398 ORDER RAPTORES ; DIVISION INTO FAMILIES. 



utter. They build their nests in lofty situations, such as the 

 ledges of rocks, the tops of high trees, &c. ; and construct them 

 without any great art. They seldom lay more than four eggs ; 

 frequently only two or three ; and the young come forth in 

 a blind and feeble state, requiring the assistance of the parent 

 for some time. In this respect, there is another analogy between 

 the Birds of Prey and the Carnivorous Mammalia ; the young of 

 which last also come into the world in a blind and weak condi- 

 tion, and are long dependent upon their parents for their nourish- 

 ment. The task of supporting the young Birds of Prey chiefly 

 devolves upon the female ; and it is probably on this account 

 that she is larger and more powerful than the male. 



364. The order may be divided into four families, as follows. 

 I. FALCONID.E, the Falcons, Eagles, and Hawks, in which the 

 head, neck, and tarsi (or shanks) are covered with feathers ; the 

 bill short, very strong, and hooked at its point, and the upper 

 mandible more or less toothed ; and the talons very acute and 

 strongly curved. In this family, therefore, are most strongly 

 displayed the characters which mark the order ; and it is 

 obviously to be regarded as the typical group. II. VULTURIDJE, 

 the Vultures, in which the bill is longer, straight at the base, 

 and slightly or not at all toothed ; and in which the head, neck, 

 and tarsi are bare of feathers. III. The GYPOGERANIDJE, 

 including only a single species, the Secretary, which is allied to 

 both the Eagles and Falcons, but differs from both in the extra- 

 ordinary length of its tarsi, in which it resembles the "Waders. 

 The preceding family, which all agree in the lateral direction 

 of their eyes, constitute the division of the Diurnal Birds of 

 Prey; the Nocturnal division, in which the eyes are directed 

 forwards, consists but of one family; IV. The STRIGID^E, or 

 Owl tribe, which is characterised by the downiness of the 

 plumage ; the comparative weakness of the beak, and the 

 absence of teeth in the upper mandible ; and by the compara- 

 tive slenderness of the claws, of which the outer one can in 

 general be reversed, so as to bring two against two, and thus 

 to give a firmer grasp. 



365. Among the family FALCONID^E, we shall first notice 



