HUNTING— FISHING— WARS AND EXPEDITIONS. 4I 



tion, the dog turned round to punish the author of 

 this unjustifiable aggression ; but the bird was already 

 far away, and in the meanwhile from the other side 

 the first Anomalocorax seized the long-coveted bone 

 and also took flight. The feelings of the sheepish 

 dog who saw both his vengeance and his repast flying 

 away in the air may be better imagined than 

 described.^ 



All the birds, indeed, of this family know how to 

 reach their ends. I have already spoken of certain 

 hunts of the Raven; it is even said that in Iceland he 

 knows when a ewe is going to give birth to young, 

 and awaits this moment with immense patience. As 

 soon as the lamb appears the Raven alights on him, 

 digs out his eyes, and devours them. 



The Quelelis or Guadaloupe Caracara {Polyborus 

 lutosus), a Californian bird of prey, is a cruel enemy 

 to animals like the goat when they are about to bring 

 forth their young. No sooner is one kid born, and 

 while the mother is yet in labour with the second, 

 than the birds pounce upon it, and should the mother 

 be able to interfere, she is assaulted also. If there are 

 a number of young kids together, the birds unite their 

 forces and with great noise and flapping of wings 

 succeed in separating the weakest and killing it.^ 



Dr. J. Lowe has recently called attention to a very 

 curious method of attracting prey adopted by the 

 Blackcap {Sylvia atricapilla) at Orotava, Teneriffe.^ 

 This bird has discovered that the juice exuded by 

 certain flowers (^Hibiscus Rosa sinensis and Abntilon 

 frondosuni) is attractive to the insects upon which 



1 Tennent, Ceylon, vol. i. p. 171. 



2 Bendire, Life Histories of Norlh American Birds, 1892, p. 319. 

 * Linntean Society, 1st June 1893. 



