THE EAGLE-LIKE SUBFAMILY 1957 



are of the same black hue as the primaries; this species being also distinguished by 

 the presence of three white bars on the tail. The Mississippi falcon, which ranges 

 from the Southern United States to Guatemala, is thirteen and one-half inches in 

 length, while the other species, which is a fraction larger, extends from Mexico to 

 Brazil. 



In its native land, where it is generally known as the Mississippi kite, the 

 figured species is a common bird in many districts, more especially in parts of 

 Texas. Its favorite feeding grounds are said to be the cotton fields, where 

 it may be seen at one moment soaring high in the air, and soon after just skim- 

 ming above the tops of the plants, or flying between the rows. It seldom alights, 

 but may now and then be observed perched on some dead tree, when it suffers 

 itself to be approached within fifteen or twenty yards before taking wing. The 

 food of this species is believed to consist mainly of. large insects, probably 

 supplemented with small rodents and reptiles. The nest is built in a tree, usually 

 in a fork, and may be used for two or more seasons in succession. Usually but 

 two or three eggs are laid, which differ from those of most members of the family 

 in being of a uniform bluish-white color, without spots. In defense of their 

 nest and young these birds are said to display great courage. 



The crested falcons, of which there are several species ranging 

 ^ ^ rom * nc ^ a through Malayana to North Australia, and to Africa, and 



Madagascar, differ, as we have seen, from the last genus by having 

 two notches on the edge of the beak and by their shorter wings; while they are dis- 

 tinguished from all other members of the subfamily by the crest of elongated 

 feathers at the back of the head. These birds vary from fourteen to seventeen 

 inches in length, and many of them are remarkable for their handsome coloration. 

 The Indian representative of the genus is the black-crested falcon, or, as it is 

 commonly called, kite (Baza lophotes), which has the plumage of the upper parts of 

 a glossy greenish black, and a uniformly black tail. It is a rare bird, frequenting 

 forests, and feeding almost exclusively on insects. The other species have the 

 tail brown or gray, with darker bars; some, like the Philippine crested falcon (B. 

 magnirostris) , having the breast marked with broad transverse bars of white and 

 chestnut; while in the West- African cuckoo falcon (B. cuculoides) the brown bands 

 are narrower, less continuous, and confined to the sides of the body beneath the 

 wings. Three Central and South- American falcons, constituting the genus Harpa- 

 gus, differ from the crested falcons by the absence of the plume of feathers, and also 

 by the presence of a tubercle in the centre of the nostrils. 



THE EAGLE-LIKE SUBFAMILY 



The preceding genera are included, as we have seen, in the subfamily 

 Falconina; and we now come to a second subfamily, known as the Aquilince, 

 which includes the honey buzzards, kites, eagles, etc. The members of this group 

 differ from the last by the sides of the beak being simply festooned, instead of 



