CARINATAE. 463 



C. olor L, mute swan ; C. ^nusicus Bechst.. whooper. Anser L., geese ; 

 A. cinereus Meyer, gray goose, origin of the domestic race ; A. hyperboreus 

 L., snow goose ; A. segetum L., bean goose. Cereopis, Anseranas. 

 Anas L., ducks ; A. boscas L., wild duck, origin of the domestic races. 

 Tadorna cornuta Leach, sheld-drake. Aex, Plectropterus. Fuligula, 

 Somateria mollissima Leach, eider duck ; Erismatura. Mergua merganser 

 L., goosander ; M. serrator L., redbreasted merganser ; M. albelhis L. 

 smew. 



Tribe 7. FALCONIFORMES. 



Carnivorous birds with desmognathous skull, with curved beak hooked 

 at the extremity, and with basal cere, without functional caeca. The 

 feet are perching, and the strong toes are always armed with powerful 

 claws wlxich are admirably adapted for the seizure of prey which usually 

 consists of warm-blooded animals. As a rule the female, which is larger 

 than the male, alone incubates, but the male assists in procuring food for 

 the helpless yoimg. Fossil from the Eocene. 



Fam. Cathartidae. With per\'ious nostrils and naked uropygitl gland, 

 without syrinx muscles, wdth complete basipterygoid processes. Western 

 hemisphere. Cathartes atrattis Baird, tmkey-buzzard ; Catharista, Pseudo- 

 gryphus, Gyparchus papa Dum. the king-vulture ; Sarcorhamphus Diun. 

 5. gryphus Geoflr., the condor. 



The remaining families of the tribe are grouped under the head 

 Accipitres ; with nares imperviae, feathered uropygial gland, and 

 tracheo-bronchial muscles. The basipterygoid processes are not complete 

 and the postacetabular part of the ilium is bent ventrally except in Ser- 

 pentariidae. 



Fam. Serpentariidae. The African secretary bird, Serpentarius Sagit- 

 tarius Cuv., feeds on insects and reptiles ; with complete basipterygoid 

 processes, about 4 ft. high, with long legs which easily break. 



Fam. Vulturidae. Old-world \ailtures. Head and upper part of neck 

 naked or with small down-Hke feathers. Old world from S. Central 

 Europe to the Cape, absent from China, Malay Islands, Austraha, Sum- 

 atra, Ceylon, Madagascar. Vultur cinereus Gm., S. Eur. ; Neophron 

 percnopterus Sav., Egj'ptian vulture. Gyps julvus Briss., griffon ; Oto- 

 gyps, Lophogyps. 



Fam. Falconidae. Head and neck feathered. 



Sub-fam. Gypaetinae. Gypaetus Gray, cere feathered ; G. barbatus 

 Cuv., the lammergeier, high moiuitains of Eur., Afr., Asia. 



Sub-fam. Polyborinae. Carrion hawks. America. Polyborus, Ibyc- 

 ier, Phalcobaenus, Senex. 



Sub-fam. Accipitrinae. Hawks. Circus cyaneus L., hen harrier ; 

 C. cineraceus Mont., Montagxi's harrier ; C. aeruginosus L., marsh 

 harrier. Astur palumbarius L., goshawk. Accipiter nisus L., sparrow 

 hawk. 



Sub-fam. Aquilinae. Eagles. Aquila chrysaetu^ L., golden eagle ; 

 A. naevia Briss., spotted eagle. Haliaetus albicilla Briss., sea-eagle, 

 erne. 



Sub-fam. Buteoninae. Buzzards and kites. Archibuteo lagopits 

 L., rough-legged buzzard. Buteo vulgaris L., buzzard ; Milvus 

 ictinus {regalia), red kite, once common in London ; M. ater Daud. 

 black kite. Pernis apivorus Cuv., honey-buzzard. 



Sub-fam. Falconinae. Falcons. Falco gyrfalco L., gyrfalcon ; 



