The nest is composed externally of seaweed, and lined with down, which is plucked by the female from her breast as incubation proceeds, till eventually it completely conceals the eggs. Each nest yields about one-sixth of a pound, and is worth, on the spot, from twelve to fifteen shillings a pound.
ThePochards,Scaups,Golden-eyes, andScotersare relatives of the eider-duck; but since all resemble the latter in their general mode of life, we need not consider them here.
CAPE BARREN GOOSE.Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.CAPE BARREN GOOSE.This bird is a native of South-east Australia and Tasmania, and remarkable for its short beak.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.CAPE BARREN GOOSE.This bird is a native of South-east Australia and Tasmania, and remarkable for its short beak.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.
CAPE BARREN GOOSE.
This bird is a native of South-east Australia and Tasmania, and remarkable for its short beak.
TheMergansersandSmews, to which reference has been made, differ markedly from all the ducks so far considered in the peculiar formation of the bill, which is relatively long and narrow, with its edges armed with sharp, tooth-like processes projecting backwards towards the back of the mouth. These processes are really only horny spines, and have no relation to teeth, although they are used, as teeth would be, for holding slippery prey, such as fish, which form the greater part of the diet of these birds.
So far, in all the ducks which we have considered, the male differs conspicuously from the female in plumage; but in the forms we are now about to describe both sexes are coloured alike.
The first is theCommon Sheldrake, which seems to lie somewhere on the borderland between the Ducks and the Geese. It is a very beautiful bird, conspicuously marked with broad bands of orange-chestnut, white, and black. The beak being coral-red in colour, and further ornamented by a peculiar fleshy knob at its base, serves to set off the glossy bottle-green colour of the head and neck. As appears to be invariably the case where both sexes are coloured alike, the female builds her nest in a hole, generally a rabbit-burrow, whilst the young have a distinct livery, duller in tone than that of the parent. The female sheldrake breeds in Britain, and may be frequently seen at sea flying in small parties, which have been likened to a flock of butterflies.
TheGeeseinclude birds of somewhat conspicuous coloration, besides a considerable number of more subdued aspect. The sexes are distinguished by different names, the female being known as the Goose, the male as the Gander, whilst the young is the Gosling. As we have already mentioned, there is no hard-and-fast line to be drawn between the three sections of this group. The Ducks are connected by the Sheldrakes with the Geese, through the Spur-winged Goose, the Egyptian and Orinoco Geese, and certain other species which cannot be alluded to on this occasion.
AUSTRALIAN PYGMY GOOSE.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN PYGMY GOOSE.The pygmy geese are expert divers.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN PYGMY GOOSE.The pygmy geese are expert divers.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
AUSTRALIAN PYGMY GOOSE.
The pygmy geese are expert divers.
TheSpur-winged Geese, of which there are two species, are African birds, and derive their name from the long spur seated on the wing.
A still more remarkable form is theHalf-webbed Goose, so called from the fact that its feet are only partially webbed. It has a black-and-white plumage, a hooked beak, and a large warty prominence on the front of the head. It spends most of its time perched on the branches of the Australian tea-trees, and rarely enters the water. The windpipe is peculiar, being coiled in several folds between the skin and the breast-muscles.
From these peculiar forms we pass to the true geese. The largest living species is theChineseorGuinea-gooseof Eastern Siberia, regarded as the stock from which the domesticated geese of Eastern countries have been derived.
European domesticated geese have been derived from theGreyorGrey-lag Goose, a species at one time exceedingly common in England, breeding in considerable numbers in the fen districts, where the young were frequently taken and reared with the large flock of domesticated geese commonly kept at that time for the sake of their feathers. The grey-lag goose, however, has long ceased to breed in England, though a few still nest in Scotland. The most important breeds derived from the grey-lag are theToulouseandEmden. Other British species are theBean-goose,Pink-footedandWhite-fronted Geese, and the"Black" BrentandBarnacle-geese, in all of which the sexes are precisely similar in coloration and subdued in tone.
BLACK-NECKED SWAN.Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.BLACK-NECKED SWAN.The fleshy knob at the base of the bill is of a bright red colour.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.BLACK-NECKED SWAN.The fleshy knob at the base of the bill is of a bright red colour.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.
BLACK-NECKED SWAN.
The fleshy knob at the base of the bill is of a bright red colour.
In the New World some very beautiful white geese are found, which are still more interesting in that the females have a different coloration. These are theKelp-andUpland-geeseof Patagonia and the Falklands. The female of the kelp-goose is brownish black above and black barred with white below, whilst the female of the upland-goose is rufous and black in colour. The latter may be seen in London parks.
Lastly, we have a few species known from their small size asPygmy Geeseof Australia, India, and Africa. Perhaps the best known is the Indian species, called theCotton-teal.They are tiny birds, resembling small ducks rather than geese, and dive admirably, a feat which the larger species do not perform.
TRUMPETER- AND WHOOPER-SWANS.Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.TRUMPETER- AND WHOOPER-SWANS.The trumpeter is the bird in the foreground; the whooper is remarkable for its musical note, resembling the word "whoop" quickly repeated.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.TRUMPETER- AND WHOOPER-SWANS.The trumpeter is the bird in the foreground; the whooper is remarkable for its musical note, resembling the word "whoop" quickly repeated.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.
TRUMPETER- AND WHOOPER-SWANS.
The trumpeter is the bird in the foreground; the whooper is remarkable for its musical note, resembling the word "whoop" quickly repeated.
TheSwansare linked with the Geese through a very beautiful South American species, known as theCoscoroba Swan. It is the smallest of all the swans, pure white in colour, save the tips of the greater wing-quills, which are black, and the coral-red bill and feet.
Of all the swans, probably the best known is theMute Swan, the semi-domesticated descendants of which are so common on ornamental waters. For hundreds of years the latter were jealously guarded, none but the larger freeholders being allowed to keep them, and then not without a licence from the Crown; with this licence was coupled an obligation to mark each swan with a particular mark, cut with a knife or other instrument through the skin of the beak, whereby ownership might be established.
It would seem that these swans and their descendants were not derived from the native wild stock, but were introduced into England, it is said, from Cyprus by Richard I. At the present day large "swanneries" have almost ceased to exist. Perhaps the largest is that of the Earl of Ilchester, at Abbotsbury, near Weymouth. In 1878 between 1,300 and 1,400 swans were to be seen there at one time, but latterly the number has been reduced to about half.
Although swans do not perhaps stand so high in the general esteem as table delicacies as with our forefathers, there are yet many who appreciate the flesh of this bird; but the St. Helen's Swan-pit at Norwich is the only place in England where they are systematically fattened for the table. Here from 70 to 200 cygnets—as the young swans are called—caught in the neighbouring rivers, are placed early in August, and fed upon cut grass and barley till Christmas, when they are fit for table, weighing, when "dressed," about 15 lbs.,and fetching, if purchased alive at the pit, about two guineas each. The pit is constructed of brickwork, and is about 74 feet long, 32 feet wide, and 6 feet deep—the water, admitted from the river, being about 2 feet deep. The food is placed in floating troughs. The birds, "when so disposed," says Mr. Southwell, "leave the water by walking up a sloping stage, and thus obtain access to a railed-in enclosure, where they may rest and preen themselves."
The beautiful swan-like carriage, so familiar in the floating bird, seems to belong only to the mute swan, the other species of white swans carrying the neck more or less straight, and keeping the wings closely folded to the body.
No greater anomaly could at one time have been imagined than aBlack Swan. For centuries it was considered to be an impossibility. We owe the discovery of such a bird to the Dutch navigator Willem de Vlaming, who, more than 200 years ago, captured the first specimen at the mouth of what is now known, in consequence, as the Swan River. A year after their capture accounts reached England through the burgomaster of Amsterdam, and these were published by the Royal Society in 1698. The bird is now fairly common on ornamental waters, where its sooty-black plumage, set off by pure white quill-feathers and coral-red bill, contrasts strongly with the typical snow-white mute swan, generally kept with it.
Equally interesting is the handsomeBlack-necked Swanof South America. In this species the plumage is pure white, save that of the neck, which is black. The distribution of this species is practically the same as that of the Coscoroba swan. Breeding freely in confinement, it has become a fairly common bird on ornamental waters. It shares with the mute swan the reputation of gracefulness when afloat, swimming with the neck curved and wings raised.
AUSTRALIAN BLACK SWANS AND CYGNETS.Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AUSTRALIAN BLACK SWANS AND CYGNETS.The cygnets are light-coloured, like those of the white swans
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AUSTRALIAN BLACK SWANS AND CYGNETS.The cygnets are light-coloured, like those of the white swans
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
AUSTRALIAN BLACK SWANS AND CYGNETS.
The cygnets are light-coloured, like those of the white swans
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 (page428), 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."
CONDOR.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.
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.
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.
CONDOR.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.
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.
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 theCondor, 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 takingoff 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.
KING-VULTURE.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.
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.
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.
TheKing-vultureis 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.
BLACK VULTURES.Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.BLACK VULTURES.When disturbed, these birds eject foul-smelling matter.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.BLACK VULTURES.When disturbed, these birds eject foul-smelling matter.
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 theTurkey-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 fourthranges 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.
CALIFORNIAN VULTURE.Photo by Robert D. Carson, Esq.][Philadelphia.CALIFORNIAN VULTURE.The bare parts of the head are of a brick-red colour.
Photo by Robert D. Carson, Esq.][Philadelphia.CALIFORNIAN VULTURE.The bare parts of the head are of a brick-red colour.
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 smallBlack Vulture, a dull, uninteresting-looking bird, and theCalifornian 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 theSecretary-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 asKites, and as an example of the group take the species known in the British Islands as theKite, orGlead. 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 sublimeIn still repeated circles, screaming loud.
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.
SECRETARY-BIRD.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.SECRETARY-BIRD.In full plumage the tail of this bird is much longer.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.SECRETARY-BIRD.In full plumage the tail of this bird is much longer.
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, theHoney-buzzardsnext 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 sufficientlystrange 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 theOsprey, orFishing-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.
EGYPTIAN KITE.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.
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.
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 theVultures, 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.
AUSTRALIAN OSPREY.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.
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.
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 theLammergeir, orBearded 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.
BEARDED VULTURE.Photo by Charles Knight][Aldershot.BEARDED VULTURE.It is called the Bearded Vulture on account of the tuft of bristles hanging from the chin.
Photo by Charles Knight][Aldershot.BEARDED VULTURE.It is called the Bearded Vulture on account of the tuft of bristles hanging from the chin.
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. TheCinereous,Griffon,Pondicherry, andEgyptian Vulturesmay be cited as examples of these.
TheCinereousorBlack Vultureis 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 theGriffon-vulture, has the head and neck down-covered, thus standing in strong contrast with thePondicherryandSacred Vulturesof 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.
GRIFFON-VULTURE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.GRIFFON-VULTURE.This bird has once been taken in the British Islands.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.GRIFFON-VULTURE.This bird has once been taken in the British Islands.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.
GRIFFON-VULTURE.
This bird has once been taken in the British Islands.
TheEgyptian Vulture, sometimes known asPharaoh'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 theEagles, 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.
RÜPPELL'S VULTURE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.RÜPPELL'S VULTURE.An African species, closely allied to the griffon.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.RÜPPELL'S VULTURE.An African species, closely allied to the griffon.
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 theGolden Eagle, orMountain-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 suchlarge animals as antelopes, wolves, and foxes, as well as the more helpless fawns, lambs, hares and rabbits, and ducks, geese, grouse, and so on.
ANGOLAN VULTURE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.ANGOLAN VULTURE.A common West African bird, living upon fish and carrion.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.ANGOLAN VULTURE.A common West African bird, living upon fish and carrion.
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 AmericanHarpy-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.
PONDICHERRY VULTURE.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.
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.
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 calledSea-eagles. One species, theWhite-tailed Eagle, orErne, 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 theSparrow-andGos-hawks. The first named is still a common British bird, but the latter has now become veryrare indeed. In both species the male is a much smaller bird than the female, and is also more brightly coloured. TheGos-hawkwas 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."
EGYPTIAN VULTURE.Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.EGYPTIAN VULTURE.This is one of the foulest feeders of the Vulture Tribe.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.EGYPTIAN VULTURE.This is one of the foulest feeders of the Vulture Tribe.
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 AmericanCarrion-hawks, and the other theFalcons.
TheCarrion-hawks, orCaracaras, 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 theCurassow-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.
WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE.This is an Australian species, feeding chiefly upon carrion.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE.This is an Australian species, feeding chiefly upon carrion.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.
WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE.
This is an Australian species, feeding chiefly upon carrion.
TheFalconsform 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 consistmainly, 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 thePeregrineandJer-falcons, and theKestrel,Hobby, andMerlin. Only the peregrine and the kestrel, however, can now be called common.
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington.AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.One of the smallest and handsomest of the American hawks.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington.AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.One of the smallest and handsomest of the American hawks.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington.
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.
One of the smallest and handsomest of the American hawks.
ThePeregrineis 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.
TheJer-falconsare 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.
TheKestrel, orWind-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.