THE SECRETARY. 8^ 



general colour brown, black, and white. Notwithftanding thefe arms^ 

 never attacks birds, but reptiles only. Wings and tail very long ; the feet 

 covered with very ftrong fcales; toes very long; the middle toe, includ- 

 ing the nail, five inches; the nail hooked, hollow beneath; toe behind 

 refembling that of a lark : he walks with his head high, and his neck 

 erect. Thtry are never found alone, but in pairs, prowling together ; 

 and their fidelity, is faid to be fuch, that, when one dies, the other never 

 departs far from the carcafe, but wanders groaning around the place, and 

 dies with its companion. It makes its ncft of clay, at the foot of trees, 

 on the ground, in ihape like an oven : haunts the forefts, but efpecially 

 marlhcs and favannas, where the reptiles grow to enormous fizes. 



THE SECRETARY, or MESSENGER, 



IS among the moft remarkable of birds, as well in form as manners ; 

 has long legs, like waders in general, yet a hooked bill like birds 

 of prey. He fcems to exhibit an eagle's head, on the figure of a crane. 

 Full the height of a crane, and the fize of a turkey-cock. On the head, 

 neck, back, and covert of the wings, grey, inclining to brown, becom- 

 ing lighter in front ; wings and tail black, black waved with grey on 

 the legs ; a pacquet of long feathers, like wing feathers, hang behind his 

 neck ; moft of them fix inches long, black, fome Ihorter, and fomegrey ; all 

 are flender near the quill, broad at their ends. The leg is almoft bare 

 of feathers; the toes fhort and thick, that behind very ftrong; nails 

 crooked ; the neck is thick, bill ftrong, and divided beyond the eyes ; 

 the upper mandible hooked like the eagle, pointed and cutting ; the eyes 

 are placed in a naked orange-coloured fkin, extending beyond the ex- 

 terior angle of the eye, and originating from the bafe of the bill : has 

 alfo eye-lafties, of one row of black hairs, three quarters of an inch long, 

 which, being apeculiarity of an extraordinary kind, contributes much to the 

 Angularity of the bird itfelf. Though armed by a bill proper .to birds 

 of prey, yet he is timid ; and often, to elude the attacks of even a weak 

 enemy, leaps eight or nine feet high : gentle and lively, he becomes 

 eafily familiar, and, when brought up young from the neft, is domefti- 

 cated ; and actually at the Cape of Good-Hope is fcrviceable in deftroy- 

 ing rats, lizards, ferpents, &c. When the bird finds a ferpent, he attacks 

 him by blows with his wings, to weaken him; then feizes him by his 



tail. 



