30 BIRDS OF PREY 



LESSOR III. 



Order of Rapaces, {or Accipitres.) — Zoological Characters. — 

 Habits. — Division into two Families. 



Family of Diurn^. — Zoological Characters and Habits of VuU 

 tures, {Yellow Vulture, King of the Vultures, Condor, Perc- 

 nopterus of Egypt.) — Griffins. — Tribe of Falcons. — Division 

 into two groupes, noble and ignoble. — Falconry, {Common 

 Falcon) — Eagles. — Fisher- Eagles. — Sparroic-Hawks, — Kites 

 — Buzzards. — Harriers. — Characters and Habits. 



Family of NocTUR^^E. — Characters and Habits. — {Owl. — Strix. 

 -^Duc.) 



OBDER OP RAPACES, OR ACCIPITRES. 



(Birds of Prey,) 



1. Birds of Prey are recognised by their beak, being hooked 

 and terminated by a point which is sharp and bent downwards^ 

 and by their feet being very strong and armed with powerful, 

 hooked nails. {Plate ^,fig. 1, to 8.) 



2. They are generally remarkable for their strength; the 

 muscles of their thighs and legs are very voluminous and give 

 great power to their talons ; their tarsi are rarely elongated ; all 

 of them have four toes, the fii'st of which, or thumb, is directed 

 backwards ; the nails of this toe, and of the internal toe are the 

 strongest, and there is often a very small palmate membrane 

 betwixt the bases of the external toes. Their wings are large, 

 and the sternum, which aifords place for the attachment of the 

 principal muscles of flight, is generally very much developed and 

 without lateral notches. 



3. It is also to be remarked that their nares are pierced 

 through a membrane, called Cera^ that covers the whole base of 

 the beak. 



4. All the Rapaces live exclusively on flesh ; they pursue 

 other birds and even small quadrupeds and reptiles: they are 

 also very powerful in flight. 



1. How are the birds of prey characterised ? 



2. What are the characters of the legs of birds of prey ? What is the 

 number of their toes ? What is their direction ? What is the character of 

 the sternum ? 



3. What is meant by the cera ? 



4. On what do the Raoaces feed ? 



