A NATURALIST ON THE PROWL. 
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longer, and we should have had a very interesting new 
species of bird, the crab hawk. But this is not going to 
happen, for one day those kestrels got dyspepsia from 
eating too many crabs, and wisely gave them up. This 
is one notable difference between the lower animals and 
man. When any article of diet makes them ill, they 
give it up at once and naturally get well. Man refuses 
to yield, and raising an army of fierce drugs, fights the 
rebellious luxury, his stomach being the battle-ground. 
What a Homeric epic might be woven over the contest 
which has raged within many a strong man through the 
best part of a lifetime ! It might be called an Iliad too, 
but of course the derivation would be different. But I 
am digressing again and must return to my subject. 
One more instance will I give you, that of a shrike, 
which, when insect food was scarce, took to attending at 
my chotee hazree and eating bits of bread which I threw 
out for it. In its personal habits this bird was fast 
becoming a crow, but other shrikes would not follow it, 
so it got out of caste and the matter spread no further. 
When circumstances lead a whole community to take 
the same course, the character of the species is affected. 
The sea eagle feeds on sea snakes because they are 
