RAPTORES. 



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eyes directed forwards ; and the Diurnal Raptores, which 

 catch their prey by day, and have the eyes directed laterally. 



The section of the Nocturnal Raptores includes the single 

 family of the Strigitke, or Owls. In these birds the eyes are 



Fig. 229. A, Foot of the Peregrine Falcon ; B, Head of Buzzard. 



large, and are directed forwards. The plumage is exceedingly 

 loose and soft, so that their flight (even when they are of large 

 size) is almost noiseless; and it is generally spotted or barred with 

 different shades of grey, brown, or yellow. The beak is short, 

 strongly hooked, furnished with bristles at its base, and having 

 the nostrils pierced in a membranous " cere " at the base of the 

 upper mandible. The cranial bones are highly pneumatic, and 

 the head is therefore of large size. The feathers of the face 

 usually form an incomplete or complete " disc " or circle round 

 each eye (fig. 230, B). and a circle of plumes is likewise placed 



Fig. 230. A, Foot of tawny Owl (Ulula stridula) ; B, Head of white Owl 

 (Strix JJammea) . 



round each external meatus auditorius. Besides this auricular 

 circle of feathers, the external meatus of the ear is likewise 

 protected by a fold of skin. The legs are short and strong, 

 and are furnished with four toes, all armed with strong crooked 



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