No. 2] Xhe Birds of Old English Literature 1 7 



gloss griffus, fi^erfote fugel. On the other hand glw with 

 its variations ^fM and gtow, is found in the lists of birds, in 

 company with such words as earn, earngeat, herefong, etc. 

 Glw is glossed gripkus, which is properly the L. for griffin ; 

 that it was also used as the name of a bird the following 

 extract from Cockayne's Shrine is proof positive. Griphe- 

 giis aletum similem aquilcs, maior avis, minor tamen quam 

 ultor \yultur\ Only two species of vulture are known to 

 have existed in England, and they are rare visitants. It 

 is possible, however, that in OE. times vultures were 

 more common. The griffon vulture, whose total length 

 is 40 inches, answers well to the description of vulturin the 

 Shrine: vultor \yultur'\ modico maior quam aqua \aquilaf~\. 

 Just what bird is meant by griphus is not clear. The only 

 member of the order accipitres which answers the descrip- 

 tion in respect to size is the female or young of the griffon 

 vulture. 



WW. 413. 22 : griphus, giu ; 413. 21 : gripem, ~ ; 258. 7 : griphus, giw ; 

 284. 5 : ~ glow ; ZdA. 239. 6 : iow, . . ipus {gripus). 



3. vultor. Vulture; <^L,.vultur; M'E. vultur. • 



Bt. 25. 6 : ond se vultor sceolde forlaetan tSaet he ne slat tfa lifre Tyties 

 tSaes cyninges. 



F. Falconidae. True Raptorial Birds. 

 Sub. F. Accipitrinae. Long-legged Hawks. 



Gen. Astur. Gos-hawks. 



XXXI. goshafoc. Gos\\2i\iv\i {astur palumbarius) ; <^gds, 

 goose + ka/oc, hawk ; the largest of the short-winged 

 hawks used in falconry. ME. goshawk, goshauk; OHG. 

 ganshapich; G. gansehabicht ; Icel. gashaukr. The gos- 

 hawk, although now very rare in England, is believed to 

 have been formerly a common species. Its disappearance 

 may perhaps be due largely to the cutting down of the 

 ancient forests, in which it made its home. The deriva- 

 tion of the word would seem to imply that the bird was 

 flown at geese, and this theory is supported by statements 

 in the older works on Ornithology, such as the following 

 from Pennant's ^r^V. Zool. 'The Goshawk was in high 



