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ground. When this odd gesture betides them, they are 

 scratching themselves with one foot, and thus lose the 

 centre of gravity. Rooks sometimes dive and tumble in 

 a frolicsome manner ; crows and daws swagger in their 

 walk ; wood-peckers fly volatu undoso, opening and closing 

 their wings at every stroke, and so arc always rising or 

 falling in curves. All of this genus use their tails, which 

 incline downward, as a support while they run up trees. 

 Parrots, like all other hook-clawed birds, walk awkwardly, 

 and make use of their bill as a third foot, climbing and 

 ascending with ridiculous caution. All the gallinx 

 parade and walk gracefully, and run nimbly ; but fly with 

 difficulty, with an impetuous whirring, and in a straight 

 line. Magpies and jays flutter with powerless wings, 

 and make no dispatch ; herons seem incumbered with too 

 much sail for their light bodies ; but these vast hollow 

 wings aref necessary in carrying burdens, such as large 

 fishes, and the like ; pigeons, and particularly the sort 

 called smiters, have a way of clashing their wings the one 

 against the other over their backs with a loud snap ; 

 another variety called tumblers turn themselves over in 

 the air. Some birds have movements peculiar to the 

 season of love : thus ring-doves, though strong and rapid 

 at other times, yet in the spring hang about on the wing 

 in a toying and playful manner ; thus the cock -snipe, 

 while breeding, forgetting his former flight, fans the air 

 like the wind-hover ; and the green-finch in particular 

 exhibits such languishing and faltering gestures as to 

 appear like a wounded and dying bird ; the king-fisher 

 darts along like an arrow ; fern-owls, or goat-suckers, 

 glance in the dusk over the tops of trees like a meteor ; 

 starlings as it were swim along, while missel-thrushes use 

 a wild and desultory flight ; swallows sweep over the 

 surface of the ground and water, and distinguish them- 

 selves by rapid turns and quick evolutions ; swifts dash 



