Plinies Natural! Hiftorie. 



A into the aire^ and then are the hawkes readie to catch them for themfelves. Moreover^ when tho. 

 time is of hawking, they will by their manner df crie and flying together, give figne to the faul- 

 coners that there is good game abroad, andfo draw them forth to hawking for to take the op- 

 portunitie. It is faid, that the wolves doe the like, about the lake Moeotis: for unlefTe they may 

 have their part with the fifhers, they will rend and teare their nets, whjsn they find them %t* 

 ched forth. Faulcons or Hawkes willingly cat not the heart of any bird,. There is an hawke cal- 

 led Cymindis, which preyeth in the night ifildome is ibefeencin the WGods,and by day- light 

 feeth litdc or nothing. There is deadly warre betweene it and the^gle , and oftentimes, they Bi 

 both takcn^ entangled one with the other. 



B Chap, iXi 



Of the Cuchrtfjvhich ufually is killed by birds of her omc kindi 



AS touching the Cuckow, it fcemeth that he cdmraeth of fomehawke chaunged in to hi§ 

 fhape at one certaine time of the yeere :for then thofe other hawkes are not to be feepe, 

 uniefle fome very few daies.Hee fheweth himfelfe alfo but for afmall feafon in fummec 

 time, and afterwards appeareth no more.It is the only hawke that hath no talons hooked down- 

 ward, neither is he headed as other hawkes, nor like unto them, but in colour : and for bill,he re- 

 fembleth rather the dove.Nay more than that, the hawke will prey upon him and devour him^ 

 y if haply they be feene both togither : anditis the onely bird of all other thatiskilled by thofe of 

 t the owne kind* He altereth his voice alfo. In the fpring, he commeth abroad, and by the begin- 

 ning of thedog-daicsjhidcth himfelfe. Thefc lay alwaies in other birds nefls, and raoii of all irj 

 theStock-dovesjCommonlyoneeggcandno more (which no other birddoch befides) andfel- 

 donictwaine. The reafon why they would have otherbirds tofitupon their egges and hatch 

 them, is becaufe they know how all birds hate them :for even the verie little birds are readie to 

 warre with them: for feare therefore that the whole race of themfliould be utterly deflroycd by 

 thcfurie of othersof the fame kind, they make no nefl of their owne (being otherwife timorous 

 and fearfull naturally of themfelves) and fo are forced by this craftie fhift to avoid the daunger.; 

 The Titling therefore that fitteth, being thus deceived, hatcheth the eggeand bringethup the 

 chicke of another bird. And this young Cuckow beeing greedie by kind, beguiling the other 

 D young birds and intercepting the meat from them, groweth hereby fat and faire-liking; where- 

 by it CO nmethintofpeciallgraceandfavorwiththedam of the refl,andnource toit.Shejoieth 

 to fee fo goodly a bird toward : and wonders at her felfe that fhe hath hatched and reared fo trim 

 achicke. The reit,which areherowneindeed,lTieefetsno flore by,asif they were changelings; 

 but in regard of that one, counteth them all baflards and misbegotten :yea,andf utfereth them 

 to be eaten and devoured of the other even before her face : and this flie doth fo longjUntill the 

 young cuckow being once fledge and readie to flie abroad^is fo bold as to feize upon the old Tit- 

 ling, and to eat her up that hatched her. And by that time there is not another bird againe for 

 goodncfTe and fweetnefle of meat,comparable to the young Cuckow. 



E Chap. X. 



OfGleedes^KiteSjOr Puttocks. 



THeK ites or deeds are of the fame kind of Hawkes or birds of prey, oncly they bee grca- 

 ter.This hath been noted & obferved in them: that being a mofl ravenous bird,and ever- 

 more hungrie, yet were they never knowne tofiiatch any viands ordained atfunerallfeafis 

 for the dead, out of the platters 5 ne yet the flefli of beafts flaine in facrifice, from off the altar of 

 lufiter in Olympia. Nay, it was never feene that a Puttocke would catch flefh out of their hands 

 that ferved at fuch feaff s : but if it did,a great prefage it was of fome doleful & heavie misfortune 

 which Ihould fall upon the whole towne,that made thefe folemn facrifices.Thefe Gleeds or Put- 

 F tocksjfeeme by the winding and turning of their tailes to & fro as they flie, to have taught pilots 

 the skil offl:eering,and the ufe of the helme. See how Nature hath fhe wed that in the aire above^ 

 which is fo neceflary in the deep fea beneath IKites like wife are not commonly feen abroad in the 

 dead time of winter : y^ go they not away for all together before the Swallowcs. Moreover, it is 

 faid^that after the Sunfleeds^alwaies in furamcr time, they be trebled with the gout in their feer. 



Chap, 



