CHAPTER III. 



FOURTH ORDER. RAPTORES. 



THE birds of prey constitute this well-defined order. Their 

 bill, like that of the Parrots, is stout (generally about as deep 

 as long), and strongly hooked; it is likewise furnished with a 

 true cere, containing the nostrils but often concealed by feath- 

 ers. The toes, however, are not arranged in pairs, but on the 

 general plan of three in front and one behind ; the feet are 

 highly muscular, and furnished with sharp, fully developed 

 claws, called " talons." These are the principal external fea- 

 tures. 



The birds of prey are noted for the strength, rapidity, grace, 

 or ease, of their flight, and, in many cases, for their extraordi- 

 nary power of sailing. With the exception of the Vultures, 

 they are famous for their spirit, variously displayed in energy, 

 boldness, or courage, and for their carnivorous taste. For the 

 most part, they feed upon smaller birds, quadrupeds, snakes, 

 fish, and even insects, which they capture for themselves. They 

 are hardy, being furnished with thick feathering, and with an 

 encasement of fat, which enables them to withstand the cold 

 and to live without food much longer than human beings can. 

 They are to a large extent non-migratory, and those that 

 migrate probably, in a great measure, do so to follow their 

 prey rather than to avoid the winter weather in their summer 

 homes. They have been known to travel in large flocks, and 

 the Fish Hawks are said often to build their nests in commu- 

 nities, but ordinarily they are eminently unsocial, though faith- 

 ful to their chosen haunts. 



The Vultures are gregarious, cowardly, voracious, but rather 

 slothful, and feed chiefly on carrion, which they frequently 

 disgorge, when disturbed ; whereas both the Hawks, and the 



