226 



A fifth family, the Cariamidce, or Cariainas, is quite nearly related to 

 those mentioned, and has by some authors been even included among 

 the Falconidce ; but the degree of its relationship by no means justifies 

 that view of its affinity. The families Strigidce, Falconidce, Cathartidcey 

 Serpentariidce, and Cariamidce may possibly be eventually combined to 

 form an order; but whether this association would be a natural one is an 

 undecided question, beyond the province of this paper. 



Having defined the limits of the family Falconidce, it now remains to 

 treat of this alone ; the subdivisions of the family being the subject of 

 discussion. 



To the present time, the Falconidce have been divided into a greater 

 or less number of so-called " subfamilies", the number varying accord- 

 ing to the author ; those founding their classification on purely exter- 

 nal characters finding it necessary to adopt a great many, and those 

 relying upon the anatomical characters carefully avoiding any sub- 

 division at all.* 



To review in this connection all the classifications of the family which 

 have been proposed up to the present time would require far more space 

 than the limits of this memoir will allow: each author, while following 

 a generally-recognized plan, having his own peculiar views regarding 

 certain details of arrangement. It will, therefore, suffice for the pres- 

 ent to give a mere outline of this generally-adopted plan, and supple- 

 ment it by the modified systems of our latest and best authorities. 



The " subfamilies" usually recognized are the following : (1) " Falco- 

 ninm''\ (2) ^^Milvince^\ (3) ^'■Acc%pitrince'>\ (4) '■'■ Circince'''' , (5) '•'■Buteoninoi^-, 

 (6) ^^Acj[uilince^\ and (7) '■'• Polyhorince.''^ Some authors add " Circwtince^^ 

 and '•'■Pandionince^^ ; while i)revious to the important discovery, made 

 by Professor Huxley, regarding the vultures before alluded to, this 

 supposed family was divided into the so-called subfamilies, (1) " Ytil- 

 turince^\ (2) " Gypincc''\ (3) '•'• Neoplironince^\ (4) ^'•Gypaetinw'^ and (5) " Gy- 

 2)ohieracinc6'\ — some authors grouping two or more of these in one, 

 others recognizing all. They are all, of course, typical Falconidce, thus 

 making a total of fourteen subfamilies into which this family has been 

 divided, when there are in reality but two. 



Mr. George Eobert Gray, in his "Hand List of Birds in the Brit- 

 ish Museum ",t divides the Falconidce into seven so-called subfamilies, 

 as follows: [1) Polyhorince, Lafr., 1839 { = Polybori of the subfamily 

 Falconince); {2y^ Biiteonincc, Swains., 1837"; (3) ^ ^ Aqtdlince, SwAms., 

 1837"; (including Pfm^io?i !) ; (4) "PaZco/mifc, Swains., 1837" (including 

 Harpagusl); (5) " ilfiZwnfe, BoNAP., 1838 "; (6) '■'■Accipitrince, Swains., 

 1837" (including Herpetotheres and Micrastnr, both groups of the sub- 

 family Falconidce) and (7) " Circince, Bp." 



Messrs. Philip Lutley Sclater and Osbert Salvin, in their " N'omencla- 

 tor Avium Neotropicalium^W divide the American members of the fam- 

 ily into the following "subfamilies": (1) '■'■Pandionince''^ (2) '■^Circince^\ 

 (3) '•'■Buteonince^'', (4) '•'■Accipitrince''\ (5) '■'■Falconince,^' (6) ^^Milvince^\ (7) 

 ^'■Merpetotherince^^ and (8) '■^ Polyhorince J^ 



Mr. E. Bowdler Sharpe, in his recently-published great-work upon 

 the diurnal "Accipi^res",§ employs a singularly inconsistentclassificationj 



*Thishas, perhaps, been mainly due, not to the difficulty of finding sufficiently good char- 

 acters, but to the fact that the conclusions arrived at were so opposed to views long estab- 

 lished by usage. 



t London, 1869, (vol. I). 



t London, 1873, pp. 1 18-123. 



§ Catalogue of the Accipitres, or diurnal birds of prey, in the collection of the British 

 Museum. London, July, 1874. 



