_BIRDS OF PREY AND OWLS._
BIRDS OF PREY.
At one time the boundaries of this group were much larger than now, for
within them were included at least one form which has since proved to
belong to the Crane Tribe: we allude to the Seriema (page 428), and also to
the Owls. This classification was based on the very remarkable superficial
resemblance to the typical birds of prey which those forms bear. Modern
ornithologists regard as birds of prey only the forms known as the New
World Vultures, the Secretary-bird, and the Falcons, Eagles, Vultures,
Buzzards, and the numerous smaller forms commonly classed as "Hawks."
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
CONDOR.
The habit of standing with the wings expanded is a very common one with
these birds.]
THE NEW WORLD VULTURES.
These may be distinguished from their distant relatives of the Old World by
the fact that the nostrils are not divided from one another by a partition,
and by their much weaker feet. The head and neck in all, as in the true
vultures, is more or less bare, and, furthermore, is often very brilliantly
coloured, in which last particular these birds differ from the typical
vultures.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
CONDOR.
The bare skin of the head and neck is of a dark purple colour, the ruff
encircling the neck being of pure white down-feathers.]
One of the most important members of the group is the CONDOR, one of the
largest of flying birds, and when on the wing the most majestic. "When the
condors," says Darwin, "are wheeling in a flock round and round any spot,
their flight is beautiful. Except when rising off the ground, I do not
recollect ever having seen one of these birds flap its wings. Near Lima I
watched several for nearly half an hour, without once taking off my eyes;
they moved in large curves, sweeping in circles, descending and ascending,
without giving a single flap." One which he shot measured, from tip to tip
of the fully expanded wings, 8½ feet.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park._
KING-VULTURE.
The fleshy crest on the beak is developed in the females as well as in the
males.]
The condor, like its smaller relatives, hunts by sight, and not, as was at
one time believed, by smell, feeding on the dead bodies of guanacos which
have died a natural death or been killed by pumas, and upon other dead
animals. In the neighbourhood where sheep and goats are kept, they are much
dreaded, as they will attack the young kids and lambs. The flock-owners on
this account wage constant war against them, capturing them by enclosing a
carcase within a narrow space, and when the condors are gorged galloping up
on horseback and killing them, for when this bird has not space to run it
cannot rise from the ground. Sometimes the trees on which they roost are
marked, and when night falls a man climbs the tree and captures them with a
noose, for they are very heavy sleepers.
The condor ranges from the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Chili southwards to
the Rio Negro on the east coast of Patagonia. It lays two large white eggs
on a shelf of bare rock projecting from precipitous cliffs, and the young
are said to be unable to fly till after they are a year old. As will be
seen in the photographs, the head of the male is crowned by a bare, fleshy
caruncle, which, like the surrounding bare skin, is of a dull reddish
colour: lower down the neck is a frill of pure white down, which forms a
conspicuous contrast with the glossy black plumage of the rest of the body
and wings.
The KING-VULTURE is a much smaller bird, but the bare parts of the head are
much more brilliantly, even gaudily coloured, the combinations being
orange, purple, and crimson. The plumage is creamy white and black. It is a
comparatively rare bird, and but little is known concerning its breeding
habits. The female is much more soberly clad than her mate. The
king-vulture has a more northerly range than the condor, extending from
Brazil to Mexico, Texas, and Florida.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
BLACK VULTURES.
When disturbed, these birds eject foul-smelling matter.]
The commonest of the New World vultures is the TURKEY-BUZZARD, which is
found over the whole of temperate and tropical America. Of the four species
commonly known as Turkey-buzzards, three are exclusively South
American--the fourth ranges as far north as New York and British Columbia,
and in the Southern and Middle United States is very common, perambulating
the streets or perching on the house-tops.
[Illustration: _Photo by Robert D. Carson, Esq._] [_Philadelphia._
CALIFORNIAN VULTURE.
The bare parts of the head are of a brick-red colour.]
Other species are the small BLACK VULTURE, a dull, uninteresting-looking
bird, and the CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. This latter is a large species, and in
the expanse of wing may even exceed the condor. At one time its
extermination seemed certain, owing to its falling a victim to the poisoned
meat laid out by the stock-keepers for carnivorous mammals, but in the more
barren and inaccessible regions it appears to be on the increase.
THE SECRETARY-BIRD.
The second of the three main divisions into which the Birds of Prey are
divided is reserved for the SECRETARY-BIRD. This bird derives its name from
the crest of long feathers which bear a fanciful resemblance to the
quill-pens a clerk is supposed to stick above his ear. It differs from all
the other members of the Hawk Tribe in the exceedingly long legs, which in
the young are said to be so fragile as to fracture if the bird is suddenly
alarmed. It feeds chiefly on insects and reptiles, especially snakes, for
which last it seems to have a special liking. It attacks even the most
venomous species, striking at them with its powerful wings and pounding
them with its feet, jumping upon them with great force, till rendered
helpless, when they are at once swallowed head-foremost. On account of its
great value as a snake-eater it has been accorded special protection,
though unfortunately there is a tendency on the part of English settlers to
relax this, on account of the fact that it will occasionally eat animals
coming within the scope of "game." Valuable as the latter may be, there yet
seems no justification for such a course.
The secretary-bird, which is a South African species, though extending
northwards as far as Abyssinia, builds a huge nest of sticks in low bushes,
under which will often be found numerous nests of the Cape sparrow,
apparently the only available site on the veldt, where bushes are scarce.
Here the sparrows are efficiently protected from the icy winds which so
frequently sweep across this region, and apparently suffer no fear of
personal violence from the fierce owners of the domicile above them. When
sitting, the female secretary is fed by her mate. The young do not appear
to leave the nest for five or six months. They are frequently taken from
the nest and brought up as household pets, becoming not only very tame, but
exceedingly useful.
THE EAGLE AND FALCON TRIBE.
From the perplexing wealth of species displayed among the forms herein
bracketed together, we can only select a few examples, which embrace,
however, all the more important and interesting forms.
Beginning with the more lowly, we start with those members of small or
medium size known as KITES, and as an example of the group take the species
known in the British Islands as the KITE, or GLEAD. In former days this
bird was extremely common in England, being found in numbers not only in
the rural districts, but in London itself, where, as old records of the
fifteenth century show, it occurred in such numbers near London Bridge as
to excite the wonder of foreigners visiting the city. These birds found an
abundance of food in the garbage of the streets, and also of the Thames
itself--"an observation," remarks Mr. Finn, "which throws a lurid light
upon the city sanitation."
In the days of falconry the kite was royal game, not, however, by legal
enactment, but by reason of the fact that none but specially trained
falcons could secure a prey with such wonderful powers of flight.
Consequently the price of a falcon which had attained this degree of skill
was beyond the purse of any but a king.
Save on the wing, the kite is not a handsome bird, its general colour being
of a pale reddish brown; but those who have had the good fortune to watch
its flight are one and all impressed. Cowper admirably expresses the
general admiration in the lines:--
Kites that swim sublime
In still repeated circles, screaming loud.
The kites may be distinguished from other members of the tribe by their
forked tails. Somewhat of a scavenger, as we have already hinted, the kite
feeds also upon such small game as moles, frogs, young birds, rabbits,
snakes, and fish. Its partiality for young birds caused it to be much
dreaded in the farmyard in the days when it was common; and when, with the
introduction of modern and improved firearms, game-preserving became more
strenuously prosecuted, its doom was sealed, for a ceaseless war was waged
against it, which ended only with its extermination.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
SECRETARY-BIRD.
In full plumage the tail of this bird is much longer.]
Nearly allied to the Kites, the HONEY-BUZZARDS next claim attention. The
name Honey-buzzard is a misnomer, for honey forms no part of the bird's
food. This species exhibits, however, a quite remarkable partiality for the
immature stages of wasps and bees, the nests of which it tears in pieces
with its feet, so as to lay bare the coveted morsels, devouring them on the
spot, perfectly regardless of the stings of the infuriated insects, which
seem unable to penetrate its feathers. When its favourite food is not to be
had, it will feed upon corn, earth-worms, beetles, slugs, small birds'
eggs, and moles--a diet sufficiently strange for a bird of prey.
Honey-buzzards appear to be exemplary parents, for they are said to
construct a bower of leafy boughs above the nest to screen the young from
the sun, the boughs being replaced as they wither by fresh ones.
The honey-buzzard occurs but rarely in England, and nowhere appears to be a
very common bird, though it is said to be more frequently met with in
Arabia and Egypt than elsewhere. On migration, however, it appears in
unusually large numbers, the late Lord Lilford recording an occasion when
he observed many hundreds crossing the Straits of Gibraltar from Spain to
Africa. These were apparently on their autumnal migration to warmer winter
quarters.
The dash, energy, and courage which we are wont to associate with the Hawk
Tribe have certainly not been manifest in the members of the order which we
have examined so far; but these attributes will be evident enough in the
majority of the species with which we are now about to deal. One of the
most interesting of these fiercer forms is the OSPREY, or FISHING-HAWK. As
its name implies, it feeds largely upon fish, which it captures with great
dexterity, seizing them either with its feet from the surface of the water,
or by plunging entirely beneath the surface, when it disappears amid a
shower of spray, to emerge a moment later with a fish writhing in its
talons. To ensure a firm grip of its slippery prey, the soles of its feet
are armed with rough tubercles, whilst the foot is furthermore remarkable
in that the outer toe can be turned backwards, so as to lie parallel with
the hind toe--an arrangement rare in birds of the Hawk Tribe, but
characteristic of the Owls and some other birds. At times, it would seem,
the osprey seizes a fish too large to be raised from the water, when, owing
to the firm hold which the claws have taken, the bird is unable to release
itself, and is speedily dragged beneath the surface and drowned. Some have
suggested that the bird falls a victim, not to inability to free itself,
but rather to its obstinacy.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park._
EGYPTIAN KITE.
Feeding on garbage of all kinds, kites are useful birds in hot countries.]
The osprey is now rare in Great Britain, though it breeds occasionally in
the wilder parts of Scotland. It enjoys an extensive range, however, being
found all over the world. In America it appears to be very common. On an
island "off the eastern extremity of Long Island, New York," writes
Professor Newton, "300 nests were counted. The old birds were rearing their
young close together, living as peaceably as so many rooks, and were
equally harmless to other birds." Colonies of this kind are rare among
birds of prey.
Whilst the fiercer raptorial birds, which hunt and kill their prey, live
only upon small or medium-sized animals, a certain section, known as the
VULTURES, feed upon the carcases of the largest mammals which they find
either in the throes of death or already dead, and even far advanced in
decomposition. Gathering to the feast in large crowds, even the largest
bodies are soon demolished; and on this account the vultures are to be
reckoned amongst the most useful of birds, speedily removing matter which
in hot countries would rapidly endanger the health of neighbouring
communities.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S_] [_Milford-on-Sea._
AUSTRALIAN OSPREY.
This species of osprey is confined to Australia and the Austro-Malay
Islands.]
Many years ago a great controversy was waged over the question of the
faculty which guides the vulture in the discovery of its food, since it was
a matter of common knowledge that the traveller might sweep the horizon in
vain for a sign of these birds, yet, should a camel from a caravan fall out
and die, or men fall in warfare, within an incredibly short space of time a
crowd of vultures would be squabbling over the dead. Some held that the
vulture was guided by scent, others by sight, and this latter view is now
almost universally accepted. The bird's natural habit of soaring at an
immense height enables it to survey not only immense tracts of country, but
the actions of its neighbours soaring at the same altitude, though perhaps
miles away. So soon as one descries food it betrays the fact by its
actions, making off in the direction of the prospective feast; it is then
followed immediately by its yet more distant neighbour, and this by a
third, and so the first serves as a guide to all the other soaring birds
for miles around. This flight has been admirably expressed by Longfellow in
"Hiawatha."
We need here mention only one or two of the more important species of
vulture, and among these one of the most interesting is the LAMMERGEIR, or
BEARDED VULTURE. This species is one of the least vulture-like of the
tribe, not only in general appearance, but also in habits, and is to be
regarded as near the ancestral stock, whose descendants have become more
and more addicted to feeding upon dead bodies.
The lammergeir, or bearded vulture, is a bird of large size and majestic
flight, differing from all other vultures in that the head and neck are
clothed in feathers, whilst the nostrils are covered by long bristles.
Beneath the bill hangs a tuft of bristles like those covering the nostrils;
hence its name of Bearded Vulture; and this, coupled with a remarkable red
rim to the eyes, gives the bird an almost diabolical appearance. It lives
partly upon living animals and partly upon carrion, bones apparently being
especially relished; these it breaks by dropping them from a height upon
the rocks below, probably to get at the marrow. Land-tortoises are treated
in a similar manner, and it was possibly this species which caused the
death of the poet Æschylus, on whose bare head a tortoise is alleged to
have been dropped. It was at one time common in Europe, and is still fairly
numerous in West Africa, though rare in the East and South. Many stories
are told of its strength and daring, some of which concern the carrying off
of young children; but these are probably mythical, modern observers
generally agreeing that the bird is by nature far from courageous.
[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Knight_] [_Aldershot._
BEARDED VULTURE.
It is called the Bearded Vulture on account of the tuft of bristles hanging
from the chin.]
The more typical vultures differ from the lammergeir in having the head and
neck more or less bare, and often conspicuously coloured, or covered with a
short velvety down. The CINEREOUS, GRIFFON, PONDICHERRY, and EGYPTIAN
VULTURES may be cited as examples of these.
The CINEREOUS or BLACK VULTURE is a heavy and repulsive-looking bird,
feeding entirely on garbage. On the wing, however, this vulture shares with
its relatives the admiration of all who have been privileged to watch it;
sailing in graceful circles in the blue sky of the tropics, or hurrying
from all quarters of the compass to some ghoulish feast, it forms a
spectacle, once seen, never to be forgotten. It is found on both sides of
the Mediterranean, and extends eastwards to India and China.
This species, like the GRIFFON-VULTURE, has the head and neck down-covered,
thus standing in strong contrast with the PONDICHERRY and SACRED VULTURES
of India and Africa, which have bare heads and necks ornamented by loose
folds or lappets of skin of a pinkish colour. These vultures hunt in pairs,
and are very self-assertive, driving away all other birds from their prey.
They build enormous nests of sticks in bushes and trees, thus differing
from the vultures previously described, which generally nest on ledges of
rock on precipitous cliffs. These nests are made of sticks, lined with
straw and leaves. A single egg is laid, which is white with red markings.
The largest species rivals the condor in size.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
GRIFFON-VULTURE.
This bird has once been taken in the British Islands.]
The EGYPTIAN VULTURE, sometimes known as PHARAOH'S HEN, is the smallest of
the vultures. The plumage is white; the head, throat, and fore part of the
neck are naked and of a lemon-yellow colour; whilst the feet are pink and
the eyes crimson. Not only is it a carrion-feeder, but it will also follow
the plough, picking up worms and grubs. This species occurs in Europe,
breeding in Provence and Savoy, the Madeiras, Cape Verde, the Canaries,
North and South Africa, and India. On three occasions it has wandered to
Great Britain.
We pass now to the EAGLES, a group the exact limits of which it is
impossible to define, since the forms so designated merge insensibly into
Buzzards, Hawks, Harriers, and so forth.
Eagles occur all over the world, save only in New Zealand. An eagle, it is
interesting to note, is the bird of Jove, the emblem of St. John and Rome,
and at the present day of the American Republic. It also plays an
emblematic part in Germany, Austria, and Russia.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
RÜPPELL'S VULTURE.
An African species, closely allied to the griffon.]
Of the true eagles, perhaps the best known is the GOLDEN EAGLE, or
MOUNTAIN-EAGLE--a British bird, breeding still, though in diminishing
numbers, in Scotland. In Ireland it is fast verging on extinction, trap,
gun, and poison having wrought its destruction. In times past it bred in
the Lake District of England. Abroad it is found over the greater part of
Europe, Northern Asia, India and China, and Northern Africa, and America as
far south as Mexico. It is a very fierce and powerful bird, attacking such
large animals as antelopes, wolves, and foxes, as well as the more helpless
fawns, lambs, hares and rabbits, and ducks, geese, grouse, and so on.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
ANGOLAN VULTURE.
A common West African bird, living upon fish and carrion.]
Very different from the free-roving golden eagle and its allies is the
South American HARPY-EAGLE. This is a denizen of the forest, of great size
and enormous strength, as the powerful bill and feet testify. Whilst other
eagles are conspicuous for their powers of flight, the present species is
rarely seen on the wing, being strictly a forest-dweller, with short wings
and tail, and of a somewhat owl-like plumage, the feathers being very soft.
At rest it is one of the most striking of all the eagles. The head is
crested, the under parts of the body are white, and the upper dark grey,
banded with black. It feeds upon sloths, peccaries, and spider-monkeys.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
PONDICHERRY VULTURE.
This Indian species is remarkable for the loose flaps of skin which hang
down on each side of the head.]
So recently as 1897 another forest-dwelling species was discovered in the
Philippines, and this also preys largely upon monkeys. Its nearest ally is
apparently the harpy-eagle, and, like this species, it is a bird of large
size and very powerful. It is further remarkable for the enormous size of
the beak, which differs from that of all other members of this group in
being much compressed from side to side.
The sea, as well as the mountain and the forest, is also, as it were,
presided over by members of this group, which are in consequence called
SEA-EAGLES. One species, the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE, or ERNE, is reckoned among
British birds, though it is fast verging on extinction. In former days it
bred on the sea-cliffs of Scotland and Ireland, and in the Lake District.
The nest, or eyrie, as it is called, is commonly placed on inaccessible
cliffs, but sometimes on the ground or in a tree, and, as is usual with the
group, is made of sticks, with a lining of finer materials. This eagle
feeds principally upon fish, though hares, lambs, and rabbits and carrion
are occasionally taken.
The Hawk Tribe, generally speaking, have the wings comparatively short, the
legs long and slender, and the edges of the beak with a sinuous outline and
unnotched; but it is impossible to sharply define the group. The best-known
species are the SPARROW- and GOS-HAWKS. The first named is still a common
British bird, but the latter has now become very rare indeed. In both
species the male is a much smaller bird than the female, and is also more
brightly coloured. The GOS-HAWK was at one time used in falconry; it is a
bird of extremely ferocious disposition, and in the days when hawks were
used for sporting purposes had to be kept very safely tethered, as, if it
gained its liberty, it would at once proceed to kill every other hawk and
falcon in the "mews."
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
EGYPTIAN VULTURE.
This is one of the foulest feeders of the Vulture Tribe.]
The Falcon Tribe is divisible into two sections--the one containing the
American CARRION-HAWKS, and the other the FALCONS.
The CARRION-HAWKS, or CARACARAS, are long-legged birds which spend most of
their time on the ground and run well. They are said to hunt, not seldom in
packs, after the fashion of wild dogs. One species at least affords an
admirable example of mimicry--so rare among birds. This is the
CURASSOW-HAWK, so called from its resemblance to the curassow, one of the
Game-birds. The resemblance is evidently advantageous, for thereby the hawk
is enabled to sit quietly at rest till its prey comes within easy reach,
mistaking the hawk for the inoffensive curassow.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE.
This is an Australian species, feeding chiefly upon carrion.]
The FALCONS form an exceedingly interesting group, if only on account of
the part which they played in the sports of mediæval England. Birds of
large size and forms as small as sparrows are included within the group;
all are very powerful on the wing, and all feed on living prey, though, in
the case of the diminutive forms, this may consist mainly, if not entirely,
of insects. The members of the Falcon Tribe may be distinguished from the
majority of the larger hawks by the fact that the eyes are dark hazel-brown
instead of yellow, and that the bare, yellow, waxy-looking band of skin at
the base of the beak, so characteristic of the Birds of Prey, is not
sharply defined, but scantily clothed with fine bristles, passing
insensibly into the feathers of the crown of the head.
Some of the best-known members of this section of the group are the
PEREGRINE and JER-FALCONS, and the KESTREL, HOBBY, and MERLIN. Only the
peregrine and the kestrel, however, can now be called common.
[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington._
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.
One of the smallest and handsomest of the American hawks.]
The PEREGRINE is the falcon held so much in esteem by falconers, by whom
the female only was called the "falcon," the male, which is smaller, being
known as a "tiercel." The female was used for the capture of the larger
game, such as herons and rooks; whilst the male was flown only at
partridges, and sometimes magpies.
In a wild state the peregrine falcon is regarded by other birds with the
greatest fear and terror. Ducks feeding on the banks of streams or lakes,
on perceiving it, immediately take to the water; whilst plovers and
lapwings rise to an immense height in the air, and remain there for hours.
Mr. Ussher, who has had many opportunities of studying this bird in
Ireland, where it is quite common, relates an instance of the tenacity with
which it follows its prey, in this case a lapwing. "The falcon," he says,
"after several stoops, cleverly avoided by the lapwing, was so near
clutching, that the poor bird, quite worn out, dropped into the water, and
the falcon, after rising from her stoop, poised a moment on her wings, and
then quietly lowering herself with extended legs, lifted the lapwing from
the water and bore her off."
The eyrie is generally found half-way up some precipitous cliff: no nest is
made, but the eggs are laid on the earth or gravel covering the selected
ledge. When eggs are found in a nest, the latter has always been taken from
some other bird, even the eagle being occasionally dispossessed. Three or
four eggs are laid, which are very beautiful and variable in their
coloration. The young are attended by their parents long after they are
able to fly.
The JER-FALCONS are birds of large size and great beauty, and at one time
were much in request by falconers, probably largely on account of their
appearance, for they lack the power and spirit of the peregrine. Grey and
black and white and black are distinctive colours of the various species,
which are inhabitants of northern regions.
The KESTREL, or WIND-HOVER, is one of the commonest birds of prey, much and
most unjustly persecuted by gamekeepers. In its general appearance it
closely resembles its much smaller relative, the so-called "SPARROW-HAWK"
of America, shown in the photograph on this page by Dr. Shufeldt. The
American sparrow-hawk, it should be mentioned, is really a species of
kestrel, and, like the British kestrel, belongs to the Falcon group of the
Birds of Prey. Like the peregrine falcon, the kestrel does not build a
nest, but takes possession of the deserted nests of crows and magpies, or
deposits its eggs on the bare earth of a recess in some cliff or quarry
which is overhung by a projecting shelf of rock. Occasionally a hole in a
tree is chosen, the eggs then resting on the rotten wood at the bottom.
That the kestrel is of a more confiding disposition than the majority of
its tribe seems to be proved by the fact that it will often deposit its
eggs in nesting-boxes, if these are placed in suitable spots. On some
English estates the harmlessness of this bird is fully recognised, and
every encouragement is given it to breed by the erection of these
nesting-boxes. By way of illustration we may cite a case where, on an
estate in Kent in 1900, five of these boxes were erected 20 or 30 feet from
the ground round a single field, all of which were tenanted by kestrels;
and though a thousand young pheasants were reared in this field, not a
single one of these was missed by the keepers. Besides its human enemies,
the kestrel has to contend with crows and rooks, which spare no efforts to
seize its eggs whenever the opportunity presents itself. The eggs, it
should be mentioned, are of a bright ruddy colour, but, like those of the
peregrine falcon, lose much of their freshness of colouring during
incubation. Four or five in number, they are laid at intervals of two days
or so, incubation commencing with the deposition of the first egg; as a
result, the first nestling hatched may be more than a week older than the
last.
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
VOCIFEROUS SEA-EAGLE.
This is an African species.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
IMPERIAL EAGLE.
Occurs in Southern Europe and North-west Africa.]
[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._
CRESTED EAGLE.
A powerful and savage bird from South America.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._
CHILIAN SEA-EAGLE.
This bird feeds on carrion which it finds on the beach.]
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park._
ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD.
Frequent in the British Islands.]
The food of the kestrel appears to consist mainly of mice, but frogs,
earthworms, grasshoppers, cockchafers, and other beetles are also taken.
Kestrels will also eat dead animals, as is proved by the fact that they are
not seldom found dead from eating poisoned rats laid out for magpies. One
instance is on record where a kestrel was taken with its claws entangled in
the fur of a stoat, which fiercely defended itself. It is an easy matter,
for those who will take the trouble, to find out what is the staple diet of
the kestrel; for if the nest and its neighbourhood be searched, numerous
small rounded pellets of the size of a chestnut will be found, which, when
broken up, will prove to be composed of the hard and indigestible parts of
what has been swallowed. The majority of such pellets are made up of the
fur and bones of mice.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
MARTIAL HAWK-EAGLE.
The Hawk-eagles show a marked preference for woody districts.]
The little AMERICAN "SPARROW-HAWK," which, as we have already pointed out,
is really a species of kestrel, appears to be almost exclusively
insectivorous during the summer months, preying mainly upon grasshoppers.
An American ornithologist, Mr. Henshaw, writing on the subject, remarks
that during a scourge of grasshoppers the sparrow-hawks assembled in
hundreds; and although on this occasion, owing to the vast myriads in which
these insects had collected, the birds could make no visible impression,
yet they must have done an immense amount of good. Ornithologists from all
parts of the United States unanimously agree that grasshoppers form the
staple diet of this hawk, though mice and gophers are also largely eaten,
and especially during the winter months, when insect food is scarce.
[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._
PEREGRINE FALCON.
A favourite in falconry.]
Of the PYGMY FALCONS there are several species, ranging from the Eastern
Himalaya, through Tenasserim and Burma, to the Malay Islands and the
Philippines. The smallest is the RED-LEGGED FALCONET of Nepal, Sikhim, and
Burma. It feeds largely upon insects, such as dragon-flies, beetles, and
butterflies, hawking them with a swallow-like speed. Occasionally the
members of this little group are said to hunt down and kill birds larger
than themselves.
OWLS.
Few birds have been more misrepresented in literature than the Owls. For
centuries they have been depicted as birds of ill omen, and accused of all
kinds of diabolical practices. Shakespeare, for example, repeatedly makes
the owl do duty for some evil sign, or fulfil some dire purpose. Thus in
_Macbeth_, Act II., Scene ii.,
It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman,
Which gives the stern'st good-night.
And later on, in Act IV., it is an owl's wing which he makes the witches
add to their caldron of noisome things, when brewing their deadly potion.
In Spain the scops and tawny owls are believed to be devil's birds, and are
accused of drinking the oil from the lamps suspended before the shrines of
saints. The gamekeeper nails their bodies up on the barn door as offenders
of the worst type, whilst the Malagasy believe owls to be the embodiments
of evil spirits.
[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._
SPECTACLED OWL.
A South American bird with a somewhat remarkable coloration.]
It is therefore a relief to find this unwarrantable prejudice is not
absolutely universal, since amongst some people, at least, the owl has
found some favour. The best-known instance of this is the case of the
Greeks, who made the owl the symbol of wisdom, and chose as an emblem,
singularly enough, the species known as the Little Owl, a bird which is
notorious for its ludicrous behaviour, so much so that it has earned for
itself the reputation of being the veritable buffoon of birds. Its
grotesque and ridiculous antics are utilised by Continental bird-catchers,
who use it as a lure to attract small birds, tethering it for this purpose
near nets, snares, or twigs smeared with bird-lime.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. N. Mavroyeni_] [_Smyrna._
EAGLE-OWL.
An occasional visitor to the British Isles.]
Amongst other birds, strangely enough, the owl appears to be as much
disliked as the fiercer and more dangerous members of the Hawk Tribe, and
in consequence, should one venture abroad during the day or be discovered
in its retreat, the alarm is given, and every small bird within call is
summoned to take part in a general mobbing.
Although proverbially unpalatable, the Little Owl is said to be eaten in
Italy, as are other species in the various countries in which they are
found.
Varying considerably in size, the owls, nevertheless, present a very
general uniformity in appearance. All are remarkable for the peculiar
softness of their plumage, which imparts to the wings the almost unique
power of absolutely silent flight, the sound being deadened or muffled, so
that the prey can be approached suddenly, and seized before escape is
possible. This is very necessary when hunting in twilight hours. The owls
are almost the only birds in which the outer toe is reversible, or capable
of being turned either forwards or backwards. Furthermore, the members of
this group are remarkable for the fact that the eyes look directly forward,
instead of outwards, as in other birds, and that the feathers of the face
are arranged round each eye in the form of a disk, and thus impart the
familiar owl-like visage, seen elsewhere only among certain of the Hawk
Tribe known as "Harriers."
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park._
VIRGINIAN EAGLE-OWL.
A common North American species, feeding largely on small mammals.]
Four species of owl are to be found sparsely distributed over Great
Britain. We may regard as the typical owl the species known as the TAWNY or
WOOD-OWL. It is the largest of the resident owls in England, and would be
much more abundant but that it is subjected to a rigorous and foolish
persecution, born of long-standing prejudice and ignorance; it stands
accused of the heinous offence of eating game, a charge which has never yet
been fully proved. The benefits it confers are great, but, unfortunately,
unrecognised, for its chief food consists of rats and mice. This is the
bird which gives utterance to that weird "hoo-hoo--hoo-hoo-hoo," one of the
most charming of the many delightful sounds that break the stillness of the
summer nights. It is interesting to note that this species is unknown as a
wild bird in Ireland.
[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._
AMERICAN LONG-EARED OWL.
This is a young bird which has not yet completely lost its down-feathers.]
Other and fairly common species in England are the LONG- and SHORT-EARED
OWLS, both remarkable for the fact that the aperture of the ear, which is
of enormous size, is of a different shape on the right and left sides of
the head. These owls, furthermore, are characterised by the possession of a
pair of feathery tufts, or "horns," springing from the top of the head,
which can be erected or depressed at pleasure. These horns are found in
many species of owl not necessarily closely related. The species under
consideration are of medium size, with large eyes of a most wonderful
golden-yellow colour, standing in strong contrast with those of the tawny
owl, which are nearly black. Like the tawny owl, these two species, and
especially the short-eared, live largely on rats and mice. The last-named
bird also devours great numbers of dor-beetles and cockchafers.
Amongst the largest of the tribe are the EAGLE- and SNOWY OWLS, both of
which are occasionally met with in Great Britain. The eagle-owl may be
described as a largely magnified long-eared owl in general appearance,
though, as a matter of fact, the two are not very closely related. The
snowy owl, as its name implies, is white in colour, the white being
relieved by more or less conspicuous black markings. This white livery,
assimilating with its snowy surroundings, allows the wearer to approach its
prey unperceived on the snow. Whilst the snowy owl is confined to northern
regions, the eagle-owl enjoys a wide distribution, and is represented by
numerous species, one of which, as we have remarked, occasionally visits
Great Britain. The larger species of eagle-owl are the most ferocious
members of the order, and prey largely upon hares, rabbits, and the large
game-birds; whilst the snowy owl, though selecting similar prey, does
incalculable good by devouring those destructive little rodents known as
the lemmings.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S._] [_Regent's Park._
TAWNY OWL.
One of the commonest British owls.]
Solitary as owls usually are, some, as the AMERICAN BURROWING-OWLS, live in
what may be called colonies; and, stranger still, they live in burrows,
which they share with the original excavators. Occurring both in North and
South America, it is not surprising to find that the creatures with whom
the burrowing-owls elect to take up their abode are very varied, belonging
for the most part to numerous groups of burrowing mammalia. In the prairies
of North America they appear to quarter themselves upon the prairie-dogs,
ground-squirrels, and badgers; and in the pampas of South America upon the
Patagonian cavy, the viscacha and armadillos, and occasionally lizards. It
seems to be no unusual thing to find, in addition to the bird and mammal
tenants of a single burrow, one or more full-grown examples of the
much-dreaded rattle-snake--a truly wonderful happy-family, if all accounts
are to be believed. But many competent to speak on the matter throw out
dark hints which would appear to show that the owl quarters itself on the
tenants of a burrow too weak to resist its intrusion upon their domicile,
and that occasionally this most masterful bird renders itself still more
objectionable by devouring the progeny of its hosts, and sometimes even the
hosts themselves.
The species known as PYGMY OWLS and LITTLE OWLS we mention here only on
account of their small size, one member of the former group being little
bigger than a lark. Thus they stand in strong contrast with the giant snowy
and eagle-owls.
[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._
SCREECH-OWL.
A common North American bird, feeding on small animals of all kinds.]
Finally, we have the WHITE or BARN-OWL, which with its allies forms a group
distinguished from all the other owls by certain well-marked structural
characters. The barn-owl is also to be found in Great Britain, but is
growing, like all the other owls in this area, more and more rare every
year, owing to persecution at the hands of gamekeepers. It is a handsome
bird, of a pale buff-yellow, mottled with grey above to pure white beneath,
and with the characteristic facial disk peculiarly well developed. It
breeds in holes in trees, ruins, and church towers, and feeds almost
entirely on mice and rats. From the piercing note which it occasionally
utters, it is also known as the SCREECH-OWL.
[Illustration: _Photo by Frans Mouwen_] [_Breda._
BARN-OWL
This is a British owl, evincing a preference for church-towers in which to
roost and breed.]
[Illustration: _Photo by C. N. Mavroyeni, Smyrna._ _Printed at Lyons,
France._
HOOPOE FLYING.
This photograph displays the crest fully elevated, and likewise shows the
beautifully banded colouration of the under surface of the wing, as well as
the position of the wings in flight.] 00----