160 THE NATURAL HISTOET REYIEW. 



Birds of Prey, which, in India, are very numerous, being represented 

 by no less than 81 species. Including the aberrant form, Gypaetus, 

 there are seven "Vultures, and amongst these most of the finest and 

 largest species of this group of Birds, of which India may be 

 considered to be the head- quarters. The Falconidae are likewise 

 abundant throughout India ; nearly the whole of our well-known 

 European species extending their range through Southern Asia over 

 the Indian Peninsula. Among these, are three, if not more, species 

 of typical Falco, which are highly prized by the natives for hawking 

 purposes. These are the Sliahin {F. peregrinator) the Laggar {F. 

 jugger), and our well-known Peregrine {F, peregrinus), called the 

 Bhyri by the Indian falconers, although there are stated to be some 

 small differences between the Indian and European examples of this 

 bird. Of the third family of rapacious birds, the Owls, twenty-one 

 species are enumerated by Dr. Jerdon as occurring in British India. 

 Two of these, the fine large, naked-footed Ketupa Ceylonensis and K. 

 Jiavipes, have the somewhat extraordinary habit of feeding chiefly, if 

 not entirely, on fish. Mr. Tristram has recently made the interesting 

 discovery,* that the former of these two species extends its range 

 into Southern Palestine, where he found it exhibiting the same par- 

 tiality for a fish-diet. 



The very numerous group of Inscssores, which follows next in 

 Dr. Jerdon' s pages, occupies the remaining portion of the first, and 

 the whole of the second volume. The Avifauna of this part of the 

 great Indian region, although not to be compared for variety of form 

 and brilliancy of colour with that of the corresponding portion of the 

 New World, still embraces a large and varied series of forms, 

 belonging to this predominant section of the class Aves. Eollowing 

 the time-honoured, though we cannot say, the very natural arrange- 

 ment of Cuvier, as modified by Swainson, Vigors and Gray, Dr. 

 Jerdon divides his Insessores into five tribes, Dentirostres, Coni- 

 rostres, Tenuirostres, Eissirostres, and Scansores, each of which 

 contains, according to the arrangement adopted by our author, 

 several families belonging to the Indian Ornis. Beginning with the 

 Eissirostres, Dr. Jerdon commences his series of this group rather 

 unhappily, as we think, by uniting the Swallows and Swifts in the 

 same family. "We are not indeed surprised that he should be able to 

 quote " some strong remarks" by Dr. Kaup, as well as the opinions 



♦ See P. Z S. 1864, p. 430, 



