97 



FALCONID^E. 



FALCONIDTE. 



Blumenbach's first order, Aeci/pitrts (Birds of Prey, with strong 

 hooked bills and large curved talons, a membranous stomach, and 

 short ejcea) consists of the genera Yultur, Falco, Strix, and Lanius. 



Meyer's first order, Rapacei, is divided into two sub-orders : first, 

 the Scleropterce, or Diurnal Birds of Prey ; second, the Malacopterte, 

 or Nocturnal Birds of Prey. 



The third order of Illiger, Saptalores, is composed of the Noctumi 

 (Strix), the Accipitrini (Falco, Gypogeranm, Gypaetus), and the 

 Valturini ( Vullur, Cathartei). 



Cuvier divides his first order (the Birds of Prey) into Diurnal and 

 Nocturnal. The first are subdivided into the Vultures and the 

 Falcons (Falco, Linn.), which last are separated into the Noble 

 Birds of Prey, or Falcons properly so called (Falco of Bechsteiu), 

 comprising the genera Faucon (Falco) and the Gerfaults (Gyr Falcons, 

 Hierofalco of Cuvier) ; and the Ignoble Birds of Prey, consisting of 

 the Eagles (Ar/uiia of Brisson), which are subdivided into the Eagles 

 "-"perly so called (Aquilaot Cuvier), the Aigles-Peeheurs (Fishing 



jles, with comparatively long wings, HaUceetuu of Savigny), the 



ilbusards (Pandion of Savigny), the Circaetes (Circaetm, Vieillot, 

 Jean le Blanc, &c.), the Caracaras (Polyborus, Vieillot, and Ibycter, 

 Vieillot), and the Harpies, or Fishing Eagles, with short wings 

 (Ilarpyia, of Cuvier); the tribe Cymindii of Cuvier; the Aigles- 

 Autours (Morphnus of Cuvier, Spizaetos of Vieillot) ; the Autours 

 (Atw of Bechstein, Dredalion of Savigny) ; the Milans (Milvus of 

 Bechstein, Elamus of Savigny); the Bondre'es (Pernis of Cuvier, 

 Honey Buzzard) ; the Buses (Buteo of Bechstein) ; the Busards 

 (Ctrctuof Bechstein); and the Messager or Secretaire (Serpentarim 

 of Cuvier, Gypoycranut of Illiger). 



Vieillot divides his first order, Accipitret, into the Diurnal and 

 Nocturnal tribes, making the first tribe to consist of three families : 

 1st, Vautourins, among which he places the Caracara; 2nd, Gypaetes; 

 3rd, Accipitrins, consisting of the genera Aigle, Pygargue, Balbuzard, 

 Cireaete, Bugard, Buse, Milan, Elanus, Ictinie, Faucon, Physete, 

 Harpie, Spizacte, Asturine, and Epervier. 



Temminck's first order, liapaca, comprises the genera Vautour, 

 C'atharte, Gypaete, Messager, Faucon, and Chouette. 



Mr. Vigors thus arranges the Falconidte : 



l!i ;ik< abort, 



strongly toothed. 



Prey aerial. 



TYPICAL GROUPS. 

 Wings short. 



Wings long. 



\ Sub.Family, Accipitrina. 

 \ Hawks. 



( Sub-Family, Falconina. 

 { Falcons. 



Beaks long, or 

 sublong, not 



toothed. 

 Prey terrestrial 



ABERRANT GROUPS. 

 Beaks hooked (adunca) from the ) Sul 



base. Wings long. j Buzzards. 



Beaks booked from the base. Tail ^ Sub-Family, Jfilmna. 

 forked. Wings very long. 



Beaka hooked at the apex only 

 Long-Winged. 



b-Family, Buteonitia, 

 zzards. 



) Sub-Famil 

 } Kites. 



i Sub-Family, Aquilma. 

 Eagles. 



Short-Winged. 



De Blainville divides the Raptatorea into the Diurnal and the 

 Nocturnal. The former he divides into the Anomalous (the Secre- 

 tary, Serpentariut) ; and the Normal (Falco, Linn.). 



M. Latreille separates his first order of terrestrial birds (Rapaces) 

 into two tribes the Diurnal and the Nocturnal. The first contains 

 two families : 1st, the Vautourins (Vultures) ; 2nd, the Accipitrins. 

 The latter consists of the genera Aigle, Pygargue, Balbuzard, Harpie, 

 Aigle-Autour, Asturine, Messager, Autour, Epervier, Elane, Milan, 

 Bondrde, Bugard, Faucon, Gerfault. 



Prince C. L. Bonaparte, in his 'Tabella Analitica,' divides his 

 'Ordine Accipitrei' into the 'Famiglia Vulturini,' and the 'Famiglia 

 Rapacet.' These last he separates into the Diumi, with eyes on the 

 aides of the head, " Occhi nei Lati ;" and the Nocturni, with eyes in 

 the face, " Occhi sulla Faccia." His Diurnal rapacious birds consist 

 of two genera, namely, Gypaetoi and Falco. The latter comprises the 

 following sub-genera: Aquila, JIaliaetof, Pandion, Falco, Aitur, 

 Milvui, Elanui, Buteo, Circus. 



M. Lesson, in common with other zoologists, separates his first 

 order, the Birds of Prey, A ccipitrei or Rapaces, into the Diurnal and 

 Nocturnal. The first embraces three families : 1st, the Vultures ; 

 2nd, the Falcons, or Falconidte, which ho subdivides into the Noble 

 Birds of Prey, namely the genera Falco, Jliero-Falco, Physeta, and 

 Gamptmyx ; and the Ignoble Birds of Prey, namely the genera Aquila, 

 haliccetiu, Pandion, Circactui, Caracara, JJarpya, Morphnus, Cymindis, 

 Attur,Niiu>, Milvui, Ictinia, Elanus, Nauclerus, Pernis, Buteo, Circus. 

 3rd, the Messagers, or Serpentarii, consisting of one genus only, Ser- 

 jientariui, the Secretary Falcon. 



Mr. Swainson ('Fauna Boreali-Americana') remarks that in con- 

 templating the Diurnal Birds of Prey, arranged by Limucua under the 

 genus Falco, vre can be at no loss to discover the two typical forms in 

 the Toothed-Billed Falcons and the Sparrowhawks. Their peculia- 

 rities, he adds, did not escape the notice even of the earliest systematic 

 writers ; and the moderns, he observes, have only confirmed the just- 

 ness of the distinction. But with regard to the remaining groups he 



states that much diversity of opinion still exists ; not indeed as regards 

 the leading divisions, for here likewise the ancients had long ago 

 anticipated our distinctions between the Eagles, Kites, and Buzzards. 

 It is not therefore to these groups, taken per se, that any doubts can 

 attach on their respective peculiarities, but rather as to their relative 

 rank with those that are considered typical. These doubts, in Mr. 

 Swainsou's opinion, can only be solved by analysis; and from an 

 attentive consideration of the difficulties arising from the want of 

 materials in our museums, and other causes, he has been induced to 

 dissent from several modern writers upon this family. He admits that 

 it has been sufficiently proved that the various forms of which it is 

 composed exhibit, as a whole, a circular succession of affinities ; but 

 the true series of the secondary groups among themselves has not, he 

 asserts, yet been made out : he adds however that the inability to 

 state in what way the falcons or hawks form their own respective 

 circles cannot militate against the belief" that such is their true distri- 

 bution. "It remains therefore," continues Mr. Swainson, "to be 

 considered whether there is presumptive evidence to believe that the 

 three remaining divisions, namely, the Buzzards, Kites, and Eagles, 

 form one circular group independent of their affinity to the two 

 former. The true Buzzards, of which the Yulgaris and the Zayopus 

 may probably' be types, are slender long-winged birds ; the bill is 

 small, short, and considerably curved : in this structure they agree 

 with the true falcons, yet they are well known to be distinguished 

 from them by wanting the toothed-bill, and by the shortness and 

 graduated abbreviation of the exterior quill-feathers. Now, if nature 

 had proceeded in a simple course from the buzzards to the falcons, 

 we should have had birds uniting the distinctions of both variously 

 modified. Both these groups being composed in their typical examples 

 of slender long-winged birds with short bills, any species exhibiting 

 the reverse of such characters, and intervening between the two forms, 

 would certainly appear anomalous, on the supposition of a simple 

 series of affinities being aimed at. Yet that such birds are to be found 

 even among the few that we are subsequently to notice is unquestion- 

 able. Let us then take the Buteo borealis, which as being more allied 

 to the falcons than to the kites may be considered an iutervening 

 form between the Buteo vulgaris and Falco. We here see a large- 

 sized heavy bird with shortened wings not reaching to more than half 

 the length of the tail, while the elongated bill, unlike either that of 

 Buteo or Falco, obviously assimilates to that lengthened form which 

 belongs to the eagles. Now upon the supposition that a bird so 

 constructed is intended to fill up the interval between Buteo and 

 Palco, and at the same time to unite the former with the eagles, the 

 singularity of its structure is no longer surprising ; but if we consider 

 it with a simple reference to the passage between Buteo and Falco, 

 we are almost tempted to suspect that in this instance a real saltus 

 has been made." While upon this subject we may cite an acute 

 observation made by Prince C. L. Bonaparte, that " the Borealis is 

 almost as much an Astwr of the first sectiou as a Buteo ;" a proof at 

 least that its affinities to Astur and to the aberrant eagles adjoining 

 that group have not escaped observation. Our idea that the buzzards 

 are truly united to the eagles is still further strengthened by the 

 Buteo pteroclfs, Temm. ***. In this species the wings, as in Buteo, are 

 remarkably long ; but the bill is so considerably lengthened, that 

 were we to judge alone from this member we should have no scruple 

 in placing the bird among the Aquilce. On the other hand, it must 

 be remembered that as every group, from the highest to the lowest 

 denomination, when perfect, contains a representation of the other 

 four, united to a form peculiar to itself, so we might naturally expect 

 that one division of the buzzards would represent the true eagles. 

 To ascertain therefore whether the resemblances above stated are 

 those of analogy or of real affinity, recourse must be had to strict 

 analysis. Now this in our present state of knowledge cannot be done, 

 at least from the resources to be found in this country. We have 

 thought it advisable to cite the above facts, drawn from the structure 

 of the birds themselves, as likely to awaken the attention of ornitho- 

 logists to a further investigation of the subject ; they will at least 

 show that our opinion on the unity of the three aberrant groups is 

 not entirely without foundation. Mr. Swainsou considers the relative 

 value of the whole group equivalent to that of Vultur or Strut: in its 

 own order, and to the families composing the Rasores, Grallatores, 

 and Natatores, and he contemplates the five principal divisions as 

 genera, arranging the subordinate forms as sub-genera ; but in con- 

 sidering the five forms of the Falconidte as genera rather than sub- 

 families, he guards himself against the supposition that he may mean 

 to insinuate that the minor distinctions which have been dwelt upon 

 by several able ornithologists who have investigated this family are 

 either trivial or that they deserve not to be brought immediately 

 before us. On the contrary, he recommends to others the plan 

 adopted by himself, namely, the minute examination of every change 

 of structure, and the assembling together in minor groups such species 

 as agree in certain peculiarities. Further, he would proceed in certain 

 cases even to impose a name upon such groups, but in a family already 

 so crowded by generic names he considers it essential to preserve a 

 distinction between groups of unequal value ; and not to elevate 

 sub-genera, or forms of transition, to a rank they do not hold. 

 Milrayo, Polyborus, Daplrius, and Jbyctei' are unquestionably, in his 

 opinion, of the latter description, each confined but to one species ; 



