134 



STJBKINGDOM VERTEBRATA. 



The Great-horned Owl, with a single exception, is the 

 largest in the United States. It is often called the Cat Owl, 

 as its tufts, erectile at will, give its head a sinister aspect not 

 unlike that animal. 



Falconidae. The Falcons, Hawks, and Eagles are in- 

 cluded in this family. They are wont to dash their prey to 

 the ground, and with their powerful talons * carry it to a 

 quiet spot to eat uninterrupted ; or, if too large to bear away, 

 to gorge themselves and then retreat to some sequestered 

 place for digestion, f 



Fig. 



Fctico sparvenus, Sparrow Hawk. 



Astur atricapittus, Goshawk. 



The Sparrow Hawk, though one of the smallest, is a typica] 

 Falcon. So quickly does it close its wings when alighting 



* When a Bird of Prey wishes to kill an animal with its claws it has only to rest 

 down with its own weight, and the bending of the legs will thrust its talons deep 

 into the flesh of its victim, (see Fig. 27). The principle is illustrated in the roosting 

 of a common fowl. When asleep it retains its hold of its perch by one foot, the 

 other being drawn up under the feathers. Its grasp of the perch is involuntary, the 

 muscles of the leg being so contrived that when the limb is bent the foot closes and 

 remains so without any exertion of the will ; and when straightened, the toes open 

 and the hold is relaxed. A bird cannot keep its foot open when its leg is bent. This 

 may be verified by watching a fowl walking. It closes its toes as it lifts its foot, and 

 spreads them out again as they touch the ground. 



t They then vomit forth, in rounded pellets, the indigestible bones and feathers 

 which they have swallowed in their eager haste. 



