CHAPTER XXIV 

 ORDER OF BIRDS OF PREY 



RAPTORES 



TO every farmer and poultry-raiser the birds of this Order 

 are divided into two groups, friends and enemies. In- 

 asmuch as feathered friends are to be encouraged, and all 

 enemies slain, the standing of each species becomes a life- 

 or-death matter. America is a wide and populous country, 

 and despite the labors of the Biological Survey of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, there are yet millions of persons who 

 desire precise information regarding our hawks and owls. 

 Because of the economic importance of the subject, we will 

 devote a liberal amount of space and eflFort to the important 

 members of this grpup. The Families of the Order are as 



follows : 



Order Raptores 



FAMILIES EXAMPLES 



Barn Owls Stri-gi'dae Barn, or Monkey-Faced, Owls. 



TT /^ n 7 /• 7 f Horned, Burrowing, Snowy and 



Horned Owls . . Bu-ooni-dae. . . . { a i /-» i 



Screech Owls. 



Hawks Fal-con'i-dae . . . .Hawks, Elites, Buzzards and Eagles. 



Vultures Ca-thar'ti-dae. . . . California, Turkey and Black Vultures. 



THE BARN OWL FAMILY 



Strigidae 



It is now a well-established fact that some owls are among 



the most beneficial of all birds, inflicting little damage upon 



the producers of poultry, and conferring vast benefits upon the 



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