THE ACCIPITRINE BIRDS. 123 



of a rock, and not often on a tree, but this sometimes happens. 

 The Indian Scavenger Vulture, however, often nests on a tree, 

 appropriating the old nest of some other bird, just as the 

 Egyptian Vulture in Greece and other countries of the Mediter- 

 ranean will make use of the disused nest of a Laemmer-geier, 

 or Bearded Eagle, and lays its eggs among the carapaces which 

 that bird has collected, after having cracked them upon the 

 bald skulls of the descendants of ^schylus, or upon the rocks 

 which, in modern times, do duty for that convenient mode of 

 breaking up Tortoises. 



Eggs. — These are generally very handsome, being profusely 

 spotted with red on a white ground. The amount of red mark- 

 ing varies considerably. They are generally two in number, 

 and often only one egg is laid, while on very rare occasions 

 three have been met with. Axis, 2'5-2-75 inches; diam., 

 i'9-2'o5. 



THE TRUE RAPTORIAL, OR ACCIPITRINE, 

 BIRDS. FAMILY FALCONID^. 



Although the name of Falconidce. is generally in use for the 

 Birds of Prey as a whole, the Family includes a number of 

 Accipitrine forms which are far removed from the Falcons, 

 which the name of the Family would imply as being the most 

 typical. Between the True Falcons and the Vultures are found 

 a number of intermediate types, which are divisible into 

 Sub-families. Thus we have the Caracaras of South America 

 (Folyl)orifice), Ground Birds of Prey, with their toes connected 

 by a membrane. To these the Secretary-Bird of Africa is 

 akin, but presents so many points of structural difference that 

 it may be considered the type of a separate Sub-family {Ser- 

 pentarimce), now peculiar to Africa, but found in ancient times 

 in France. Of the general mass of Accipitrine Birds, which 

 have only a slight membrane connecting the outer and middle 

 toes at the base, we have four Sub-families : the Long-legged 

 Hawks {Accipitrlnce), such as the Harriers, Goshawks, and 

 Sparrow-Hawks ; and the shorter-legged series, comprising the 

 Buzzards {Buteonince\ the Eagles {Aquili7tc2), and the Falcons 

 i^Fakonmce). 



With the web-footed Birds of Prey we have nothing to do, 



