132 NATURAL HISTORY. 
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Fig. 109.—The Goshawk. 
poised almost without motion. They sweep through the 
air in wide circles with outspread wings, using the tail 
as a rudder; and they often mount up so high as to be- 
come nearly invisible. Like the Eagles, therefore, they 
have a wide range of vision in searching for prey ; but, 
instead of directly rushing, like the eagles, upon their vic- 
tim, they skim it, as it were, from the surface of the earth 
or the water, bearing it away in their talons. Their prey 
consists of moles, rats, mice, young poultry, and small 
reptiles. They will not refuse carrion. Some species 
perform the office of scavengers in Turkey, Egypt, India, 
etc., appearing for this purpose in large numbers in the 
streets of some of the cities. Kites performed this use- 
ful office in London as late as the times of Henry VIII. 
One of the most remarkable of these kinds is the Amer- 
ican Swallow-tailed Kite, Fig. 110 (p. 133). It is found 
in South America, and goes as far north as 40 degrees 
of latitude. Its food consists of insects, small snakes, 
lizards, and frogs. It sweeps over the fields close to 
the ground, and sometimes, seizing a snake by the neck, 
