Order Accipitres. 89 



large and round and, in the Eagles, are flattened upon the crown ; their eyes are 

 large, very keen of vision, and are protected by a superciliary ridge ; the apertures 

 of the ears are large, round, or elliptical ; the beak is a perfect cutting instrument 

 ffalx, hence FalconidccJ is short, stout, compressed towards the end, curved from 

 the base, sharp at the tip, near which on the upper mandible there is a projecting 

 festoon or tooth ; both mandibles have sharp edges ; the legs are of moderate 

 length, or, as in the Harj^iers, elongated ; tarsi very muscular, sometimes feathered, 

 as in Aquila, but generally bai-e ; usually scutellate in front and behind; some- 

 times scaly all round. The toes are four ; the first large and stout ; the third 

 longest; the second larger than the fourth, the anterior somewhat webbed at the 

 base ; all scutellate towards the end, sometimes in their whole length ; padded or 

 papillate beneath. The claws are long, tapering, and very acute, with a great 

 range of motion, but not retractile. The wings are ver}^ large, varying much in 

 form ; being very long, or of moderate length ; pointed, as in the true Falcons ; 

 or rounded, as in the Sparrow-Hawk ; the tail, always of twelve feathers, is never 

 small, but varies in shape, being even, graduated, emarginate, or forked. The 

 majority of the Falconidae, owing to their pointed claws, are incapable of walking 

 upon the ground, and can onl}' progress upon it b}^ long hops aided bv their 

 ■wings. They seize their victims with their talons, thrust into them their long 

 acuminate claws, and when of sufficiently small size carrj^ them off to some secure 

 retreat. The bill is not generally used for inflicting wounds, but with it the}- 

 remove the hair or feathers, previously to eating the flesh, which the}^ tear up 

 with ease, often swallowing the bones. Like the Owls, they void the indigestible 

 portions of their food in the form of pellets. Their pre}- consists of small mam- 

 mals, birds, fishes, reptiles, birds' eggs, and insects, and some of them -n-ill devour 

 carrion. Their flight is powerful, graceful, and varied ; strong and swift in the 

 Falcons ; more buoyant in the Harriers ; light and gliding in the Hawks ; heavier 

 in the Buzzards and Eagles ; soaring in circles in the Kites. They perch with 

 ease, and when at rest on a branch or crag keep the body nearly erect, and the 

 neck much retracted. On a level surface, they incline the body forward, and draw 

 up their claws. 



As it would be fatal to them to moult all their feathers at once, as thev 

 are entirely dependent on obtaining their food by flight, their moult is a gradual 

 process, feather by feather, and beginning at the end of the summer is continued 

 until the winter. Their cries are loud and shrill, with little modulation. Thev 

 pair early in the spring, forming rude nests of sticks, t\\-igs, and other materials, 

 lined with a little wool or grass, many of them are content to occupy the deserted 

 nest of some other bird, or to nest upon the ground ; the eggs are from two to 



