Feet and Legs 379 
“When the snake strikes, the bird either evades the 
blow, by skipping to one side or the other, jumping back- 
ward, or springing into the air, or else, as frequently hap- 
pens, he simply receives the venomous thrusts of his 
antagonist on the broad stiff feathers of the outer half 
Fic. 297.—Secretary Bird. 
of the long wing, with which he knocks the reptile down, 
following up the fall with a vigorous kick. His extreme 
agility enables him in a very short time to baffle and 
overcome a snake of four or five feet in length, whereupon 
he finally seizes it near the head with his bill, and hold- 
