16 ACCIPITRES. FALCONID^E. 



FAMILY II. FALCONID^E. 



(Falcons.) 



The structure and habits of the Falcons dis- 

 play the highest development of the destructive 

 faculty. The feet are eminently formed for strik- 

 ing and trussing, and the beak for dissecting their 

 prey, which, with scarcely an exception, con- 

 sists of living animals; and for the pursuit and 

 conquest of, these, the birds before us are endowed 

 with vigorous limbs ; the wings being for the most 

 part long, dense, and capable of powerful flight, 

 and the feet strong and muscular, and armed with 

 formidable talons. In almost all cases they ob- 

 tain their prey by the exercise of their own 

 energies, either striking it down upon the wing, 

 or pouncing upon it on the ground : all the ver- 

 tebrate d animals that they can overcome and kill 

 are their victims, though some species are more 

 restricted in their choice than others, and a few 

 even feed upon large insects. In a state of free- 

 dom no rapacious bird would eat any other than 

 animal food, and if it were placed in circum- 

 stances where this could not be obtained, it would 

 probably die of hunger, rather than voluntarily 

 have recourse to any other diet. Yet the ex- 

 periments of John Hunter prove that there is no 

 physical impossibility in the case. " That the 

 Hawk-tribe can be made to feed upon bread, I 

 have known," says that distinguished anatomist, 

 " these thirty years ; for to a tame Kite I first 

 gave fat, which it ate readily; then tallow and 

 butter ; and afterwards small balls of bread rolled 



