208 FALCONID.E, DIUKNAL BIRDS OP"" PRliV. 



country; it is mei-ely a variety of the S. American l)ii-d. Bonap., Am. Orn. 

 pi. 7, f. 2 ; NuTT., i, 118 ; Aud., i, 11!), pi. 31 ; Athene Iii/jxjr/cea and A. cuiiic- 

 ularia Cass, in Bd., 59, GO ; Coor., 437, 440. cuniculaiua var. HYi'OGiEA. 



Family FALCONID^. Diurnal Birds of Prey. 



Comprising the great bulk of the order, this large family may be best defined by 

 .exclusion of the special features marking the others. There 'is nothing of the 

 grallatorial analog)' exhibited by the singular Gyprifjeranidoe ; the nostrils are not 

 completely pervious, nor the hind toa- obviously elevated, as in CatJmrticke, and 

 other peculiarities of the American vultures are not shown. Comparing with the 

 owls, we miss their p.)eculiar phj'siognoraj', the ej'cs looking laterallj' as in ordinary 

 birds, the disk wanting (except in the Circus group, where it is imperfect), the after- 

 shaft present (except in Pandion), the outer toe not versatile (except in Pandion), 

 and not shorter than the iinier. The external ears are moderate and non-operculate. 

 The eyes, as a rule (but not alwaj's), are sunken beneath a projecting superciliary 

 shelf, conferring a decided and threatening gaze. The bill shows the raptorial tyiie 

 in its perfection, and is alwaj's famished with a cere in which the nostrils are 

 pierced. The lores, with occasional exceptions owing to nakedness or dense soft 

 feathering, are scantily clothed with radiating bristles, which however do not form, 

 as in the owls, a dense appressed mass hiding the base of the bill. The feet are 

 strong, with widely separable and highl}' contractile toes, and large sharp curved 

 claws — efficient instrnments of prehension, offence and defence. The toes are 

 generally scabrous underneath, with wart-like pads at the joints, to prevent slipping, 

 and commonly show a basal web. The podotheca is verj' variable ; the whole 

 tarsus is frequent!)' feathered, and usually' partially so ; the horny covering takes 

 the form of scutella, or reticulations, or rugous granulations, and is occasionally 

 fused. The capacious gullet dilates into a crop ; the gizzard is moderately muscular ; 

 the intestines vary ; the coeca are extremely small. The syrinx has one pair of 

 intrinsic muscles. There are several good osteological characters. 



Birds of this family aboiuid in all parts of the world, and hold the relation to 

 the rest of their class that the carnivorous beasts do to other mammals. There are 

 upwards of 300 good species or ver}' strongly marked geographical races, justlj' 

 referable to about 60 full genera. In round numbers, 1,000 specific and 200 

 generic names have been instituted for Falconidce. No unexceptionable sub- 

 division of the family has yet been proposed ; and as this point is still at Issne, I 

 deem it best not to present subfamilies. Instead of an attempt in tliis direction, 

 which would necessarily be premature, I will endeavor to give the student a general 

 idea of the composition of the familj'. 



1. The Old World vultures form a group standing somewhat apart from the 

 others in many points of external structure and habits, although correspondent in 

 more essential characters. Until Prof. Huxley's successful exhibition of this fact, 

 they were usuallj' united in a family, Vulturidw, with the American vultures, from 

 which, however, they diflS'er dccidedlj', as stated beyond. It is a small group of sis 

 genera and about twelve species. The bearded griffin, Qypaetus barbatus, is conspic- 

 uous for its raptori.al nature. The other genera, more or less decidedly " vulturine," 

 are Vnltur, Otoriyps, Oijps, Neophron and Oypoliierax ; the characteristic species 

 arc — V. monaehus, 0. auricularis, G. fulvus, A. 2>ercnopterus and G. uvijolensis. 



•>. The genus Pohjborus (beyond), illustrates a small group of hawks partaking 



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