



KALCUN1 



FALCON ID.*. 



: .; 



rare, though at one time it was evidently abundant. Cluaius state* 

 that when he was in London an amazing number ot Kite* flocked 

 there tot the oflal* which were thrown into the itroeU. They were to 

 tame that they took their prey in the tuidit ot crowd*, and it waa 

 forbidden to kill them. In falconry it waa used both ai pursuer and 

 punued, and U very docile. Louis XVI. flew at the Kilo with P..W.T- 

 ful falcon.; and Sir John Sebright toll* in that " Fork-Tail,-,! Kit., 

 were much flown some yean ago by the Earl of Orford in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Alconbury HilL A great owl, to the leg of which the 

 falconer* luually tie a foz'a brush, not only to impede its flight, but 

 to make it, u they fancy, more attractive, U thrown up to draw down 

 the Kile." 



Colonel Syke* note* Milou goviuda a* occurring both in South 

 Africa and India. In the catalogue of the South African Museum 

 U the following account of MUrtu panuilicta, the Cape Kite, there 

 preferred : "This bird u the Kuicken Deif, or Chicken-Stealer of 

 the Dutch colonist*, and only appears in South Africa during the 

 summer inarm It resorts to inhabited places, ami as its name 

 implies, is very destructive to young chickens. Everywhere it is 

 bold ; but it u especially so in districts into which fire-arms have not 

 me yet been introduced, where it will pounce down and seize pieces 

 of flesh from the hands of children, or even grown persons. It feeds 

 in part upon carrion, and many individuals are often seen congregated 

 together upon dead carcases." 



General Geographical Distribution of the Falconida. Wherever 

 birds and small quadrupeds are to be found, there is the bird of prey, 

 whose office it is to keep their number within their proper bounds. 

 Thus as Mr. Vigors writes (' Zool. Journ.,' vol. i. p. 329' On the 

 Groups of the Falcouidie '), there seem to be no limit* affixed to the 

 geographical distribution of the true Falcons. This indeed appears 

 generally the case in the larger groups of this family. The Naked- 

 Cheeked Faleonid<t alone seem to be confined to the southern parts of 

 the New World, and to Australia, if we ore to refer P. Nora 

 Xirlandiir of Dr. Ijatham to the genus Polyboria, according to M. 

 Temminck's opinion. But the remaining groups appear to be 

 dispersed in every division of the globe. 



The Falconida! described and figured in Mr. Swainson's ' Birds of 

 Western Africa,' before alluded to, belong to the two most typical or 

 perfect divisions of the family, namely, the Noble Falcons (Falconida), 

 and the Hawks, (Accljiitritut). 



Some of the best illustrations of the Falconida! will be found in 

 Audubon, Bewick, Gould, Le Vaillaut, Temminck, Savigny, Swainson, 

 Vieillot, and YarrelL Some of Prison's figures are good. There nre 

 many fine and expensive works (the 'Planches Eulumiiices,' for 

 example), which contain figures of these noble birds, but they are 

 sadly deficient in character, and look like what thoy were mostly 

 taken from ill-stuffed specimens. There is more to be learnt from 

 the wood-cute of the heads by Swainson in ' Fauna Boreali- Americana ' 

 and the ' Classification of Birds,' than from the most gorgeously coloured 

 ill-lia|pl engraving. The magnificent works of Audubou and Gould 

 are full of the character of the respective species : Swaiuson particu- 

 larly excel* in this, whether he portrays the bird in his beautiful 

 drawings, or gives an epitome of its leading points in the small 

 compass of a wood-cut The figure* in Yarrell's ' British Birds ' are 

 excellent, and charming examples of the perfection to which wood 

 engraving can be carried. 



The following is an arrangement of the species of I'alcunitlu 

 upeoimens of which are to bo seen in the British Museum : 



Family KAU U.MDJ-. 



Sub-Family I. A'tuilitirr. 

 I. .I'/ui/n. 



II. 



. 



1. A. dtrytalloi, the Golden Kaglp. 



2. A. Mi.'/ilMil; tin- Imp 



', tin- K..ii|;h-l'ooU-.l K.iglo. 

 4. A. ntnioula, the Tawny I 

 .V A. thiuUii, Honour* Eagle. 



1'nafltu. 

 t. A. OIK/OX, the Bold Eagle. 



Ptmafltu, 



7. A. rulturina, the Vtilturinc Eagle. 

 Jfierafltu. 



8. A. ptnnata, tho Booted Eagle. 

 Hetenmu. 



9. A. ifalayaua, Rcinwardfs Kay].-. 



. 

 8pitatlt. 



ormatiu, the Crated Goshawk. 

 2. S. Mtfasra*, the Martial I 

 t. & coronal**, the Crowned Eagle. 

 ffitatlur. 

 4. ft. m-LinoltuciH, the Black and Whit. K ,g| o . 



. 



5. or.-ipilolit, the Ocdpitnl Engle. 



i. r 



6. & Tfrmutui, the Tyrant Eagle. 



e. Lymnaflnt. 



7. & cirrluilut, the Crested Indian Eagle. 



8. & Bvnuonriuis, the Crustod Bornean Eagle. 



III. Ilirpctotlura. 



1. //. cac/iinnufij, the Laughing Falcon. 



IV. Circaittu. 

 a. Circaftut. 



1. C. Gallic*!, the Jtan-le-Blanc I 



2. C. thoracicu*, the Blaak-BnMkad Btftr. 



5. C.fiuciolutui, the Banded Falcon. 



b. Spilornit. 



4. C. Jtatlia, thb Bacha Kiigle. 



6. C. Cheela, the ChecU Eagle. 



0. <7. Jlototpilui, the Spotted liicln. 



c. JJarpyhaliattiu. 



1. C. coronattu, the Crowned Eagl.-. 



V. Tkraaftut. 



1. T. Ilarpyia, the Crested Eagle. 



VI. Morphnut. 



1 . M. Guianeniit, the Guyana Goshawk. 



2. M. Urubitinga, the I I iigle. 



3. 3f. meridional!*, the liufous-Headed Falcon. 



VII. Pandion. 

 a. Pamlion, 



1. P. Jfaliaftut, the 0]>rey. 



2. P. leucocephaliu, the Whitc-Itoadcd O.ipr.-y. 

 It. Polioaftut. 



3. P. Icltthyaetni, the Marine Eagle. 



4. P. liumilit, the Small Marine Eagle. 



VIII. Cuncuma. 



a. Cuncuma. 



1. C. Macel, Mace's Eagle. 



2. C. leucoyaitei; the White-Bellied Eagle. 

 8. C. rocifer, the Piscivorous Eagle. 



b. (ieranoaetiu. 



4. C. melanoleucut, the Black and Wliite Eagle. 



IX. JJaliaelut. 



1.' II. albicilla, the Cinereous Eagle. 

 2. //. Uucoceplialut, the Bald Eagle. 



X. lltlotartu*. 



1. 11. ecautlalia, the Short-Toiled Eagle. 



XI. Jlntiiulur. 



1. Jf. Indus, the Pondicherry Eagle. 



2. //. leucotterntu, the Whiti-Hi-aded Rufous Eagle. 



3. //. Sphenurui, the Whistling Hawk. 

 Sub-Family II. Polyborina. 



I. Jbyctcr. 



1. /. Americanut, the Red-Throated Falcon. 



2. /. to-, the Block Coracarn. 



II. Milvago. 

 a. Milvago. 



1. M. ehimachinia, the Chiniachiin.i Falcon. 



2. M. chimango, the Chimaugo Caracara. 

 6. Phalcobainut. 



8. M. megalopteria, the Long- Winged Coracara. 



c. Actotriorcliiit. 



4. M. awtralii, the Southern Carai::u-.i. 



III. Potyborut. 



1. /*. BrOtttuMilfOu I'ra/.iliau Kite. 

 Snip Family III. Jluli." 



I. Huteo. 

 a. /Intro. 



1. B. vulyarii, the Common Iliix/jird. 

 -. /'. n Bu/.zanl. 



3. /*. rujintu, tin' l,.'iin I. ,i-,l. 



4. //. J,i,-l-iil, tho.l.-tckal Falcon. 



6. U. auyur, the Nurth African Bu/./jinl. 

 ii. II. i>lttmi/M-t, the Half-Booted Bii/wuml. 



ft. J'<rcUoptcriu*. 



7. Jl. bortalit, the American Buzzard. 



8. S. lintattu, the Barrod-Brea8tu<l Buzzaiil. 



9. Jl. Pennfi/lranifim, tho Biwul- Winged Fall-nil. 

 r. Tiir/ii/lriorchu*. 



10. Jl. crytkronotut, the Red-Backed Bu/.zanl 



11. Jl. /.(. <./,,, til.' IJandeplSi.!.-.! Hawk. 



12. B. nltonotalia, the Wliilr S, ml. 



13. Jl. Icucopi, tho White-Faced Bux/jir.1. 

 </. Hutcoyallui. 



1 4. Ii. aquinocliali*, the Equinoctial Eagle. 



16. Ii. nvjricollu, the 1'amena Eagle. 

 e. LtUCOpb 



lip. Jl. miinnn^t, the Streaked V. 



17. Jl. iilbicuItU, tins Wliiiv-N.'. I.. ! l-'ji' 



18. Jl. tcotoptcrut, tho ISnmlian ltu//.ard. 

 1:>. /(. f^Honolwt, the Oray-Biicked IJu/./jird. 



II. Archiltutco. 



1. .1 Mi.- Rough-Legged Falcon. 



2. A. Kuncti Johanna, the St. Jolni' I 



