BIRDS. 81 



ORDER V. RAPTORES (Birds of Prey). 



The owls, hawks, eagles, and their allies are characterized 

 by short, stout, curved beaks, strong feet and large wings; 

 all structures admirably adapted to the capture of prey and 

 the tearing of flesh. Some, like the eagles, hawks, and 

 vultures, are strong fliers with excellent powers of sight; 

 the owls, on the other hand, are more dependent upon 

 catching their prey by stealth; and their eyes are adapted 

 to their nocturnal habits. The buzzards and vultures depend 

 upon decaying flesh for their food, and their value as 

 scavengers leads to their protection by law in the regions 

 where they occur. 



In the birds of prey, like all that have preceded them in 

 our account, the young, when hatched, are covered with 

 feathers (usually down feathers), and have their powers 

 well developed. In all the remaining orders the young are 

 helpless and nearly naked when they escape from the shell. 



ORDER VI. COLUMBINE (Pigeons). 



The pigeons stand nearest to the Rasores from which, 

 however, they differ in the weaker legs, the large pointed 

 wings, and the fleshy membrane at the base of the beak, 

 pierced for the nostrils. The five hundred different kinds 

 of pigeons show little variety in form. Our domestic 

 pigeons, with their wonderful variations, have descended 

 from the rock-pigeon of Europe. The extinct dodo of the 

 islands east of Africa was a flightless pigeon of large size. 

 The species died out some two hundred years ago. 



ORDER VII. SCANSORES (Climbing Birds). 



These birds have the feet adapted for climbing, two of 

 the toes being directed forwards and two backwards. Some, 



