Birds of Prey (Smith novel) Birds of Prey (Smith novel) Birds of Prey is a 1997 novel by Wilbur Smith set in the late 17th century. The novel was the first in the third sequence of the Courtney series of novels, and as of 2013 was chronologically the first in the entire series. Smith says the book established the characteristics of the family: "Right from "Birds of Prey"... the Courtneys were pirates, merchants, looking to seize the main chance. They were very much driven by monetary considerations. But with the Ballantynes it was much more empire, patriotism, glory – the soldierly virtues." In 1667 Holland
The Tortoise and the Birds the eagle to drop the animal 'from the starry heights' onto the rocks below, after which the two birds share its meat. By the time the story is retold by Walter of England an element of treachery has been added. The crow meets the frustrated eagle on the ground and advises it to soar up and drop its prey. Waiting behind by the rocks, the crow flies off with the fallen tortoise before the eagle can return. An Igbo fable concerning the tortoise and the birds has gained wide distribution because it occurs in the famous novel "Things Fall Apart"