THE FALCON KIND. 107 



he is obliged to follow. He lives in summer by 

 robbing the nests of other birds, and sucking their 

 eggs, and more resembles the owl kind in his 

 countenance than any other rapacious bird of 

 day. His figure implies the stupidity of his dis- 

 position ; and so little is he capable of instruction 

 from man, that it is common to a proverb to call 

 one who cannot be taught, or continues obstinate- 

 ly ignorant, a buzzard. The honey-buzzard, the 

 moor-buzzard, and the hen-harrier, are all of this 

 stupid tribe, and differ chiefly in their size, grow- 

 ing less in the order I have named them. The 

 goss-hawk and sparrow-hawk are what Mr Wil- 

 loughby calls short- winged birds, and consequently 

 unfit for training, however injurious they may be 

 to the pigeon-house or the sportsman. They 

 have been indeed taught to fly at game ; but 

 little is to be obtained from their efforts, being 

 difficult of instruction, and capricious in their 

 obedience. It has been lately asserted, however, 

 by one whose authority is respectable, that the 

 sparrow-hawk is the boldest and the best of all 

 others for the pleasure of the chase. 



[The Secretary is a most singular species of 

 the falcon, being particularly remarkable for the 

 great length of its legs. This bird, when stand- 

 ing erect, is full three feet from the top of the 

 head to the ground. The bill is black, sharp, 

 and crooked, like that of an eagle; the head, 

 neck, breast, and upper parts of the body, are of 

 a bluish ash colour ; the legs are very long, stouter 

 than those of a heron, and of a brown colour ; 

 claws shortish, but crooked, not very sharp, and 



