FALCONIN.E. BUTEO. 37 



long, curved or arched, tapering, very acute. Plumage 

 generally full ; down very soft and copious ; wings large, 

 of moderate length or very long ; tail of twelve feathers. 

 The wings and tail vary extremely in length and form. 

 The bill and feet also present various modifications. 



Falconine Birds are met with in all climates. They 

 prey on animals of various kinds, which they pursue on 

 wing, and seize with their feet, thrusting into them their 

 long acuminate claws. The feathers, hair, and bones of 

 their victims are disgorged in pellets. Their senses of 

 sight and hearing are very acute, their flight powerful. 

 They are generally incapable of walking, but perch with 

 ease,* and when roosted keep the body nearly erect. Al- 

 though solitary, some species congregate occasionally when 

 food is abundant. Their cries are loud and shrill. They 

 nestle on rocks, on trees, or on the ground, forming a rude 

 nest, or sometimes occupying that of another bird, and lay 

 from two to eight eggs, the larger species having fewer 

 than the smaller. The young, which are at first covered 

 with light-coloured down, remain until fully fledged. 

 The colours of the plumage change, and are not perfect- 

 ed until the third or fourth year. Sometimes also the 

 female differs in colour from the male. The males are 

 always much smaller than the females. When the sexes 

 differ in colour, the young resemble the female, which is 

 generally darker and more variegated than the male. 



GENUS II. BUTEO. BUZZARD. 



Bill short, compressed toward the end, with the upper 

 outline sloping a little to the edge of the cere, then decurved, 

 the sides rapidly sloping, the edges with a distinct rounded 

 festoon. Tongue short, rather narrow, concave above, with 

 the tip rounded and emarginate ; crop very large ; stomach 

 large, round, a little compressed, its coats thin ; pylorus with 

 three or four prominent rugae ; intestine of moderate length, 

 rather wide ; cceca very small. Nostrils elliptical, oblique. 



