ACCIPITRES. 225 



Waders ; but its legs completely invested with feathers, its hooked 

 and cleft bill, projecting eye-lids, and all its anatomical details, place 

 it in the present order. The tarsus is scutellated, its toes short in 

 proportion, and the circumference of the eye devoid of feathers; it 

 has a long stiff crest on the occiput, and the two intermediate quills 

 of the tail extend much beyond the others. It inhabits the dry and 

 open grounds in the vicinity of the Cape, where it hunts reptiles on 

 foot ; its nails thus become worn by the effect of this exercise. Its 

 chief strength lies in the foot. It is the Faico serpentarius of Gmel. 

 Enl. 721; Vieill. Galer. 260. The inhabitants of Martinique have 

 endeavoured to multiply the breed, for there it does great service in 

 destroying the Lance-headed Viper with which that island is infested. 



THE NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY, 

 Have a large head; very large eyes, directed forwards, surrounded by a 

 circle of fringed feathers, the anterior of which cover the cera of the bill, 

 and the posterior the opening of the ear. Their enormous pupil permits 

 the entrance of so many rays of light, that they are dazzled by the full 

 light of the day. Their cranium, which is thick, but formed of a light 

 substance, is excavated by large sinuses, which communicate with the ear, 

 and which probably assist in strengthening the sense of hearing; but the 

 apparatus connected with flight possesses no great strength ; their four- 

 chette is weak in its power of resistance ; their feathers being soft, and 

 covered with a fine down, make no noise in flying. They have the power 

 of directing their external toe either forwards or backwards. These birds 

 are chiefly on the wing during twilight, and when the moon shines. When 

 attacked in the day time, or struck by some fresh object, they do not fly 

 off, but stand more erect, assume odd postures, and make ludicrous gestures. 

 Their gizzard is tolerably muscular, although their prey is wholly ani- 

 mal, consisting of mice, small birds, and insects; but it is preceded by a 

 large crop ; their caca are long and wide at bottom, &c. Small birds 

 have a natural antipathy to them, and frequently assemble from all quar- 

 ters to attack them ; a circumstance which causes them to be employed as 

 baits, to attract these nocturnal birds to nets. They form but one genus. 



Strix, Lin. 



The Owls may be divided according to their tufts, the size of their ears, 

 the extent of the circle of feathers which surrounds their eyes, and some 

 other characters. 



Those species which have a large and complete disk of fringed feathers 

 round the eyes, itself encircled by a ring or small collar of scaly feathers, 

 between which is a large opening for the ear, are removed, as to form and 

 habits, from the diurnal birds of prey, further still than those in which the 

 ear is small, oval, and covered by fringed feathers, which spring only from 

 under the eye. Traces of these differences may be seen even on the ske- 

 leton. Among the first species we shall particularize — 



