INTEODTJCTIOir. 



129 



gryphm) may still serve as a type, though it may ere long 

 become extinct. The handsome King Vulture (Gathartes papa) 

 also belongs to this group. 



A very curious and exceptional predaceous creature is the 

 Secretary-bird (^Gypogeranm serpentarius) of Africa, which 

 has long legs like those of a Crane. It is a renowned Serpent- 

 eater. The name of " Secretary " has been applied to it on 



Fig. 139. 



The Secretary-bird ( Gypogeranus serpeatwrius). 



account of a peculiar growth of feathers hanging from the back 

 of the head in such a way as to recall the appearance of pens 

 placed behind a man's ear. 



Owls, unlike Vultures, are found in the coldest as well as in 

 the warmest climes, and in the remotest Oceanic islands. There 

 are a hundred and fifty-one species of Owls,whereof the Barn Owl 

 {Strix jiammea) may serve as a type. It is the form best known to 

 most of us, though it is really a tropical form, inhabiting, as it does, 



K 



