Birds of the Bible : from "Bible animals"

I. The Lammergeiee, Oe Ossifrage Of Scripture

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Difficulty of identifying the various birds mentioned in Scripture — The Vultures of Palestine— The Lammergeier, or Ossifrage of Scripture— The Hebrew word Peres, and its signification — The Ossifrage, or Bone-Breaker — Appearance of the Lammergeier — Its flight and mode of feeding — How the Lammergeier kills snakes and tortoises, and breaks marrow-bones — Mode of destroying the chamois and mountain sheep — Nest of the Lammergeier .

II. The Egyptian Vulture, Or Gier-eagle

The Racham or Gier-Eagle identified with the Egyptian Vulture — Its appearance on the Egyptian monuments — Signification of the word Rdchmn — Various translations of the word— The shape, size, and colour of the bird — Its value as a scavenger, and its general habits — The Egyptian Vultures and the griffons — Its fondness for the society of man — Nest of the Egyptian Vulture .

III. The Griffon Vulture, Or Eagle Of Scripture

The Griffon Vulture identified with the Eagle of Scripture — The word Nesher and its signification — Geographical range of the Griffon — Its rnode of flight and sociable habits — The featherless viii head and neck of the bird — The Vulture used as an image of strength, swiftness, and rapacity — Its powers of sight — How Vultures assemble round a carcase— Nesting-places of the Griffon —Mr. Tristram's description of the Griffon— Eock-caves of the Wady Hamam— Care of the young, and teaching them to fly — Strength of the Griffon — Its emblematical use in Egypt and Assyria — The god Nisroch — Noble aspect of the Griffon — Its longevity — Various attitudes assumed by the bird . . .16

IV. The Eagle

Signification of the word Asniyeh — The Golden Eagle and its habits — The Imperial Eagle — Its solitary mode of life — The Short - toed Eagle common in Palestine — Its zoological position — Food of the Short-toed Eagle — Its form and colour . . . .31

V. The Ospkey

The Osprey, or Fishing Eagle — Its geographical range — Mode of securing prey — Structure of its feet — Its power of balancing itself in the air 34

VI. The Kite, Or Vulture Of Scripture

The word Dayah and its signification — Dayah a collective term for different species of Kites — The Common or Eed Kite plentiful in Palestine — Its piercing sight and habit of soaring — The Black Kite of Palestine and its habits —The Egyptian Kite — The Raah or Glede of Scripture— The Buzzards and their habits— The Peregrine Falcon an inhabitant of Central Palestine, and the Lanner of the eastern parts of the country . . , , , 37 ix

VII. The Hawk

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The Netz or Hawk— Number of species probably grouped under that name — Eare occurrence of the word — The Sparrow-Hawk and its general habits— Its place of nesting — The Kestrel, or Wind-hover— Various names by which it is known in England — Its mode of feeding and curious flight— The Hariers — Probable derivation of the name — Species of Harier known to inhabit Palestine— Falconry apparently unknown to the ancient Jews . . 46

VIII. The Owl

The words which have been translated as ' Owl ' — The Cos, or Little Owl — Use made of the Little Owl in bird-catching — Habits of the bird— The Barn, Screech, or White Owl a native of Palestine— The Yanshuph, or Egyptian Eagle Owl — Its food and nest — The Lilith, or Night Monster — Various interpretations of the word — The Kippoz probably identical with the Scops Owl, or Marouf 54

IX. The Night-hawk

Different interpretations of the word jTacTim^s— Probability that it signifies the Nightjar — Various'names of the bird — Its remarkable jarring cry and wheeling flight — Mode of feeding — Boldness of the bird — Deceptive appearance of its size 65

X. The Swallow

Identification of the smaller birds— Oriental indifference to natural history — Use of collective terms — The Swallow — Signification of the word Deror — The Bird of Liberty — Swallows and Swifts — The Sunbirds and Bee-eaters — Variety of small birds found in

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Palestine— The Swallows of Palestine — Swallows protected by man in various countries— Nesting of the Swallow — The Eufous Swallow and Martin — The Sis or Swift — Various species of Swift inhabiting the Holy Land — Talmudical notions of the Swift or Swallow — The leper and his offering — The cooking pot and the sacrificial vessel — Signification of the word Tzippor-cleror . . 69

XI. The Hoopoe, Ok Lapwing Of Sckiptuee

The Dukiphath of Scripture — Various interpretations of the word — The Hoopoe — Its beauty and ill reputation — The unpleasant odour of its nest — Food of the Hoopoe — Its beautiful nest and remarkable gestures — A curious legend of Solomon and the Hoopoe 84

XII. The Spakrow

Signification of the word Tzippor — The bird used for the leper's sacrifice — The Sparrow upon the house-top — Architecture of the East — Proclamation from the house-tops — The Blue Thrush, its appearance and habits — Little birds exposed for sale in the market — The two Sparrows sold for a farthing — Bird-catching — The net, the snare, and the trap — The Sparrow that builds her • nest in the Temple — The Tree Sparrow — Various Sparrows that inhabit Palestine — Birds kept in cages 89

XIII. The Cuckoo

The Cuckoo only twice mentioned in Scripture — Difficulty of identifying the Shachaph — The common species, and the Great Spotted Cuckoo — Depositing the egg — Conjectures respecting the Shachaph — Etymology of the word — The various gulls, and other sea-birds 102 xi

XIV. Tage

Parallel between the lamb and the Dove — Derivation of the Hebrew word Yondh — The Dove and the olive branch — Abram's sacrifice, and its acceptance — The sacrifice according to the law of Moses — The Dove-sellers of the Temple — Talmudical zoology — The story of Ilisch— The Dove and the raven — The Dove a type of Israel — The Beni-yonah, or Sons of Pigeons — Home -finding instinct of the pigeon — The Oriental Dove-cotes — Voice of the Dove — Its strength of wing — The Dove's dung of Samaria — Various pigeons of Palestine — The Eock Dove and its multitudes — The Dove and the Griffon — The Turtle Doves of Palestine, and their appearance and habits ....... lOG

XV. Poultry

Poultry plentiful in Palestine at the present day — The Domestic Fowl unknown in the early times of Israel— The eating and gathering of eggs— Eeferences to Poultry in the New Testament — The egg and the scorpion — The fatted fowl of Solomon — The hen brooding over her eggs — Poultry prohibited within Jerusalem — The cock-crowing . . . . . . . . . . 124

XVI. The Peacock

The foreign curiosities imported by Solomon— The word Tucciyim and its various interpretations — Identity of the word with the Cingalese name of the Peacock — Eeasons why the Peacock should have been brought to Solomon — Its subsequent neglect and extirpation 128 xii

CONTENl^S

XVII. The Partridge

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The word Kore and its signification — The Partridge upon the mountains— David's simile — The Desert Partridge and its habits — Hunting the Partridge with sticks — Eggs of the Partridge — A disputed reading, and probable signification of the passage — Egg-hunting in Palestine — The various species of Partridge — The Francolin and the Sand-Grouse 132

XVIII. The Quail

Signification of the word Seldv — Various passages in which the word is mentioned — The locust, the stork, and the sand-grouse — Spreading the birds around the camp — Migration of the Quail — Drying the Quails for food — Modes of catching the Quail in the East— The Quail-hunters of Northern Africa — Quarrelsome nature of the bird — Quail-fighting in the East — How the Quails were brought to the Israelites 137

XIX. The Raven

Signification of the word Oreh — The Raven tribe plentiful in Palestine— The Raven and the dove — Elijah and the Ravens — Various explanations of the circumstance— Feeding the young Ravens — Luis of Grenada's sermon — The white Raven of ancient times — An old legend — Reference to the blackness of the Raven's plumage — Desert-loving habits of the Raven — Its mode of attacking the eye — Notions of the old commentators — Ceremonial use of the Raven — Return of the Eavens — Cunning of the bird — Nesting-places of the Raven — The magpie and its character — The starling — Its introduction into Palestine — The Rabbi perplexed— Solution of the difficulty ...... 148 xiii

XX. The Osteich

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Hebrew words designating the Ostrich — Description of the bird in the Book of Job — Ancient use of Ostrich plumes — Supposed heedlessness of eggs and young — Mode of depositing the eggs — Hatching them in the sand — Natural enemies of the Ostrich — Anecdote of Ostriches and their young — Alleged stupidity of the Ostrich — Methods of hunting and snaring the bird — The Ostrich in domestication — Speed of the Ostrich — The flesh of the bird prohibited to the Jews — Ostrich eggs and their uses — Food of the Ostrich — Mode of drinking — Cry of the Ostrich, and reference made to it in Micah 162

XXI. The Bitteen

Signification of the word Kippod — The Bittern and its general appearance—The bird of solitude- Difficulty of detecting the Bittern in its haunts— Mudie's description of the Bittern and its home — The strange cry of the bird — Superstitions connected with it — The Night-raven — Nest of the Bittern — Scarcity of the bird at the present day — Food of the Bittern — The bird formerly brought to table 179

XXII. The Heron

The Heron mentioned as an unclean bird— The Heron used for food in England, and considered as a delicacy — Sociable character of the bird, and its mode of feeding— Its enormous appetite— How the Heron fights— Ancient falconry — Nesting of the Heron — The papyrus marshes and their dangers — Description of the papyrus — Vessels of bulrushes — The Egret and its beautiful plumage — Uses of the train feathers . . . . . . . . 189 xiv CONTENTS

XXIII. The Cbane

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Various passages in which the Crane is mentioned — Its migratory habits and loud voice — Geographical range of the Crane —The bird once plentiful in the fen districts of England — Its favourite roosting-places— Size of the Crane, and measurement of the wings — The Crane once used as food — Plumes of the Crane and their use — Structure of the vocal organs — Nest and eggs of the Crane 197

XXIV. The Stokk

Signification of the Hebrew word Cliasidah — Various passages in which it is mentioned — The Chasidah therefore a large, wide-winged, migratory bird — Its identification with the Stork — Derivation of its Hebrew name — The Stork always protected — Uses of the tail — Its mode of quartering the ground in search of food • — Migratory habits of the Stork — Nesting of the bird, and its favourite localities — The fir-trees of Palestine — Love of the Stork 'for its young 20*2

XXV. The Swan

Signification of the word Tinshcmetli — The Gallinule and the Ibis — Ai^pearance and habits of the Hyacinthine Gallinule — A strange use for the bird — The White or Sacred Ibis — The bird mentioned by Herodotus — The Glossy Ibis, or Black Ibis — Veneration with which the bird was regarded 211

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XXYI.

THE COKMORANT.

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The word Shdldk and its 'signification— The Greek Catarrhactes — Habits of the Cormorant — The bird trained to catch fish— Mode of securing its prey — Nests and eggs of the Cormorant — Nesting in fir-trees — Flesh of the bird . . . . . . . 219