308 ANIMALS AT WORK AND PLA Y 



recently taken place. In the autumn of the present 

 year, after a great naval engagement on the Yaloo, 

 a hawk descended on the mast of one of his 

 Majesty's ships. The undersigned, his Majesty's 

 humble servant, has had the great honour to have 

 a glance at this sacred bird at the Imperial military 

 headquarters, where official duty requires his daily 

 attendance. With eyes brilliant like gold, claws 

 glittering like jewels, the bill sharp like a sword, 

 and wings stout and strong to perfection, it has 

 a lordly air and doughty carriage, as if ready to 

 cause the whole feathered fraternity of China to 

 tremble with fear/ The facts of the hawk's descent 

 upon the ship are given, after this literary excursus, 

 in a very businesslike fashion, much as Livy would 

 narrate a frodigium, taken from the records of the 

 augurs' college. ' It was nearly dark when the 

 battle ceased. Just then something was observed to 

 descend from the sky with great force, and hover 

 over his Majesty's ship ' Takachiho,' and finally 

 perch upon the top of her mainmast, when it was 

 observed to be a hawk. The commander of the 

 ship ordered one of the men to ascend and seize 

 the hird. The latter, dropping its head, did not 

 attempt to move, but seemed glad to be caught.' 

 Then follows a comment exactly in the spirit of 

 a Roman annalist. c It was naturally welcomed as 



