Gerhard Visser's Falcon Paste #3

Mr. Socrates examined the ruined pieces of the clockwork falcon, amazed by the intricacy of the device. No, it was more than a device. There was actual blood and brains in the falcon, as though some living beast had been dipped in metal. (...) He traced a metal tube that ran from a container inside the bird's chest to the middle talon of each foot. So that was how they loaded the poison. (Slade, 113)