the rapacity manifested by all birds of this class ia satis 

 fying their hunger. But to return to tlie Griffon Vulture. 



This bird, like the rest of its family, except when 

 pressed by the utmost necessity, never preys on living 

 animals, but prefers carrion and putrid substances ; and 

 when fed to repletion is easily made captive. The male, 

 as usual with other rapacious birds, is smaller than the 

 female. The*Bearded Vulture, or La inmer-geiier, which 

 resembles the bird depicted above, is the most fero- 

 ciousofthis class, pouncing with impetuosity on animals 

 exceeding itself in size ; hence the young chamois, the 

 wild goat, the mountain hare, and various species of 

 birds, find in the Lammer-geiier a most fonnidable and 

 ferocious enemy. Having seized its prey, tliis Bearded 

 Vulture devours it upon the spot, the straight form 

 of their talons disabling them from carrying it to 

 a distance. The Lcemmer-geyer refvises flesh in a 

 state of putrefaction unless sharply pressed by hunger ; 

 hence Tvature has limited this species as to numbers, 

 while, on the other hand, to the vultures who are des- 

 tined to clear the earth of animal matter in a state of 

 decomposition, she has given an almost illimitable in- 

 crease. This is but one amongst a thousand evidences 

 of the protection of an unseen yet all-seeing Providence. 

 The family of Falcons ( Falconid(e) which occupy the 

 next cases, have their heads covered with feathers and 

 the eyebrows prominent, giving the eye the appearance 

 of being deeply set in the head, and imparting a character 



I f/% f1>i30£i Kii'/ila va-rrr rliflptirpiit fT/-\in fVinf nf fVio iriilfiiTnc 



