Music of the Wild 



lavender. lie \\as delicate and fragile as the bloom 

 of a tro])ical orcliid, and reminded me of one as 

 he liglitly hung to the rough walnut bark. They 

 ^^•ere only that day emerged, and their \\'ings were 

 not yet hardened sufficiently to bear their weight, 

 so they clung ^\]ierever I j^laced them and ])osed 

 in the most obliging manner. But the guide and 

 I made all the music. 



^\'hile I Avorked, ovei' my head, all aboAC the 

 forest, and around the outskirts sailed the beauti- 

 Faicon ful and graceful little dusky falcons. Xo charge 

 Music „f (jiiietude can be made against them; they are 

 really noisy, Avliich can not be said of great hawks. 

 I'alcons ai-e very handsome, and parade their 

 beauty as if they realized it. They are by far the 

 best-dressed meml)ers of the ha\\'k family. The 

 very liglit color of their l)reasts is delicately shaded, 

 as is the bronze of their backs. Their cheek feath- 

 ers are A^'hite to a narrow line above the eyes, and 

 crossed l)y two jiarallel lines of black. They can 

 erect a small crest, AA'hich is tinted with dull lilue, 

 and their long, graceful Aving and tail feathers are 

 tip])ed Avith Avhitc. Their beaks have the haAvklike 

 curved ])()int for tearing. Their unusually large 

 eyes Avear a soft expression, giving to them a Avise 

 ap])earance. They attack small birds occasionally, 

 but live mostly on field mice, moles, grasshop])ers, 

 and moths ; so they are in eA'idence in the fields, and 

 peoj^le are familiar AA'ith them. They like to Avatch 



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