398 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. VU. 



as long as those of a heron or crane. They have curious erectile 

 crests, which hang from the back of the head. These, when seen 

 in repose and in profile, resemble a pen stuck behind the ear, 

 hence the name Secretary bird. The Harriers, in general feed 

 upon small quadrupeds such as young hares, rabbits, rats, &c- 

 They ako greedily devour birds, sometimes reptiles, but rarely 

 insects and fishes. The specimen exhibited had a lizard in 

 its stomach. When searching for their prey, they fly gently along, 

 at a small elevation, and appear to beat over every part of the 

 ground like a dog hunting for game ; to this habit no doubt they 

 are indebted for their name of Harriers. The Marsh Harrier, 

 which from its destructiveness in poultry yards, is called the Hen 

 Hawk in Canada, is common to Europe, Asia and America. 



The only Owl in the collection is a small species received with- 

 out any name, and which has not yet been identified. It seems 

 to belong to that section in which the facial disks are nearly com- 

 plete, and in which the head is almost destitute of ear tufts. 



The birds of prey, the waders, and the swimming birds, have 

 for the most part a very wide geographical range, but the climbing 

 and perching species seem to be confined within comparatively 

 narrow limits. In high northern and in temperate latitudes not 

 a few of the birds of prey are circumpolar in their range but the 

 nearer we get to the equator the less is this the case. Thus, the 

 Peregrine falcon, the Goshawk, Rough-legged Buzzard, Osprey, 

 Golden and White tailed Eagles, and Marsh Harrier, as well as 

 some Owls, are common to the continents of Europe and North 

 America. With the exception of the Marsh Harrier, and per- 

 haps the Goshawk, none of the East Indian birds of prey are 

 to be met with io America, and very few in either Europe or 

 Africa. In warm or semi-tropical countries, the birds of prey 

 are restricted to a very small area. Tropical America, Southern 

 Europe and Asia, Africa and Australia have each their own 

 characteristic genera and species. And lastly, as regards these 

 birds of prey, although there seems to be a northern circum- 

 polar fauna, there does not appear to be the slightest approach 

 to any corresponding antarctic one. 



The large order of the Perching Birds, which have three toes 

 in front and one behind, has been variously subdivided. Through- 

 out this paper the classification followed is that adopted at the 

 British Museum. The first division of this order is the Fissi- 

 pstres^ or Gapers, a section characterized by \he depth to which 



