FUNCTIONS. 
217 
though the Sea Eagle will; but of it I will speak further 
on. Haying finished with the lower orders of Raptores , 
we now come to the true hunters of vertebrate animals. 
Of these we may consider the reptile-eating Hawks 
and Eagles as lowest in the scale. The Secretary 
bird is a bird of prey, which runs on—and rarely 
likes to rise from—the ground, living exclusively on 
snakes, lizards, frogs, and other reptiles. A smaller 
member of this exceedingly curious class of hunters 
is the Gymnogene (Polyboroides), which flies lazily from 
place to place, and only runs after its reptile-prey on 
having missed its swoop. It prefers, however, those 
creatures which hide themselves in clefts and holes, 
whence they can be drawn out with its long talons. The 
Harrier Eagles ( Circaetos ), which are also found in Europe, 
hunt much after the same fashion as other Buzzards; 
while the most perfect of all Eagles, the Bateleur 
( Helotarsus ) only seizes and kills snakes, while on the 
wing. The Ospreys are noble birds, despising any other 
game than fish, and never touching carrion; they earn 
their fare, partly flying and partly diving, by their own 
strength and industry. With these we may rank the 
noble Eagles; they do, it is true, relish a fresh carcase 
sometimes; still they are such daring robbers that 
they appear worthy of their ancient renown. It is 
not without reason that they have earned the title of 
“ King of Birdsthey really do lord it in the air and 
on the earth at the same time. Running game, even, 
does not remain unattacked; they wage war with, and 
conquer, mammals and birds alike,—sitting, running, or 
flying, it is all the same to them. Gos- and Sparrow 
Hawks do the same, but differ widely from the Eagles by 
their underhand thievish ways, and are guilty of deeds 
