14 ACCIPITRES. — FALCONID^. 



direct vision being altered with the increase of 

 space between the eyes, Hawks of the Buzzard 

 kind, which have large and round heads, may be 

 expected to wheel in wide circles; the expanded 

 space being required, that they may keep the vision 

 of their wide-apart eyes direct upon the objects 

 beneath them. 



" Owls fly differently. They search for their 

 prey, as if they were pursuing it with the vigilance 

 of the hound. They skim along the surface of the 

 earth, glide among trees, explore avenues, sweep 

 round, rise and fall, wheel short, and dart down, 

 but never sail in circles. Their wide staring eyes 

 are placed in what may be called their face, being 

 right forward in front, and have scarcely any field of 

 vision laterally. They therefore hunt with a forward 

 and downward gaze, like dogs over a field. The 

 globe of the eye of these nocturnal raptores, being 

 immoveably fixed in the socket by a strong elastic 

 cartilaginous case, in the form of a truncated cone, 

 they have to turn their heads to view objects out 

 of the path of flight, and their neck is so adapted 

 for this exertion, that they can with ease turn round 

 the head in almost a complete circle, without moving 

 the body." 



I have never met with the nest of this Hawk ; 

 nor has Wilson given us any information concerning 

 it ; but a young friend, very conversant with out-of- 

 door natural history, informs me that he lately 

 knew of one, a large mass near the top of an 

 immense cotton-tree into which he observed the old 

 birds frequently go. It was at Content, in the pa- 



