698 



THE TROPICAL WOKLD. 



this he is ever on the alert, ever ready to combat, to ravage, and destroy. He gen- 

 erally devours his prey on the nearest rock, and loves to return to the same spot where 

 the bones of gazelles and lizards may be seen lying about, a proof that his appetite is 

 not solely confined to the finny tribes. When these birds are sitting, they call and 

 answer each other with a variously-toned shriek, which they utter under curious move- 

 ments of the head and neck. 



While all other predatory birds croak or shriek, the musical Sparrow-Hawk of Africa 

 {Melierca musicus) pours forth his morning and evening notes to entertain his mate 

 while she is performing the duties of incubation. Every song lasts a minute, and then 

 the hunter may approach, but during the pause he is obliged to remain perfectly quiet, 

 as then the bird hears the least noise and immediately flies away. 



The prowess of the Secretary-eagle {Serpentarius cristatus) attacking the most 

 venomous serpents has already been mentioned in the chapter on those noxious rep- 

 tiles. The long legs of this useful bird, which owes its name of " Secretary " to the crest 

 on the back of its head, reminding one of the pen stuck behind the ear, according to 

 the custom of writing clerks, might give one reason to reckon it, at first sight, among 

 the cranes or storks, but its curved beak and internal organization prove it to belong 

 to the falcon tribe. Its feet being incapable of grasping, it keeps constantly on the 

 ground in sandy and open places, and runs with such speed as to be able to overtake 

 the most agile reptiles. The destruction it causes in their ranks must be great indeed, 

 for Le Vaillant mentions that having killed one of these birds he found in its crop 

 eleven rather large lizards, three serpents of an arm's length, and eleven small tor- 

 toises, besides a number of locusts, beetles, and other insects. 



The majestic form, the noble bearing, the stately stride, the fine proportions, the 

 piercing eye, and the dreadful roar of the Lion, striking terror into the heart of every 

 other animal, all combine to mark him with the stamp of royalty. All nerve, all 

 muscle, his enormous strength shows itself in the tremendous bound with which he 

 tushes upon his prey, in the rapid motions of his tail, one stroke of which is able to 

 fell the strongest man to the ground, and in the expressive wrinkling of his brow. No 

 wonder thtit, ever inclined to judge from outward appearances, and to attribute to ex- 

 ternal beauty analogous qualities of mind, man has endowed the lion with a nobility 

 of character which he in reality does not possess. For modern travelers, who have 

 had occasion to observe him in his native wilds, far from awarding him the praise of 

 chivalrous generosity and noble daring, rather describe him as a mean spirited robber, 

 prowling about at night-time in order to surprise a weaker prey. 



The lion is distinguished from all other members of the feline tribe by the uniform 

 color of his tawny skin, by the black tuft at the end of his tail, and particularly by the 

 long and sometimes blackish mane, which he is able to bristle when under the influence 

 of passion, and which contributes so much to the beauty of the male, while it is wanting 

 in the lioness, who is very inferior in size and comeliness to her stately mate. His 

 ckief food consists of the flesh of the larger herbivorous animals, very few of which 

 be is unable to master, and the swift-footed antelope has no greater enemy than he. 

 Concealed in the high rushes on the river's bank, he lies in ambush for the timorous 

 herd, which at night-fall approaches the water to quench its thirst. Slowly and cau- 

 tiously the children of the waste advance ; they listen with ears erect, they strain their 



