328 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



This was a female. The intestinal canal was 

 one foot nine inches and a half. The membra- 

 nous stomach was filled with animal substances, 

 among which I distinguished some parts of large 

 insects. The food of this bird must have been 

 extremely plentiful, for I never in my life saw one 

 so fat. Of three which I shot this same day, this 

 alone remained to me, the two others, though 

 fallen from the tree on which they were perched, 

 having made their escape, and lost themselves in 

 the gardens, at the moment when 1 was going to 

 take them up. 



This species of birds of prey commonly take 

 their stations on the tops of date-trees, and utter a 

 sharp cry. This might probably be the same with 

 that described by Fqrskal, as a species of falcon *. 

 There is, in reality, a good deal of conformity in 

 our descriptions. Forskal inquires afterwards whe- 

 ther tin's be a real falcon, or a kite, and whether it 

 may nql be the fajco forjicalus of Linnaeus. This 

 J will assuredly not uncjerw.k to resolve, as For- 

 skal, much better versed than myself in the art of 



* Fa!co cera pedibusque flavis, supra pinereus, subtus ferru- 

 gineus, alis supra fuscis; cauda foifkata, fusco fasciata, longi- 

 fudine corporis,. Arab. Addaj. Forskal, Desciip. Animal ium, 

 page 1. According to the description of the Danish professor, 

 Gmelin has described the tame bird in the third edition of the 

 Syiitma Natuxe of Linnaeus, under the denomination of falco 

 fgyp'ws, 



unravelling 



