196 CLASS AVES. 



narrowed and pointed at the end. The second is the longest, 

 and the others, from the fourth to the tenth, are regularly' 

 wedged. 



Between the falcons proper and the gerfalcons, there are 

 differences which have determined the formation of two sec- 

 tions. The first are distinguished by a tooth more strongly 

 defined on each side of the upper mandible, which, among 

 the others, is a mere festoon : the lower mandible is also 

 much more sloped at its point in the true falcons. 



In the species of both sections we find the general cha- 

 racters of the great genus Falco of Linnseus. The head and 

 neck clothed with feathers, the brows forming a projection 

 Avhich makes the eye appear sunk ; and the female one-third 

 larger than the male, which occasions the latter to be called in 

 French tlercelet. But the falcons, more courageous in pro- 

 portion to their size, and, therefore, termed noble birds of 

 prey, have peculiar habits resulting from the length of the wings, 

 which, in a calm air, renders their flight very oblique, and 

 forces them, when they want to rise directly, to fly against the 

 wind. They are also more docile, and fitter for the purposes of 

 falconry, being more easily taught to pursue the game, and to 

 return when called. Daudin remarks, that the larger species 

 of falcons have, like the eagles, pentagonous and hexagonous 

 scales on the tarsi, and that the smaller species, such as the 

 merlins, have, on the front of the tarsus, half-rings, divided in 

 the centre, M, Savigny has also observed, that the tarsi of 

 the falcons have larger scales on the internal side in front. 



The falcons subsist exclusively on living prey, which they 

 seize adroitly, or tire down in pursuit ; and they nestle gene- 

 rally in rocks, or very elevated trees. 



The Common Falcon is about the size of a hen. Bufifon 

 has given two figures, a male and female ; the former was 

 from a bird one foot six or seven inches in length, and the 

 latter about four inches more. A young one, represented by the 

 same author, has the upper part of the body covered with 



