156 



SUPPLEMENT ON THE ACCIPITRES. 



The Accipitres, or birds of prey, also termed rapaces and 

 raptorial birds by some writers, constitute the first order of the 

 class Aves. They are divided, as we have seen in the text, 

 into two families, the diurnal and nocturnal accipitres. 



The accipitres, as an order, are very strongly distinguished 

 from all other birds. Their curved and powerful beak, strong 

 limbs, acerated talons, robust head and neck, expansive wings, 

 rapid and lofty flight, compact and solid frame, characterise 

 them as eminently carnivorous. They all subsist by rapine, 

 on living prey, or dead carcasses, and, unlike the granivorous 

 races, they can dispense with water. The females are hand- 

 somer, and generally one-third larger than the males. These 

 birds are exceedingly analogous to the carnivorous quadrupeds. 

 The vultures, the griffins, the eagles, the hawks, &c., hold a 

 similar place in the creation with the lion, the tiger, the bear, 

 and all the different feline or canine races. They build their 

 nests on the loftiest rocks and in the wildest solitudes. They 

 seldom lay more than from two to four eggs, and are mono- 

 gamous. Their temperament, like that of the carnivorous 

 quadrupeds, is sanguinary and ferocious, and their voice is 

 hoarse, shrill, or piercing. 



Few birds exhibit so many changes on the type in plumage 

 as the diurnal accipitres, from their birth to advanced age. 

 Accordingly, we find it extremely difficult to determine the 

 species, and even the sexes with precision, during the first two 

 years, except among a few of them, in regard to size, in conse- 

 quence of the similarity in the liveries both of male and female. 

 In the young, the colours are less pure, and the spots more 

 prominent and numerous before the first moulting, and often 

 before the second. After this last, the tints grow purer, the 

 spots and streaks begin to change ; and this takes place more 

 and more in proportion as the bird grows older. In certain 



