62 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



the percentage of stomachs containing various kinds of food than to try 

 to estimate the percentage of each kind of food taken by the species. 



Species marked g are near the border line of beneficial birds. 



. 



Food of New York hawks and owls 

 Percentage of stomachs examined containing various kinds of food 



Suborder SARCORHAIVIPHI 



Family CA.THA.RTIDAB 



American vultures 



Characters. Bill strong, elongated, hooked at the tip and blunt; 

 nostrils large, longitudinal and perforate; head and neck rather long, bare, 

 rough and usually bright colored; tongue thick and fleshy; eyes prominent; 

 feet clumsy and covered with small scales; front toes long, webbed at the 

 base; hind toe short and elevated; talons obtuse and only slightly curved; 

 wings very ample; n primaries; tail of moderate length, even or slightly 

 rounded, consisting of 12 or 14 rectrices; the basipterygoid process is present; 



