THE HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY 3 



them. He tells us, for instance, that " some are carnivorous, 

 others granivorous, and others omnivorous ; some are terres- 

 trial and some aquatic ; and many migrate during the winter." 

 This is good as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. 

 His " Peri Zoon 'Istorias " is full of practical suggestions 

 and pleasing information. He was followed by Pliny [the 

 elder,] who was rather a compiler than an original thinker 

 and observer, though he filled several volumes with both com- 

 pilations and original observations. It seems hardly fair to 

 accuse him of a lack of originality in his work, though it be 

 true, when it is remembered that he lost his life while investi- 

 gating a volcanic eruption of Vesuvius. Pliny [the younger] 

 is really an observant naturalist, though he tells a great many 

 " fish stories." He amuses us with his account of the Os- 

 trich, and says : " Their Hoofs are like unto Stags, with which 

 they fight or skirmish, being cloven-footed, they are profita- 

 ble to them by laying hold of stones which they throw with 

 their feet against those who follow them in flight." He also 

 says : u The first distinction principally is made from the feet 

 of Birds. For either they have hooked talons, or claws with 

 nails, or are of the kind of having their feet closed with a film 

 or web, as the Geese, and almost all aquatic birds. Those 

 which have hooked talons only for the greatest part feed on 

 flesh." A curious and interesting extract is the following, re- 

 futing the credited authority of to-day for this established 

 " sub-order Oscines ; " it will be seen from this that Plin y 

 the younger and not Dr. Cabanis is the proper definor of 

 this division. He says : " these birds which have crooked 

 claws, do not at all assemble together, and which prey on 

 themselves. And almost all of them soar or fly on high ex- 

 cept the nocturnal or night birds ; and the larger birds the 

 more so. They have all of them large wings, but a small 

 body. They walk with difficulty. They seldom stay on 

 rocks, the crookedness of their claws forbids it. Now we 

 will treat of those according to a Second order, which are di- 

 vided into two species, the Oscines and Alites : the first of 



