THE ACCIPITRINE BIRDS. 23 



"" jof a rock, and not often on a tree, but this sometimes happens. 



[The Indian Scavenger Vulture, however, often nests on a tree, 



^[appropriating the old nest of some other bird, just as the 



^Egyptian Vulture in Greece and other countries of the Mediter- 



ranean will make use of the disused nest of a Laemmer-geier, 

 or Bearded Eagle, and lays its eggs among the carapaces which 

 that bird has collected, after having cracked them upon the 



i bald skulls of the descendants of ^Eschylus, or upon the rocks 

 which, in modern times, do duty for that convenient mode of 



breaking up Tortoises. 



Eggs. These are generally very handsome, being profusely 



" r spotted with red on a white ground. The amount of red mark- 



ing varies considerably. They are generally two in number, 



and often only one egg is laid, while on very rare occasions 

 '.three have been met with. Axis, 2-5-275 inches; diam., 



THE TRUE RAPTORIAL, OR ACCIPITRINE, 

 BIRDS. FAMILY FALCONID^E. 



Although the name of Falconida is generally in use for the 

 Birds of Prey as a whole, the Family includes a number of 

 ;Vccipitrine forms which are far removed from the Falcons, 

 Jarhich the name of the Family would imply as being the most 

 r j;ypical. Between the True Falcons and the Vultures are found 



number of intermediate types, which are divisible into 

 sub-families. Thus we have the Caracaras of South America 

 ' Polyborin(Z\ Ground Birds of Prey, with their toes connected 

 a membrane. To these the Secretary-Bird of Africa is 

 ikin, but presents so many points of structural difference that 

 t may be considered the type of a separate Sub-family (Ser- 

 mntariince)) now peculiar to Africa, but found in ancient times 

 n France. Of the general mass of Accipitrine Birds, which 

 mve only a slight membrane connecting the outer and middle 

 :oes at the base, we have four Sub-families : the Long-legged 

 Hawks (Accipitrina), such as the Harriers, Goshawks, and 

 sparrow-Hawks ; and the shorter-legged series, comprising the 

 Buzzards (Buteonina\ the Eagles (Aquilina), and the Falcons 

 [Falconince). 



With the web-footed Birds of Prey we have nothing to do, 



