The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 43 
vultures, though they bear a more general resemblance to 
the former. The representations of certain smaller kinds of 
birds are still more puzzling ; and were it not for slight clues 
afforded by other evidence, such as the presence of trees, or 
of nests and young birds on the trees, together with the 
parent-forms, or to that of fortresses or other buildings in 
close proximity to the birds, all attempts at identification 
would be absolutely fruitless. I may mention especially the 
figures of certain birds represented as being shot by bow 
and arrow, and carried in the hand, as climbing trees, after 
the fashion of woodpeckers and tree-creepers, and in other 
attitudes. At one time I thought that some of these birds 
were meant for some of the Perdicidce, or partridge family, 
such as the francolins, now common in Turkey and the 
adjacent lands, and doubtless well known to the ancient 
Assyrians ; but the presence of these birds with their nests 
and young ones in the nests on trees, at once excluded 
francolins, which always build on the ground. Then I thought 
of pigeons, but the deep nest at once put a stop to that idea, 
for all the Columbidce, I believe, r lake shallow nests ; and then 
I thought of rooks, and as the figures of the birds in question 
may possibly be meant for rooks, and as the surroundings, 
such as congregating and building deepish nests on trees near 
inhabited places, are on the whole more or less satisfactory, I 
think that the evidence is more in favour of the rook than 
of any other bird ; but still the figures may be intended for 
some bird quite different. The specimen shown as climbing 
a tree may well denote a woodpecker, the habits of which 
bird having been much noticed by the Assyrians. Pigeons are 
evidently here and there intended ; the raven appears, and 
I think francolins are also intended to be represented. 
As to the nature and value of the evidence afforded by 
the names of birds occurring in the records, we have to 
depend almost entirely (1) on the cursory notices of the 
feathered tribe in the Historical Inscriptions, or (2) to their 
simple names as they are given on the Bilingual and Tri- 
lingual Tablets. Now the value of the evidence afforded 
by the Historical Records is very small indeed if taken by 
itself ; the notices are too general and vague, and the 
