26 



THE VULTURE, 



dark, shoot past you, when you are watching behind 

 a tree, with inconceivable velocity, and snatch away 

 the unsuspecting bunting from the hedge. But 

 when food seems not to be the object, especially 

 about the breeding season, you may observe the 

 windhovers rising in majestic evolutions to a vast 

 altitude ; but, if you watch till your eyes ache, you 

 will never see them descend upon their prey from 

 this immense height : indeed, the great distance to 

 which they rise would operate much against them in 

 their descent to seize their food. For example, sup- 

 pose a mouse to be on the ground, exactly under a 

 hawk, which hawk is so high up that its appearance 

 to the observer's eye is not larger than that of a lark, 

 how is the hawk to take the mouse ? If it descend 

 slowly, the wary mouse would have time to get into 

 its hole ; if the hawk came down rapidly, the noise 

 it causes in darting through the expanse would be a 

 sufficient warning for the mouse to get out of the way. 

 In order to have a proper idea of the noise which the 

 descent of the bird would cause, we have only to 

 listen to a rook in the act of what the peasants call 

 shooting, and which, by the by, they always consi- 

 der as a sign of coming wind ; though, in fact, it can 

 easily be accounted for without any aid from con- 

 jecture. It might here be asked, for what object, 

 then, do many birds of prey rise to such an amazing 

 height in the sky ? I answer, I know not. Why 

 does the lark mount so high, and sing all the time ? 

 His female and other listeners on the ground would 

 hear him more distinctly and clearly, were he to 



