﻿ANALOGIES OF THE FALCONIDiE. 293 



the sub typical group of the Falconidce. Their mutual 

 analogy, therefore, would be substantiated upon this 

 ground only, setting aside the considerations we have 

 just stated as corroborating their juxtaposition in the 

 above table. We have expressly stated, in our develop- 

 ment of the theory of variation, that, in all natural 

 groups, it is much more difficult to discover the analo- 

 gies of the typical and subtypical divisions than those 

 of the three aberrant ones : the simple reason for which 

 is this, that where two or more circles are brought into 

 comparison, the two typical divisions of each, from being 

 the most dissimilar and widest apart, will, of course, be 

 the most difficult to assimilate by characters or habits 

 common to each. But let us now proceed to the aber- 

 rant division, including the buzzards, the kites, and the 

 eagles. These will verify the above opinion, for their 

 analogies lie open to every well-informed ornithologist, 

 although they have never yet been stated. The chief 

 distinction, then, of the buzzards (Buteo) is their great 

 extent of wing, which enables them to skim along just 

 above the surface of the ground, in search of their food, 

 instead of watching for its appearance, like other hawks, 

 when resting. But, as the establishment of this fact is 

 of the first importance to our present purpose, let us 

 hear the account which Dr. Richardson has given of the 

 American henharrier, a typical bird of this genus : — 

 " This bird takes its prey from the ground, hunts long 

 and diligently for it on the wing, and quarters the dis- 

 trict regularly, so as to survey every spot, wheeling 

 backwards and forwards in easy graceful circles, with 

 little seeming effort or flapping of the wings. It is 

 wary, but not timid ; avoiding the sportsman, but not 

 easily driven away from its hunting grounds. It is a 

 common species on the plains of the Saskatchewan, 

 seldom less than five or six being in sight at a time, 

 but each keeping to a particular beat until it has com- 

 pletely examined it." Wilson, again, observes of an- 

 other species of this group, the Buteo lagopus, or rough- 

 legged buzzard, that it has the habit of coursing over 

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