. The natural history of birds . lacebefore the reader a sketch of the bones of what maybe considered as the model or utmost perfection of abird, before proceeding to point out how the classifica-tion of birds is founded upon one or more of theirthree grand actions, as these are dependent upon, orarise out of their varied organisations. The sketch represents the bones of the Jer-Falcon{Falco Icelandicus; Hierofalco, of Cuvier), which isthe boldest, the most perfectly winged, and, in pro-portion to its weight, the strongest both for action andendurance of all the feathered tribes. Dwelling inth
. The natural history of birds . lacebefore the reader a sketch of the bones of what maybe considered as the model or utmost perfection of abird, before proceeding to point out how the classifica-tion of birds is founded upon one or more of theirthree grand actions, as these are dependent upon, orarise out of their varied organisations. The sketch represents the bones of the Jer-Falcon{Falco Icelandicus; Hierofalco, of Cuvier), which isthe boldest, the most perfectly winged, and, in pro-portion to its weight, the strongest both for action andendurance of all the feathered tribes. Dwelling inthe wilds of nature, subjected to violent winds, toheavy snows, and to long-continued rains, and com-pelled often to endure long periods of abstinence inthose parts of the world where there is not a tree,and hardly even a bush, for the shelter of a bird, and 98 BONES OF requiring at other times to range for several hundredmiles before it can procure a meal, either for itself orfor its young; the jer-falcon, estimating according to. average powers and experiences of animals, may136 said to have the hardest lot in the whole king-dom. But even upon this, the grand extreme, as itwere, of his works, the Creator has not left himself THE JER-FALCON. 99 without a witness; for if the task which the jer falconis called upon to perform in nature is harder than thatof most other birds, the preparation of this falconfor the performance of it is greater in fully the sameproportion. The sketch which we have given of this bird,which is, now at least that falconry is not the fashion,rather rare in substance, in skin, or in skeleton, istaken from a very fine specimen in the possession ofMr. Yarrell, which that gentleman very obliginglylent us for the purpose. It was originally obtainedfrom Iceland; and we part at leastcleaned and prepared by marine insects on the Ice-land shores ; and these creatures are far from theworst preparers of the skeletons of larger animals,when
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidnaturalhistoryof00mudi, booksubjectbirds
