The Boys' and Girls' Pliny / Being parts of Pliny's "Natural History" edited for boys and girls, with an Introduction

CHAPTER IV. THE VULTURE AND THE HAWK.

Of the vultures, the black ones are the strongest. No person has yet found a vulture’s nest: so that some have thought, though erroneously, that these birds come from the opposite hemisphere. The fact is, that they build their nest upon the very highest rocks; their young ones are often to be seen, generally two in number. Umbricius, the most skilful among the aruspices of our time, says that the vulture lays three eggs, and that with one of these it purifies the others and its nest, and then throws it away: he states also that they hover about for three days, over the spot where carcasses are about to be found.

We find no less than sixteen kinds of hawks mentioned; among these are the Ægithus, which is lame of one leg, and is looked upon as the most favorable omen for the augurs on the occasion of a marriage, or in matters connected with property in the shape of cattle. There is a Roman family that has taken its surname from the species known as the “buteo,” from the circumstance of this bird having given a favorable omen by settling upon the ship of one of them when he held a command. The Greeks call one kind “epileus;” the only one that is seen at all seasons of the year, the others taking their departure in the winter.

The various kinds are distinguished by the avidity and the various methods with which they seize their prey; for while some will pounce on a bird only on the ground, others will seize it only while hovering round the trees; others, again, while it is perched aloft, and others while it is flying in mid-air. Pigeons, on seeing them, are aware of the nature of the danger to which they are exposed, and either settle on the ground or else fly upwards, instinctively protecting themselves by taking due precautions against their natural propensities.

In the part of Thrace which lies above Amphipolis, men and hawks go in pursuit of prey, in a sort of partnership; for while the men drive the birds from out of the woods and the reed-beds, the hawks bring them down as they fly; and after they have taken the game, the fowlers share it with them. It has been said, that when sent aloft, they will pick out the birds that are wanted, and that when the opportune moment for taking them has come, they invite the fowler to seize the opportunity by their cries and their peculiar mode of flying. Hawks will not eat the heart of a bird. The night-hawk is called cybindis; it is rarely found, even in the woods, and in the day-time its sight is not good; it wages war to the death with the eagle, and they are often to be found clasped in each other’s talons.

GROUP OF FALCONS.

The cuckoo seems to be but another form of the hawk,[167] which at a certain season of the year changes its shape; it being the fact that during this period no other hawks are to be seen, except, perhaps, for a few days; the cuckoo itself is only seen for a short period in the summer, and does not make its appearance after. It is the only one among the hawks that has not hooked talons; neither is it like the rest of them in the head, or in any other respect, except the color, while in the beak it bears a stronger resemblance to the pigeon. In addition to this, it is devoured by the hawk, if they chance at any time to meet; this being the only one among the whole race of birds that is preyed upon by those of its own kind. It changes its voice also with its appearance, comes out in the spring, and goes into retirement at the rising of the Dog-star. It always lays its eggs in the nest of another bird,—mostly a single egg, a thing that is the case with no other bird; sometimes however, but very rarely, it is known to lay two. It is supposed, that the reason for its thus substituting its young ones, is the fact that it is aware how greatly it is hated by all the other birds;[168] for even the very smallest of them will attack it. So, thinking that its own race will stand no chance of being perpetuated unless it contrives to deceive them, it builds no nest of its own: and, besides, it is a very timid animal. In the mean time, the female bird, sitting on her nest, is rearing a supposititous and spurious progeny; while the young cuckoo, which is naturally craving and greedy, snatches away all the food from the other young ones, and by so doing grows plump and sleek, and quite gains the affections of his foster-mother; who takes a great pleasure in his fine appearance, and is quite surprised that she has become the mother of so handsome an offspring. In comparison with him, she discards her own young as so many strangers, until at last, when the young cuckoo is now able to take the wing, he finishes by devouring her.[169] For sweetness of the flesh, there is not a bird in existence to be compared to the cuckoo at this season.

The kite, which belongs to the same genus, is distinguished from the rest of the hawks by its larger size. It has been remarked of this bird, extremely ravenous as it is, and always craving, that it has never been known to seize any food either from among funeral oblations or from the altar of Jupiter at Olympia; nor does it ever seize any of the consecrated viands from the hands of those who are carrying them; except where some misfortune is presaged for the town that is offering the sacrifice. These birds seem to have taught man the art of steering, from the motion of the tail, Nature pointing out by their movements in the air the method required for navigating the deep. Kites also disappear during the winter months, but do not take their departure before the swallow.

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