MACE PORTAL: -BERDS. 
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HE order of Birds called “ Raptores,” or Birds of 
Prey, includes most of those species which feed 
on the flesh of other birds, and of quadrupeds, 
as well as some which subsist chiefly on reptiles, 
fishes, and the larger insects. Many of the birds of 
this important order, especially those which are called 
the diurnal birds of prey, are provided with wings of 
considerable power, enabling them both to soar aloft 
when scanning the landscape in quest of their prey, 
and also to descend upon it, when perceived by their 
acute vision, with a swoop of extraordinary rapidity 
and force; they are also provided with strong pre- 
hensile toes, armed with curved and sharp claws or 
talons, enabling them to seize and hold their prey 
with an effectual grasp; and their bills are armed 
with a sharp hook, terminating the upper jaw or 
mandible, and serying as a weapon for tearing in 
pieces the prey /Awhich is thus secured by the clutch 
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