The _flesh_ of the cinereous eagles is eaten in Greenland, and is said not to be of bad flavour. Their _skins_ sewed together, are used as under garments; and are also frequently employed as beds. The _beak_ and _claws_ are employed as amulets or charms; and are considered efficacious for the cure of various complaints. The Greenlanders either kill these birds with arrows, or catch them in snares laid in the snow, and baited with flesh. The cinereous eagles feed on dead animals of every description, as well as on fish, young seals, and several kinds of birds. 126. _The SECRETARY FALCON_ (Falco serpentarius) _is a bird of prey of large size, with a bill hooked at the point and bearded at the base, black plumage, a crest on the hind part of the head, the tail feathers white at the tip, the two middle ones the longest, and the legs of great length._ _This bird is about three feet in height, and, in its general appearance, has some resemblance both to the eagle and the crane._ _It is an inhabitant of the interior of Africa, of some parts of Asia, and several of the Asiatic islands._ As a destroyer of noxious reptiles and other injurious animals, the secretary falcon is of great service to mankind. He attacks without fear even the most poisonous serpents, approaching them with the point of one of his wings, and either trampling them to death with his feet, or catching them on the pinion of the other wing, and throwing them into the air several times successively until they are dead. This bird is easily domesticated, in which state he is not only serviceable in destroying reptiles and serpents, but he might probably also be useful in devouring rats and mice. Poultry of all kinds ought, however, to be kept out of his way, or he would devour them also. 127. _The GENTIL FALCON_ (Falco gentilis, Fig. 31) _is a British bird of prey about two feet in length, distinguished by its ash-coloured plumage, with brown spots; the tail having four blackish bands, and the base of the bill and the legs being of yellow colour._ _It inhabits several of the mountainous parts of Europe and North America._