BOOK X. XVII. 37-xx. 40 



a bird is cited in Nigidius that breaks eagles' eggs. 

 There are besides a number of kinds described in 

 Tuscan lore that have not been seen for generations, 

 though it is surprising that they should have now 

 become extinct when even kinds that are ravaged 

 by man's greed continue plentiful. 



XVIII. On the subject of the auguries of foreign f."^"^ 

 races the writings of an author named Hylas are omen. 

 deemed to be the most learned. He states that the 

 night-owl, eagle-owl, woodpecker, trygona " and 

 raven come out of the eg^ tail first, because the eggs 



are turned the wrong way up by the v/eight of the 

 heads and present the hinder part of the chicks' 

 bodies to the mother to cherish. 



XIX. Night-owls wage a crafty battle against Thenighi- 

 other birds. When surrounded by a crowd that out- 

 numbers them they he on their backs and defend 

 themselves with their feet, and bunching themselves 



up close are entirely protected by their beak and 

 claws. Through a kind of natural aUiance the hawk 

 comes to their aid and takes part in the war. Nigidius 

 relates that night-owls hibernate for 60 days every 

 winter, and that they have nine cries. 



XX. There are also small bii-ds \vith hooked claws, Thewood- 

 for instance the variety of woodpeckers called Birds ^"^ ^' 

 of Mars * that are important in taking auguries. In 



this class are the tree-hoUowing woodpeckers that 

 climb nearly straight upright in the manner of cats, 

 but also the others that chng upside down, which know 

 by the sound of the bark when they strike it that 

 there is fodder underneath it. They are the only 

 birds that rear their chicks in holes. There is a 

 common behef'^ that when wedges are driven into 

 their holes by a shepherd the birds by applying a 



317 



