendency on the part of English settlers to relax 

 this, on account of the fact that it will occasionally eat animals coming within the scope of 

 " game." Valuable as the latter may be, there yet seems no justification for such a course. 



The secretary-bird, which is a South African species, though extending northwards as far 

 as Abyssinia, builds a huge nest of sticks in low bushes, under which will often be found 

 numerous nests of the Cape sparrow, apparently the only available site on the veldt, where 

 bushes are scarce. Here the sparrows are efficiently protected from the icy winds which so 

 frequently sweep across this region, and apparently suffer no fear of personal violence from 

 the fierce owners of the domicile above them. When sitting, the female secretary is fed by 

 her mate. The young do not appear to leave the nest for five or six months. They are 

 frequently taken from the nest and brought up as household pets, becoming not only very 

 tame, but exceedingly useful. 



THE EAGLE AND FALCON TRIBE. 



From the perplexing wealth of species displayed among the forms herein bracketed 

 together, we can only select a few examples, which embrace, however, all the more important 

 and interesting forms. 



Beginning with the more lowly, we start with those members of small or medium size 

 known as KITES, and as an example of the group take the species known in the British 

 Islands as the KITE, or GLEAD. In former days this bird was extremely common in England, 



Photo by Robert D. Carson, Esq.} [Philadelphia. 



CALIFORNIA!* VULTURE. 

 The bare parts of the head are of a brick-red colour. 



