FALCO. 
articularly in Us feeding much on fish: the 
Danes' therefore call it fiske-orn. It is common 
in thesouth oi Russia, and about the Volga, as 
far as trees will grow; but is very scarce in 
Siberia. It inhabits Greenland the whole 
year, sitting on the rocks with flagging wing, 
and flies slowly. It makes its nest on the lofty 
cliffs, with twigs, lining the middle with 
mosses and feathers; lays two eggs; and sits 
in the latter part of May or beginning of 
June. These birds prey on young seals, 
which they seize as they are floating on the 
water; but frequently, by fixing their talons 
in an old one, they are overmatched, and 
draw n down to the bottom r screaming hor- 
ribly. They feed also on fish, especially the 
lunipfish, and a sort of trout; on ptarmigans, 
auks, and eider ducks. They sit on the tops 
of rocks, attentive to the motion of the div- 
ing birds, and with quick eyes observe their 
course by the bubbles which rise to the sur- 
face of the water, and catch the fowls as they 
rise for breath. The Greenlanders use their 
skins for clothing next to their bodies; eat 
the flesh ; and ke p the bill and feet for 
amulets. They kill them with the bow ; or 
take them in nets placed in the snow' pro- 
perly bailed; or tempt them by the fat of 
seals, which the eagles eat to an excess which 
occasions sucli a torpidity as to make them 
a*n easy prey. They are common in Scotland 
andt; e Orkneys; where they feed on fish, as 
well as on land-animals. 
7. d he maculatus, or the crying eagle, 
with a dusky bill and yellow cere the co- 
lour of the plumage ha ferruginous brown ; 
the coverts of the wings and scapulars are 
elegantly varied with oval white spots; the 
primaries dusky, the ends of the greater, 
white; the breast and belly are of a deeper 
colour than the rest of the plumage, streaked 
downwards with dull yellow ; the tail is dark 
brown, tipt with dirty white ; the legs are 
feathered to the feet, which are yellow. The 
length of the bird is two feet. This species 
is found in many parts of Europe, but not in 
Scandinavia; is frequent in Russia and Si- 
beria; and extends even to Kamtscliatka. 
it is less generous and spirited than other 
eagles, and is perpetually making a plaintive 
noise; from which it was styled by the an- 
tients planga et clanga ; and anataria, from 
its preying on ducks, which Pliny describes 
with great elegance. The Arabs used^to train 
it for the chase; but its quarry was cranes 
and other birds, the more generous eagle be- 
ing flown at antelopes and other quadrupeds. 
This species was itself an object of diversion, 
and made the game of even so small a bird as 
the sparrowhawk ; which would pursue it 
with great eagerness, soar above, then fall on 
it, and fastening with its talons, keep beating it 
about tJiehead with its wings, till they both fell 
together to the ground. This sir John Char- 
din has seen practised about Tauris. 
8. The milvus, or kite, is a native of Eu- 
rope, Asia, and Africa. This species ge- 
nerally breeds in large forests or woody 
mountainous countries. Its nest is composed 
of sticks, lined with several odd materials, 
such as rags, bits of flannel, rope, and paper. 
It lays two, or at most three, eggs ; which, 
like those of other birds of prey, are much 
rounded and blunt at the smaller end. They 
are white spotted with dirty yellow. Its mo- 
tion in the air distinguishes it from all other 
birds, being so smooth and even that it is 
scarcely perceptible. Sometimes it will re- 
main quite motionless ter a considerable 
space; at others glide through the sky with- 
out the least apparent action ot its wings; 
thence deriving the old name of glearl, or 
glede, from the Saxon glida. They inhabit 
the north ot Europe, as high as Jalsberg, in 
the very south ot Norway; but do not ex- 
tend farther. r l hey quit Sweden in flocks 
at the approach of winter, and return in 
spring. Some of them winter about Astrakan, 
ill lat. 46. 30 : but the far greater part are 
supposed to retire into Egypt, being seen in 
September passing by Constantinople in their 
way from the north ; and again in April re- 
turning to Europe, to shun the great heats of 
the East. They are observed in vast num- 
bers about Cairo, where they are extremely 
tame, and feed even on dates, probably for 
want of other food. They also breed there ; so 
that, contrary to the nature of other rapacious 
birds, they increase and multiply twice in the 
year ; once in the mild winters of Egypt, and 
a second time in the summers of the north. 
It makes its appearance in Greece in the 
spring; and in the early ages, says Aristo- 
phanes, “ it governed that country ; and 
men fell on their knees when they were first 
blessed with the sight of it, because it an- 
nounced the flight of winter, and told them 
to begin to shear their vernal fleeces.” In 
Britain they are found the whole year. 
Lord Bacon observes, that when kites fly 
high, it portends fair and dry w eather. See 
Plate Nat. llist. fig. 197. 
9. The gentilis, or gentil falcon, inhabits 
the north of Scotland, and was in high esteem 
as a bold and spirited bird in the days of 
falconry. It makes its nest in rocks: it is 
larger than the gos-hawk ; the head of a light 
rust-colour, with oblong black spots ; the 
whole under side from chin to tail white, 
ting d with yellow ; tiie back of a brown co- 
lour ; the tail barred witli four or five bars of 
black, and as many of ash-colour ; the very 
.tips ot all the tail feathers white. 
10. The subbuteo, or hobby, was used like 
the kestrel in the humbler kind of falconry; 
particularly in what was called daring of larks: 
the hawk was castoff; the larks, aware of 
their most inveterate enemy, were fixed to 
the ground for fear ; by which means they 
became a ready prey to the fowler, who drew 
a net over them. The back of the bird is 
brown: the nape of the neck white: and the 
belly pale, with oblong brown spots. It is a 
bird of passage ; but breeds in Britain, .and 
migrates in October. 
1 1 . The buteo, or buzzard, is the most 
common of the hawk kind in England. It 
breeds in large woods; and usually builds 
on an old crow’s nest, which it enlarges, and 
lines with wool and other soft materials. It 
lays two or three eggs, which are sometimes 
perfectly white, sometimes spotted with 
yellow. The cock-buzzard will hatch and 
bring up the young if the hen is killed. The 
young keep company with the old ones for 
some little time after they quit the nest ; 
which is not usual with other birds of prey, 
who always drive away their brood as soon 
as they can fly. The buzzard is very slug- 
gish and inactive, and is much less in mo- 
tion than other hawks ; remaining perched 
on the same bough for the greatest part of the 
day, and dwelling at most times near the 
same place. It feeds on birds, rabbits, moles, 
695 
and mice ; it will also eat frogs, earthworms, 
and insects. ’Phis bird is subject to some va- 
riety in its co’our. Some have the breast 
and belly of a brown colour, and are only 
marked across the craw With a large white 
crescent ; but usually the breast is ot a yel- 
lowish white, spotted with oblong rust-co- 
loured spots, pointing downwards; the back 
of the head, neck, and coverts ot the wings, 
are of a deep brown, edged with a pale rust- 
colour: the middle of the back covered only 
with a thick white down. The tail is barred 
with black and ash-colour, ana sometimes 
ferruginous. 
12. The tinnunculus, or kestrel, breeds in 
the hollows of trees, in the holes ot high 
rocks, towers, and ruined buildings. It ieeds 
on field-mice, small birds, and insects ; 
which it will discover at a great distance. 
This is the hawk that we so frequently see in 
the air fixed in one place ; and, as it were, 
fanning with its wings ; at which time it is 
watching for its prey. When falconry was in 
use in threat Britain, this bird was trained 
for catching of small birds and young par- 
tridges. It is easily distinguished from all 
other hawks by its colours. Ihe crown of 
the head and the greater part 01 the tail are 
of a fine light grey ; the back and coverts of 
the wing of a brick -red, elegantly spotted with 
black ; the whole under side ot the bird of a 
pale rust-colour spotted with black. 
13. The sufflator, with yellowish wax and 
legs; the body is of a brownish-white colour ; 
and the covers of the eyes are bony. He 
lias a fleshy lobe between the nostrils ; which, 
when angry or terrified, lie inflates till his 
head becomes as big as his whole body. He 
is a native of Surinam. 
14. The cachinnans, or laughing hawk, 
has yellowish legs and wax, and white eye- 
brows ; the body is variegated with brown 
and white ; and it has a black ring round the 
top of the head, it makes a laughing kind 
of noise when it observes any person, and is a 
native of America. 
15. The columbarius, or pigeon-hawk of 
Catesby, weighs about six ounces. 'I he bill 
is black at the point, and whitish at the base: 
the iris of the eye is yellow ; the base 
of the upper mandible is covered with a yel- 
low cere of wax : all the upper part of the 
body, wings, and tail, are brown. The an- 
terior vanes of the quill-feathers have large 
red spots. The tail is marked with large re- 
gular transverse white lines; the throat, breast, 
and belly, are white, mixed with biown; 
the small feathers that cover the thighs reach 
within half an inch of the feet, and are white, 
with a tincture of red, beset with long spots 
of brown ; the legs and feet are yellow. It 
inhabits America, from Hudson’s-bay as low 
as South Carolina. In the last it attains to a 
larger size. I 11 Hudson’s-bay it appears in 
May on the banks of the river Severn, breeds, 
and retires south in autumn. It feeds on 
small birds; and, on the approach of any 
person, flies in circles, and makes a great 
shrieking. It forms its nest in a rock, or some 
hollow tree, with sticks and grass ; and lines 
it with feathers ; and lays from two to four 
eggs, white spotted with red. In Carolina 
it preys on pigeons, and the young of the wild 
turkeys. 
16. The furcatus, or swallow-tailed hawk, 
has a black bill, less hooked than usual with 
rapacious birds: the eyes are large and black. 
