BIBDS OF PREY 297 



6'. Under parts whitish, streaked with brown. Ear-tufts 

 conspicuous. Wholly nocturnal. 



p. 288. Long-eared Owl. 



As an Order the birds of prey are peculiarly well 

 adapted to their work of keeping down the harm- 

 ful insects and mammals. Their talons are sharp 

 and curved, for seizing and holding their prey 

 (see Fig. 207, p. 351) ; their bills sharp and 

 hooked, to tear it apart (Figs. 199, 200, p. 350) ; 

 their eyesight is extraordinarily acute, their 

 wings strong and enduring, and their digestion 

 so rapid that they can eat great quantities of 

 food. They save time by swallowing their food 

 bones and all, having, like the Vireos, Flycatchers, 

 Crows, and Kingfisher, power to regurgitate such 

 indigestible parts as bones, feathers, fur, and 

 hair, their stomachs — after the absorption of the 

 softer parts of their food — working the hard 

 parts up into round balls or 'pellets,' in which 

 the sharp materials that might injure the mucous 

 membrane are coated with soft fur or hair. 



With all these special adaptations, the birds of 

 prey do more good than almost any other birds, 

 and facts regarding their food habits should be 

 noised abroad, as they are most unjustly j^erse- 

 cuted by those who should be their best friends. 



The characters of the birds of prey are so dis- 

 tinct that every one must know them. With 

 them we fill the last gap in the Orders we have 

 e^famined, up to that of the Perching Birds, and 



