50 



STRIGIDiE. 



the under parts of the body, which disappear when 

 the bird puts on his adult plumage. 



GENUS XXX.— MILVUS Auctorum. KITE. 



Beak mediocral, weak, above 

 somewhat angular ; nos- 

 trils oblique, elliptic. 



Tarsi short ; acrotarsia scu- 

 tellated. 



Wings very long ; the fourth 

 quill longest. 



Tail forked. 



Rostrum mediocre, debile, 



supra subangulare ; nares 



obliquae, ellipticae. 

 Tarsi breves; acrotarsia scu- 



tellata. 

 Alee longissimae ; 



quarta longissima 

 Cauda furcata. 



remex 



Sp. 1. Mi. ictinus. 



Falco ictinus. Shaw, v. vii. p. 103. — Falco austriacus. Shaw, 

 v. vii. p. 10/. — Britain and Europe. 

 Sp. 2. Mi. ater. 



Falco ater. Shaw, v. vii. p. 105. — Falco Forskahlii. Shaiv, 

 v. vii. p. 1 78. — Egypt. 



FAMILY IV— STRIGID^. 



Caput grande, plumosum ; oculorum ambitus pennis decompositis 

 (in utroque capitis latere circulum effbrmant) omatus; rostrum 

 breve, aduncum ; ad basin plumis antrorsum incumbentibus 

 tectum ; cera absconditum ; nares oblongce; auricularum fora- 

 mina amplissima, valva obtecta ; digitus eivternus retro mobilis. 



The Strigidae have the head large and plumose ; the region of the 

 eyes furnished with decomposed feathers, forming a circle on 

 each side of the head ; the beak short, and hooked ; clothed at 

 its base with incumbent feathers pointing forwards; cere hid- 

 den ; nostrils oblong ; the opening of the ears very ample, and 

 furnished with a valve ; the outer toe moveable backwards. 



These birds usually prey upon the smaller mam- 

 malia ; but some of them attack birds, and even in- 

 sects : they generally search for their food by twi- 



