266 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE, 



[Falcons. 



apparent not only in Sonnerat's figure, but is ex- 

 pressly mentioned in his detailed description, and, 

 if confirmed by future observation, is clearly indica- 

 tive of a specific distinction. Inhabits the Philip- 

 ' pine Islands. Described and figured in Sonnerat's 

 'Voyage a la Nouvelle Guinee,' p. 87, t. 50.* The 

 colours of the three species or varieties here indi- 

 cated do not seem to be materially different in other 

 respects." It is to the South African species or 

 variety that our details more particularly apply. 



This singular bird is termed, in allusion to its 

 habits, Slangen-vreeter, or Serpent-eater, by the 

 Dutch colonists of the Cape, and its Hottentot 

 name has the same meaning : snakes, in fact, con- 

 stitute its principal food, and in the attack and 

 defence it displays the greatest coolness and address. 

 The Slangen-vreeter, says Sparrman, has a peculiar 

 method of seizing upon serpents. When it ap- 

 proaches them, it always takes care to hold the 

 point of one of its wings before it, in order to parry 

 off their venomous bites ; sometimes it finds an 

 opportunity of spurning and treading upon its an- 

 tagonist, or else of taking it up on its pinions and 

 throwing it into the air : when by this method of 

 proceeding it has at. length wearied out its adversary, 

 and rendered it almost senseless, it then kills it and 

 swallows it without danger. Though I have very 

 frequently seen the Secretary Bird, both in its wild 

 and tame stale, yet I have never had an opportunity 

 of seeing this method it has of catching serpents ; 

 however, I can by no means harbour any doubt 

 concerning it, after having had it confirmed to me 

 by so many Hottentots as well as Christians, and 

 since this bird has been observed at the menagerie 

 at the Hague to amuse and "exercise itself in the 

 same manner with a straw. If, finally, this Serpent- 

 eater is to be referred to the Accipitres, or the Hawk 

 kind, the name of Falco seipentaiius appears to be 

 the most proper to distinguish it by in the ' Systema 

 Naturae.' It has ever been remarked that these 

 birds, when tame, will not disdain now and then to 

 put up with a nice chicken. 



Sparrman, it is true, did not himself see the scene 

 which he describes ; but his account is confirmed by 

 Le Vaillant, who thus gives the results of his own 

 observations, which go to prove, contrary to Buffon's 

 statement, that the Secretary is bold and cou- 

 rageous. 



" In descending from a mountain into a very deep 

 bog (fondriere), I perceived, nearly perpendicularly 

 below me, a bird which raised and lowered itself 

 very rapidly, with very extraordinary motions. 

 Although I well knew the Secretary, and had killed 

 many of these birds at Natal, it was impossible for 

 me to recognise it in the vertical situation in which 

 I found myself, and I only suspected that it was one 

 from its bearing. Having found means, by favour 

 of some rocks, to approach sufficiently near, noise- 

 lessly, and without being discovered, I found that 

 this bird was a Secretary combating a serpent. The 

 fight, was very sharp on both sides, and the skill (la 

 ruse) equal on the part of each of the combatants. 

 But the serpent, which perceived the inequality of 

 its strength, employed that adroit cunning which is 

 attributed to it, in order to save itself by flight and 

 regain its hole ; while the bird, divining its inten- 

 tion, stopped it at. once, and throwing itself before 

 the serpent by one spring, cut off its retreat. 

 Wherever the reptile essayed to escape, there it 

 always found its enemy. Then, uniting skill with 

 courage, it erected itself fiercely to intimidate the 

 bird, and presented, with a frightful hiss, a menac- 

 ing gape, inflamed eyes, and a head swollen with 

 rage and poison. Sometimes this offensive resist- 

 ance suspended hostilities for an instant ; but. the 

 bird soon returned to the charge, and covering its 

 body with one of its wings, as with a shield, struck 

 its enemy with the other, with the bony protube- 

 rances of which I have already spoken, and which, 

 like small clubs, overpowered it the more surely, 

 inasmuch as it presented itself to the blows. In 

 effect, I saw it reel and fall extended : then the 

 conqueror threw himself upon it to finish his work, 

 and with one blow of the bill split its skull. At this 

 moment, having no further observations to make, I 

 killed it. I found in its crop (for it has one, which 

 nobody has stated), on dissecting it, eleven rather 

 large lizards, three serpents, as long as one's arm, 

 eleven small tortoises very entire, many of which 

 were about two inches in diameter, and, finally, a 

 quantity of locusts (sauterelles) and insects, the 

 greater part of which were sufficiently whole to 

 deserve being collected and to be added to my 

 specimens. The lizards, the serpents, and the tor- 

 toises had all received the stroke of the bill on the 

 head. I observed besides, that, independently of 



* Speaking of the manners of this bird, Sonnerat says, that it is 

 sociable and lives in a state of domesticity; that it hunts rats, and 

 might in this point of view become useful in the colonies, where it 

 would pro-bably not be difficult to multiply it. Although he erro- 

 neously describes the bill and feet of the Secretary (Philippine) as re- 

 sembling those of Gallinaceous birds (fowl, turkey, &C.J, he states 

 that it feeds on flesh, and ought consequently to be placed in the 

 ranks of the birds of prey, among which, lie adds, it forms an entirely 

 insulated genus. 



this mass of aliments, the craw (poche) of the animal 

 contained a species of pellet, as large as a goose's 

 egg, and formed of the vertebrae of serpents and 

 lizards which the bird had devoured previously, scales 

 of small tortoises, and the wings, feet, and corselets 

 of different scarabsei. Doubtless when the undi- 

 gested mass is become too large, the Secretary, like 

 other birds of prey, vomits it and gets rid of it. It 

 results from the superabundant quantity of nourish- 

 ment which this specimen had secured, that in at- 

 tacking the serpent of the bog it was not hunger 

 which had stimulated it to the combat, but the hatred 

 and antipathy which is bears to these reptiles. Such 

 an aversion as this is of an inappreciable advantage 

 in a country where the temperature wonderfully 

 favours the multiplication of an infinity of noxious 

 and venomous animals. In this point of view the 

 Secretary is one of nature"s real benefactions; and 

 indeed its utility and the services rendered by it are 

 so well recognized at the Cape and in its neighbour- 

 hood, that the colonists and Hottentots respect it 

 and do not kill it : herein imitating the Dutch, who 

 do not kill the stork, and the Egyptians, who never 

 injure the ibis. The secretary is easily tamed, and 

 when domesticated, every kind of nourishment, 

 cooked or raw, agrees with it equally. 



" The eggs ordinarily amount to from two to 

 three, nearly as large as those of a goose, and white, 

 like those of a hen. The young remain a long time 

 before they quit the nest, because, their legs being 

 long and slender, they sustain themselves with dif- 

 ficulty. They may be observed, even up to the age 

 of four months, unable to progress, except by 

 leaning on their heels; which gives them a strikingly 

 clumsy and ungraceful air. Nevertheless, as their 

 toes are not so long nor their claws so curved as 

 the other birds of prey, they walk with much more 

 facility than those. ~So that when they have at- 

 tained' the age of seven months they may be seen 

 to develop easy and graceful movements which suit 

 well with their noble bearing." 



M. Lesson, in his description, quotes the account 

 of Mr. Smith, who relates, "that one day he saw 

 a Secretary take two or three turns on the wing at a 

 little .distance from the place where he was. The 

 bird soon settled, and Mr. Smith saw that it was 

 attentively examining an object near the spot where 

 it had descended. After approaching it with great 

 precaution, the Secretary extended one of its wings, 

 which the bird continually agitated. Mr. Smith 

 then discovered a large serpent, raising its head, and 

 appearing to wait the approach of the bird to dart 

 upon it ; but a quick blow of the wing soon laid it 

 prostrate. The bird appeared to wait for the 

 serpent's raising itself, in order to repeat the blow ; 

 but this the serpent, it seems, did not attempt, and 

 the Secretary, walking towards it, seized it with the 

 feet and bill, and rose perpendicularly into the air, 

 whence the bird let the serpent fall on the ground, 

 so that it might be securely destroyed.'' 



The Secretary was so called by the Dutch from 

 the plumes at the back of its head, which reminded 

 them of the pen stuck behind the ear, according to 

 the custom of the ' gens de cabinet ' in Holland, and 

 the name has since'been generally adopted. These 

 birds, at least in South Africa, are not gregarious, 

 but live in pairs, and build on high trees or in dense 

 thickets. Their gait is a singular stalk, reminding 

 us of a person moving along on elevated stilts; but 

 they run with great "swiftness, and are not to be 

 approached without difficulty by the sportsman. 

 Attempts have been made, how far successful we 

 know not, to introduce this bird into Martinique, for 

 the purpose of destroying the deadly lance-headed 

 viper, or yellow serpent, of the Antilles (Trigono- 

 cephalus lanceolatus), which abounds there, and is 

 greatly dreaded. 



The general colour of this species is bluish grey ; 

 the primary and secondary quill-feathers are black, 

 as are also the feathers of the thighs, and those 

 composing the crest. The two long middle tail- 

 feathers are grey, becoming black towards theii 

 extremities, and ending in a white tip, as do the 

 rest of the tail-feathers, which are otherwise black. 

 Length of head and body, including the tail, three 

 feet. 



FALCONS. 

 Among all the Raptorial birds, none are more bold 

 and daring than the falcons, though there are 

 certain exceptions. All are formed for rapid flight, 

 and pursue their prey with extreme velocity, or 

 soaring above, descend upon it with a swoop, bear- 

 ing it to the ground. Some, as the kestrels, which 

 feed principally on frogs and mice, not excluding 

 insects, sail in the air performing easy circles, and 

 often appear motionless over one spot for a con- 

 siderable time ; when, perceiving their prey, they 

 make a sudden and rapid descent, and pounce upon 

 it with unerring certainty. But the nobler falcons, 

 as they are termed— viz., the peregrine and ger- 

 falcon, which Drey chiefly on bird's, as pigeons, 

 grouse, sea-fowl, &c, strike their victim on the 

 wing, and carry it in their talons to their eyry. 



The falcons are distinguished by the following 

 characters: the beak is short, strong, and abruptly 

 hooked, the edge of the upper mandible, near the 

 curve, being furnished with a tooth-like projection. 

 The wings are long and pointed, the second quill- 

 feather being the longest. The tarsi are of mode- 

 rate length, but stout ; the toes are long and power- 

 ful, and armed with large, sharp, retractile claws. 

 The eye is full, bright, and beautiful ; the contour 

 of the body graceful and vigorous; the plumage 

 close and compact. The muscles of flight are re- 

 markably developed, as indicated by the breadth of 

 the sternum, the depth of the keel, and the strength 

 of the furcula, and of the calvicular or coraeoid 

 bones. Fig. 1233 represents the sternum of the 

 Peregrine Falcon and its appendages: a, the ex- 

 panse of the sternum ; b, the keel ; c, the furcula ; 

 d, the clavicular or coraeoid bones ; e, the scapula 

 broken oft'. Fig. 1234 represents the Llead of the 

 Peregrine Falcon as illustrative of the generic cha- 

 racters of the group ; Fig. 1235, the Foot. 



1236, 1237.— The Pereghtse Falcox 



(FaJco peregri?ius) . This beautiful and once highly 

 valued bird is very widely spread, being found in 

 most of the bold and rocky districts of Europe, 

 Asia, and North America. Everywhere it seems to 

 be a bird of passage, whence its specific name 

 peregritms. As regards the British Islands, it is 

 common in Scotland and Wales, building on high 

 precipitous rocks bordering the sea-coast. It fre- 

 quents similar situations in Devonshire and Cornwall, 

 where it is called the Cliff-hawk : and we have seen 

 fine specimens procured on the Needles in the Isle 

 of Wight. In many parts of Ireland it. is abundant. 

 "In the four maritime counties of Ulster," says Mr. 

 Thompson, "it. has many eyries : and in Antrim, 

 whose basaltic precipices are favourable for this 

 purpose, seven, at least, might, be enumerated ; of 

 these one only is inland ; at the Gobbing, regularly 

 frequented by a pair, there were two nests in one year 

 within an extent of rock considerably less than a 

 mile." There are eyries also at the Horn in Donegal, 

 and many other places. The peregrine falcon is 

 however often seen inland, and is known to take up 

 its temporary residence on St. Paul's Cathedral and 

 Westminster Abbey, making havoc among the flocks 

 of pigeons in the neighbourhood. We once saw a 

 pigeon in Leicester Square struck and carried off 

 by one of these birds. In the days of falconry the 

 courage, power, docility, and swiftness of the pere- 

 grine falcon rendered it a great favourite, and 

 according to asje, sex, &c. it received different 

 appellations. When wild or yet unreclaimed, it 

 was termed a haggard ; hence the sentence in 

 Shakspere ('Much Ado about Nothing'), "As coy 

 and wild as haggards of the rock " (see Fig. 1237). 

 The young bird was called eyess, a corruption of 

 the French word niais ; it was also named red 

 hawk, from the colour of its plumage during the 

 first year. The male bird was termed tiercel, terse], 

 or tassel ; " tassel-gentle," a reclaimed male. The 

 female was called "falcon ''par excellence. This 

 bird has by some writers been called the Lanner, 

 but the true lanner, which is a distinct, though an 

 allied species (Falco lanarius), is found only in 

 Asia and the south-eastern parts of Europe, and has 

 never been seen wild in the British Islands. It is 

 to the peregrine falcon that Pennant alludes (and 

 after him Bewick), when treating of the lanner he 

 remarks " this species breeds in Ireland." Besides 

 these names the peregrine falcon has various other 

 appellations, as the Slight Hawk and the Passenger 

 Falcon. In America it is termed the Duck-Hawk, 

 from the havoc it makes among wild-ducks; and 

 also the Great-footed Hawk, from the size and 

 strength of its talons. Of the prowess and daring 

 of the peregrine many instances are on record. 

 Mr. Thompson (' Mag. Zool. and Botan.,' vol. ii. 

 p. 53) observes that "Mr. Sinclair, when on one 

 occasion exercising his dogs on the Belfast moun- 

 tains towards the end of July, preparatory to grouse 

 shooting, saw them point ; and on coming up he 

 startled a male peregrine falcon off a grouse (Te- 

 trao scoticus) just killed by him ; and very near the 

 same place he came upon the female bird, also on 

 a grouse. Although my friend lifted both the dead 

 birds, the hawks continued flying about, and on the 

 remainder of the pack (of grouse), which lay near, 

 being spruug by the dogs, either three or four more 

 grouse were struck down by them, and thus two 

 and a half or three brace were obtained by means 

 of these wild birds, being more than had ever been 

 procured out of a pack of grouse by his trained 

 falcons." The peregrine falcon attacks its prey 

 only while on the wing, seldom pursuing it into 

 dense cover ; and it has been observed that birds 

 thus driven to shelter by the peregrine falcon are so 

 terrified, that rather than venture again on wing they 

 will allow themselves to be captured by the hand. 

 Even the black cock has been known to be thus 

 taken. Mr. Thompson says the strike of this spe- 

 cies is more fatal than its clutch, and that when 



