22O The Falcon-like Birds 



Falconets. Differing from the true Falcons very greatly in point of size, and 

 structurally in having oval nostrils, are the curious little Pygmy Falcons, or Fal- 

 conets (Microhierax) , of the eastern Himalayas and Burma, and extending thence 

 through the Malay, Peninsula to Java, Borneo, the Philippine and Nicobar 

 islands. The smallest of these is only five and one half inches long, and the 

 largest is under seven inches in length, yet they have, it is said, all the spirit and 

 dash of their larger relatives, not infrequently attacking and killing birds much 

 larger than themselves. They have rather short wings, which are moved rapidly 

 and continuously when in flight, and short bills, which are provided with a sharp 

 tooth and a notch on either side. The Red-legged Falconet (M. ccerulescens), 

 the smallest species, is found from Nepal and Sikhim to Burma, Siam, and 

 Cambodia. It is greenish black above and mostly chestnut below, with forehead, 

 hind neck, and collar of white, while the wings and tail are black, barred, or spotted 

 with white. This, and apparently other species as well, feeds largely upon 

 dragon-flies, beetles, butterflies, and other large insects, and occasionally upon 

 small birds and mammals. They nest in hollow trees, lining the bottom of the 

 cavity with wings of insects. The eggs are white. The Black-legged Falconet 

 (M. fringillarius} of ^he Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo is six 

 and one tenth inches long, and is bluish black above, with the quills and tail 

 black, barred with white on the inner web, and glossy black thighs, while the 

 so-called White-legged species (M. mdanoleucus} of Assam and Cachar is similar, 

 but has the thighs and abdomen white. 



Slightly larger than these, but otherwise quite similar, are the Falconets of the 

 genus Poliohierax, which includes two species, one of which, the African Fal- 

 conet (P. semitorquatus), a bird about seven and one half inches long, is found 

 in southeastern and northwestern Africa, and the other (P. insignis] in the Indo- 

 Chinese countries. Of the former Mr. Andersson, who found it in Damaraland, 

 writes: "It is always met with in pairs and usually perches on bushes or on the 

 lower or middle branches of small trees. I never saw it soar like other Falcons; 

 it is not shy, and when disturbed it never moves farther than to the next con- 

 spicuous tree or bush. It feeds on small birds, mice, lizards, and coleopterous 

 insects, the latter being, I apprehend, its chief food." 



Carrion Buzzards. The second subfamily, embracing the so-called Carrion 

 Buzzards (Polyborince], is less numerous in genera and species ^han is the last, 

 and may be known by having three or more of the outer primaries with their 

 inner webs cut, with an oblique sinuation near the middle, while the third or 

 fourth quills are longest and the first shorter than the fifth. Of the more tech- 

 nical characters it is unnecessary to speak, beyond the statement that the cutting 

 edge of the upper mandible is without a distinct tooth or notch, the sides of the 

 face are for the most part bare, and the toes connected by an interdigital mem- 

 brane near their bases. 



The Carrion Buzzards are all natives of the New World and are disposed in 

 three genera and about a dozen species, only two of which reach the United 

 States. They all have rather long legs, the members of two genera being chiefly 

 terrestrial whereas the other (Ibycter) is entirely arboreal. 



