THE BIRDS 219 



a rude platform of twigs, and in the care of the young 

 both parents have a share. The young at hatching are 

 blind, naked, and perfectly helpless, and are fed masticated 

 food from the crops of the parents until able to subsist on 

 fruits and seeds. 



206. Eagles, hawks, owls, etc. (Raptores). The birds of 

 prey, all of which belong to this order, are carnivorous, 

 often of large size and great strength, and are widely dis- 

 tributed throughout this country. The vultures live on 

 carrion, some of the small hawks and owls on insects, while 

 the majority capture small birds and mammals by the aid of 

 powerful talons. In every case the beak is hooked, and the 

 perfection of the organs of sight and hearing is unequaled 

 by any other animal, man included. They live in pairs, 

 and in many species mate for life. As a rule, the female 

 incubates the eggs, and the male assists in collecting 

 food. 



Among the vultures, the turkey-buzzard (Cathartes aura) 

 is most abundant throughout the United States, especially 

 in the warmer portions, where it plays an important part 

 as a scavenger. Of the several species of hawks, the white- 

 rumped marsh-hawk (Circus hudsonius), the red-tailed 

 hawk (Buteo borealis), the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo 

 lineatus), and above all the bold though diminutive spar- 

 row-hawk (Falco sparverius) are the most abundant and 

 familiar. In the more unsettled regions live the golden 

 eagle (Aquila chrysaetus) and bald eagle (Haliaetus leuco- 

 ceplialus). The owls are nocturnal, and not so often seen 

 as the other birds of prey, yet the handsome and fierce 

 barn or monkey-faced owl (Strix pratincola}, and the larger 

 species, such as the great gray owl (Scotiaptex cinereua), 

 and the beautiful snowy owl (Nyctea nyctea], are more or 

 less common, and occasionally seen. Much more abundant 

 is the little screech-owl (Megascops asio), and in the West- 

 ern States the burrowing-owl (Speotyto cunicularia), which 

 lives in the burrows of the ground-squirrels and prairie- 



