S6 BIRD BEHAVIOUR 



killing kinds, such as Sparrow-hawks and Falcons, 

 have very long toes and talons, to give the greatest 

 chance of a grip on an elusive prey seized on the 

 wing. The Falcons usually strike from above, and 

 often kill the prey, when brought down by. the 

 talons, with the beak ; the Sparrow-hawks chase 

 and clutch, and kiU more slowly by their relentless 



grip- 



Reptile-eating Hawks and Eagles have, on the 



other hand, particularly short toes, adapted to the 

 usually narrow bodies of their prey, and fish-eaters, 

 of which the Osprey is of course the most typical, 

 have the underside of the toes roughened with 

 little spikes, to give them a secure grip of their 

 slippery quarry. It will be noticed that the Sea- 

 Eagles and the great Fishing-Owls of the East 

 (Scotopelia in Africa, and Ketupa in Asia) have 

 ordinary bare legs, adapted to immersion, whereas 

 ordinary Owls and most of the hunting Eagles are 

 feather-legged. The adaptation here is, however, 

 probably special only in the case of the Owls, for 

 Hawks, which are seldom fishers, are generally 

 bare-legged, as is also the great Harpy-Eagle 

 • {Thrasaetus harpyia), which has far the most power- 

 ful feet of all the birds of prey, the toes being as 

 thick as a man's thumb, and the claws as big as a 

 bear's. 



The strength of these birds is something enor- 

 mous, and in proportion to their size is greater than 

 that of the quadruped carnivora ; the Goshawk, a 

 giant Sparrow-hawk, can if a strong female (this sex 



