ORDER ACCIPITRES. 23 



The Vuliurine Eagle, Lath. {Falco VuUurinus, Shaw. 

 Vail. O. A. t. 6.) 



Is referred to this division by Temminck, but it is 

 placed with the Fishing Eagle, by other ornitholo- 

 gists. The wings are black, and much longer than the 

 tail ; legs dirty yellow. Size of the Golden Eagle. 



Tawny Vulture, Lath. {Falco ambustus, Gm.) 

 Brown, Illust. Zool. t. i., from Falkland Islands ; 

 appears also to belong to this genus. 



The Falcons, (Falco, Lin.) 



Form the second, and much the most numerous, divi- 

 sion of the diurnal birds of prey. They have the 

 head and neck covered with feathers ; their eye- 

 brows are so prominent as to give the eyes the ap- 

 pearance of being sunk in the head, and to the whole 

 physiognomy a character very different from that of 

 the vultures. The majority of them feed on living 

 prey ; but they differ greatly among themselves in 

 the courage displayed in the pursuit of it. Their 

 early plumage is often differently coloured from that 

 of adult age, and they do not assume the adult dress 

 until three or four years old, a circumstance which 

 has induced an improper multiplication of the spe- 

 cies. The female is in general one-third larger 

 than the male, which is, hence, sometimes called the 

 tercel. 



This genus should be first divided into two large 

 sections. 



m 



