66 HISTORY OF 



approaching their own. The eagle flies at the 

 bustard or the pheasant ; the sparrow-hawk pur- 

 sues the thrush and the linnet. Nature has pro- 

 vided that each species should make war only on 

 such as are furnished with adequate means of 

 escape. The smallest birds avoid their pur- 

 suers by the extreme agility, rather than the 

 swiftness, of their flight ; for every order would 

 soon be at an end, if the eagle, to its own swift- 

 ness of wing, added the versatility of the spar- 

 row. 



Another circumstance which tends to render 

 the tyranny of these animals more supportable is, 

 that they are less fruitful than other birds, breed- 

 ing but few at a time. Those of the larger kind 

 seldom produce above four eggs, often but two j 

 those of the smaller kinds, never above six or 

 seven. The pigeon, it is true, which is their 

 prey, never breeds above two at a time ; but 

 then she breeds every month in the year. The 

 carnivorous kinds only breed annually, and of 

 consequence, their fecundity is small in compa- 

 rison. 



As they are fierce by nature, and are difficult 

 to be tamed, so this fierceness extends even to 

 their young, which they force from the nest 

 sooner than birds of the gentler kind. Other birds 

 seldom forsake their young till able, completely, 

 to provide for themselves ; the rapacious kinds 

 expel them from the nest at a time when they 

 still should protect and support them. This se- 

 verity to their young proceeds from the necessity 

 of providing for themselves. All animals that, 



