1^2 



AVES. 



There are only three species iu France, which have been multiplied by the nomenclators on account of the varia- 



^ _ _ _^ tions of their plumage. [The Common, Montag"u, and Marsh 



:^^^^^^ ~-2 ^^ Harriers are alluded to ; besides which the C.puUidus, an abun- 



dant A:siatic species, has recently been met with in the east of 

 Europe. There are numerous others.] 



Finally, 



The Secuetary {Oi/por/eroiius, lUig.)' — ' 

 Is an African bird of prey, tlie tarsi of wliicli are at lea^t 

 double the length of tho.se of tlie jireceding, ^vhich has 

 induced some naturalists to range it among the \Vaders ; 

 hut its tliighs, entirely covered with feathers, its hooked 

 beak, projecting eyelids, and all the details of its ano.- 

 Fig. 77.-Kurnf nnrricr. tomy, cohcur to place it in the present order. Its tarsi 



are scutellated, the toes proportionally short, and the circumference of the eyes naked; it has 



a long rigid crest on the occiput, and the two middle feathers 



of its tail extend far beyond the others. An inhabitant of the , 



arid and covevtless iilains in the neighbourhood of the Cape, it 



pursues reptiles on foot, whence its claws become much worn. 



Its principal strength is in tlie foot. It is the 



Falco si:rpentariusy Gm.— An attempt has been made to multiply the 



breed in I^lartinique, where it mi^jht render the most important service 



by destroying: the lance-headed Vipers which infest that island. [This 



bird, two if not three species of which are recognized, resembles the 



Vultures in having fifteen cervical vertebra. It oflers no molestation to 



poultry or other warm-blooiled animals,] 



Although a vast number of generic and subgeneric names have 

 been applied, the Diurnal Birds of Prey may be reduced to 

 comparatively few natural divisions. Mter detaching the Vul- 

 tures and the Secrctai-j', the genera Pandion and IhrpethothereH 

 may be signalized as forming a particular subdivision apart from 

 all the rest. The whole of the remainder then form an equiva- 

 lent natural group, the members of which scarcely ditTer anato- 

 mically. The most distinct subdivision is that of the Coronards, 

 which alone differ in the nuuiber of pelvic vcrtebr;c, and in 

 having the outer toe reversible, as in the Osproys and Owls. The 

 rest are little else than adaptive modifications of one another, 

 according iu all their rudimcntal characters. ^Ve may commence 

 with the Falcim group, follnwi'd h\ that of the Hawks (or the Fit-. 7s.-stcri.un, of sccr.t^ry. 



subdivisions Dadalion, Jsf'irifia, Jslur, Accipiter, and Gijmnof/ent/s) ; the Harriers naturally succeed, 

 which lead by C. curuijinosus U) tlie Ernes, and then to the Kites {Milvus, as restricted); probablv the 

 Buzzards and Eagles, which are 1)ut arbitrarily separable, should next range, merging into the Eagle- 

 hawks ; or perhaps tlie Perns, followed by the Elanet group (including Ictiuui). We are less satisfied of 

 the affinities of the Caracaras, of the Cyminducs, and of the Marsh-eagles and H;cmatorns, which last 

 group seems to approximate that of the Hawks.] 



The Nocturnal Birds of Prey 

 Have the head larfi:e ; ver}' great eyes, directed forwards, and surrounded liy a circle of 

 fringed featliers, the autenur of which cover the cere of the beak, and the posterior the orihce of 

 the ear. Their euormoiis pupils pcruiit so niucli \'\]:\\t to euter, that they are dazzled in full day. 

 Their skull, inflated, but of a slight substance, contains large cavities that commuuicate with the 

 ears, and probalily assist the sense of hearing ; but their apjiaratus for flight is feeble, the furcula 

 offering but slight resistance : their feathers, with soft barbs, and delieatelv downv. make no 

 noise in flying. The external toe can be voluntarily dii'ected forward or beliiud. These Birds fly 



