210 



The Falcon-like Birds 



rump, thighs, and abdomen are black, the breast and the tail-coverts white, 

 and the long tail black at base, then paling into gray, and tipped with white, the 

 two central feathers bluish gray. The bird has long and strong wings, but they 

 are only used when 'pressed, as it prefers to escape by running, which it does 



FIG. 72. Secretary -Bird, Gypogeranus serpentarius. 



with great swiftness. It takes its name from the series of long black or gray 

 plumes which hang loosely and in pairs from the back of the head, these being 

 likened to a bunch of quills stuck behind a clerk's ear. Their principal food 

 consists of frogs, toads, and insects, and they are also very fond of snakes. The 

 stomach of one examined by Le Vaillant contained "eleven rather large lizards, 

 eleven small tortoises, a great number of insects, mostly entire, and three snakes 

 as thick as a man's arm." The manner of capturing snakes is interesting. They 

 incite the snake to strike, and then either avoid the blow by springing aside or into 



