GREAT-FOOTED HAWK.                    37

her, she would either hop away in anger, or, if prevented from
retreating, she would spring upon me, and strike, furiously,
with one of her powerful feet, which were capable of inflicting
severe wounds. Unless when very hungry, she would not
touch cooked food; she preferred fresh-killed meat, especially
tender beef and mutton, generally rejecting the fat. She was
fond of small birds, but a live duck was her supreme delight:
the sight of one would make her almost frantic; at such times,
the vigour and activity of her movements, and the animation
of her eye, were truly admirable. Her antipathy to cats was
great, and when one of these animals approached her, she mani-
fested her displeasure by raising her plumes, opening her
mouth, and uttering some sounds, which were doubtless intend-
ed as a premonition of danger. If, regardless of all these, the
cat got within striking distance, one blow from the Hawk was
generally sufficient to compel the intruder to a hasty retreat.

             * From Mr. Ord's supplementary volume.