THE aURNAUD G-EOUP. 157 



— how the wolf howls surlily to himself — how the mute 

 bear stands on hind legs and opens his large red mouth 

 — and how the hyena hah-hahs at the pleasant pro- 

 spect of the banquet ; but that exhibition, however inter- 

 esting, certainly does not come up to the spectacle of a 

 hundred ravenous birds clamouring for their gory repast. 

 To witness the deineanour of these fierce guests at such 

 a supper of Thyestes, was worth all the heat encountered 

 and the haste we had made to be in time, for no sooner 

 was the cloth removed, and the first whifl" of the day's 

 entertainment wafted to the dispersed members of the 

 iron-beaked community, than a scene ensued which it, 

 would be impossible to describe; a legion of dark-plumed 

 forms, unsuspected tiU. now, came out k la Roderick 

 Dhu, and stood confessed each on his own citadel, whilst 

 the hitherto voiceless quarry was rent with the clatter of 

 the whole wild aviary ; high on the pinnacles of their 

 separate watch-towers might be seen representatives of 

 all the raptores, or birds of prey, vultures, falcons, and 

 owls, looking down eagerly at the keeper : as he moved 

 round, the major part raised their ponderous pinions, 

 and flapping them to their full extent, pierced the air in 

 all directions with shrieks for ' meat ! meat ! raw meat !' 

 aKOVco (jsOoyjov 6pvi9wv kukS Kka^ovTWi oi(TTp((i xal /8e- 

 ^apco/Mevo) teal airrnvTm iv ^T/Xato-tz/. Ariosto shall help 

 us -describe it: — 



Lungo e d' intorno quel antro volando, 

 Girano corvi ed avidi avoUori, 

 Mulacchie e varii augeUi ; che gridando 

 Pacean discordi, strepiti, e rumori, 

 E a la preda correvan tutti, quando 

 Sparger vedean gli amplissimi tesori ; 

 E chi nel beoco, e oM nell' ugna torta, 

 Ne prende, e lontan poco H porta. 



Here the pretty 'civetta' fixed her full round orbs 

 greedily on a little string of raw rodentian delicacies, 



