MONOGRAPH OF THE FALCONED JE, 
indicated in the Charadridce by a finely rounded scull, large 
brain, large expressive eyes, and sagacious demeanour ; and I had 
therefore at first some doubts whether I had hit the truth in as- 
signing to this family the first rank in the suborder, Pressirostres. 
That they, however, are organized in a superior degree, will appear 
from the definition of the other suborders — Longirostres, Brevi- 
pennes , Cultrirostres, and Macrodactyli. 
Far more visible is the Parrot -type in the Falconince of the Fal- 
conidce. Finely vaulted scull ; large brain ; expressive eyes — an 
inclination to close the socket of the eyes ; cere, a short upper 
bill, curved from the large front, emarginated on the sides, and on 
its tip with a protuberance on the palate, hanging down over the 
lower mandible, which is obtuse, emarginated on the sides and curved 
upwards ; round nostrils, bored into the bone of the bill ; using the 
feet like hands to catch their prey, and to carry their food to their 
mouth ; and a great aptness to be tamed and trained, give to the 
Falconince the first rank as a subfamily among the Falconidce. 
The Falconidce give to all Accipitres the first rank as a suborder, 
in the fourth order or stem, Ichthyornithes, with the suborders 
I. Accipitres ; II. Longipennes ; III. Brachypteri ; IV. Totipal- 
mati ; V. Lamellirostres . 
Among the Falconince (first subfamily of the Falconidce ) I as- 
sign the first rank to the genus Hieraoc , on account of their large 
head and their supposed higher mental development. The black 
eye-region, cere and feet, indicate also the parrot-type. Anatomy 
and a closer investigation into their way of living will justify this 
assumption ; the more so, since in the other genera of the Fal- 
conince — Tinnunculus, Harpagns , Falco , Ieracidea — the other 
types are more clearly expressed, which will appear as we proceed 
with our investigations. 
Among the second subfamily, Milvince, the genus Ictinia (Vieill.) 
takes the first rank, because as a genus it is the only one whose 
bill is furnished with a tooth and a protuberance on the palate, 
and on account of their lower bill being obtuse at its tip and fur- 
nished with a fine emargination on the sides ; besides, they have 
exterior small round nostrils, which all are analogies with the 
Falconince. Ictinia is therefore the Falconine type of the second 
subfamily, Milvince — such as the second subgenus Erythropus 
(7\ vespertinus ) of the second genus Tinnunculus among the 
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