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VEBTEBRATXB. 



Tbe Swallow-tailed Falcon. 



rufous undulations ; the tail marked with dusky bars ; breast and 

 belly whitish, with dusky spots. The male 

 is in length a foot and two inches, and that 

 of the female a foot and four inches, and 

 the expanse of the ■wings three feet and a 

 half. This bird of prey has much elegance 

 of form, and a considerable share of out- 

 ward beauty; all this covering a blood- 

 thirsty, rapacious nature. In this it may 

 be considered a figurative emblem of too 

 many of the human race, who, under an 

 agreeable exterior, cherish the vilest pas- 

 sions and the most hateful vices. 

 . The Falcon is found a native of the different regions of 



Europe, from the snow-clad mountains of Iceland to the fragrant 



Common Falcon. 



