Norwich Castle Museum. 24 
as will be seen in the collection, from the giant 
Lammergeyers to the tiny Indian Microhierax; but 
their fierceness is not always in proportion to their 
bigness, as instanced by our familiar little British 
Merlin, one of the boldest of the Accipitres. They 
are widely distributed, some of them—as the Peregrine 
Falcon—being almost cosmopolitan; others are very 
restricted. About 470 species are recognised by Mr. 
Gurney, and of these 403 are represented in the 
Norwich Museum. ‘The various main divisions of 
this order will be referred to more at large as we 
pass them in review in their proper places, and for the 
present we shall confine ourselves to the first family, 
ACCIPITRES:; 
Caso I. 
On entering the large room containing the bulk of 
the Birds of Prey, we turn sharp to the left, com- 
mencing with the wall case numbered 1. There are 
also many small, and some of them very beautiful 
cases, containing rare or, choice specimens, to all of 
which reference cards will be found in their proper 
places in the wall cases; these small cases will here 
be indicated by separate numbers. ‘The first bird 
which attracts our attention, following the order in 
which they are arranged in Mr. Gurney’s Catalogue, is 
a very abnormal form, the only member of the family 
SERPENTARIID#, so called from its favourite food con- 
sisting® of snakes and reptiles, but perhaps better 
known as the Secretary Bird, from the fanciful resem- 
blanice of the feathers at the back of the head to a pen 
fixed behind the ear. ‘This is the only species of 
this very restricted family. aie 
Following Serpentarius is the genus Polyborotdes, 
€ 
