90 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



description here impossible ; the eggs of the 

 Puffins are mostly dull white, with but a few 

 faint rusty and grey spots and blotches : the 

 egg of the Little Auk is pale greenish-blue. 

 The prevailing colours of the Auks are black 

 or sooty-brown above, and white below. The 

 young are hatched covered with down, but 

 are tended by the parents for some consider- 

 able time. 



This concludes our review of web-footed birds, 

 and we now pass again to quite a distinct type, 

 the Falconiformes or Birds of Prey. This is 

 another exceptionally homogeneous order, com- 

 posed of birds with special features that preclude 

 them from being confused with any others. 

 We may briefly diagnose them by the external 

 characters of the strong hooked or notched bill 

 with its basal cere, and the lateral position of 

 the eyes, to which may be added in the majority 

 of species the long, powerful, hooked and sharp 

 claws. The Birds of Prey are divisible into at 

 least two sub-orders, one of which contains the 

 American Vultures only (Cathartae), and the 

 other (Accipitres) is separable into four very 

 distinct families. These are the Secretary Birds 

 (Serpentariidae), composed of one species only ; 

 the Old World Vultures (Vulturid^) ; the Eagles, 



