FALCO. 
female stronger and larger than the male. 
The falcon tribe uniformly have close- 
set feathers on the head and neck, and, 
in this respect, are particularly distin- 
guished from the vulture tribe, which are 
destitute of feathers always on part of the 
head, and sometimes on the whole head 
and neck. The claws of the falcon class 
are more hooked and sharp also than those 
of the vulture. The falcon derives exqui- 
site delight from destroying its prey, and 
devouring it while fresh. Though it will 
sometimes devour a quantity of food calcu- 
lated to excite astonishment, at one repast, 
it will endure abstinence of several days’ 
duration, and has been even stated by some 
to survive in situations in which, for weeks, 
it lias not had the smallest supply. It lives 
on fish, as well as on flesh, and also on 
snakes and reptiles. It is confined to no 
particular climate, but found in almost all. 
To the falcon class belongs the eagle, which 
takes the precedence among birds, as tiie 
lion among quadrupeds, from its strength, 
activity, and courage ; and some ingenious 
naturalists have been fond of running a pa- 
rallel between these animals, to a consider- 
able extent and minuteness. It is observed 
of the eagle, that lie never undertakes a 
chase singly, but when the female is en- 
gaged in incubation, or in feeding her 
young ; during this period he supplies, by 
his solitary exertions, the wants of his 
partner and of himself ; at every other sea- 
son their efforts are united in the pursuit of 
prey. They often soar beyond the -reach 
of the human eye; but, though unseen, 
their sounds are heard with considerable 
distinctness, and have been compared to 
the harking of a dog. 
There belong to the falcon genus, accord- 
ing to Latham, 98 species, and Gmelin enu- 
merates no fewer than 136. The follow- 
ing merit the principal attention. 
F. chryasaetus, or the golden eagle, mea- 
sures more than three feet in length, and 
above eight in breadth, and weighs about 
16 pounds; the male weighs little more 
than two-thirds of the female. This bird has 
been known to breed in the highest moun- 
tains of Wales, and among the Cheviot hills* 
hat is very rarely indeed recognized in 
Great Britain, though it is said to-be seen 
not unfrequently in the mountainous dis- 
tricts of the sister island : it is very seldom 
found beyond the 55th degree of northern 
latitude. See Aves, Plate VII. tig. 1. 
The F. leucocephalus, or the bald eagle, 
is found in Europe, but more frequently in 
North America, and lives on fish as well as 
flesh. The singular manner in which it 
procures the former is deserving of notice : 
fixing on some convenient situation, open 
to the water, it watches with its intensely 
observant eye the movements of the. os- 
prey; when it perceives this bird bearing 
off a fish in its mouth, the eagle quits its 
station, arid pursues it with the swiftness of 
a meteor; the fish is instantly dropped 
from the mouth of the osprey, and, in its 
fall, intercepted by the eagle with the most 
energetic and successful dexterity. 
F. ossifragus, or sea-eagle, frequents the 
sea-shore, and subsists principally upon 
fish ; it is nearly of the size of the golden 
eagle, and is found in many countries both 
of Europe and America; its sight is stated 
to be equally clear by night and by day. 
Mr. Barlow relates, that he saw a bird of 
this species engaged once in a violent con- 
flict in the air with a cat which he had lift- 
ed in his talons, whose efforts, however, 
were finally too powerful for him, and 
brought him again to the ground. 
F. haliaetus, or the osprey, is to be found 
in almost all parts of Europe, on the bor- 
ders of lakes and rivers, which it frequents 
for the sake of the fish contained in them, 
which constitute its principal subsistence, 
and on which it darts with unerring accu- 
racy ; it builds on the ground among reeds, 
and is the most numerous of the larger 
birds of prey. See Aves, Plate VII, 
fig. 3. 
F. buteo, or the common buzzard. The 
buzzard is abundantly provided with means 
of defence, as well a§ attack ; but is slug- 
gish and cowardly with all its strength, and 
will suffer itself to he brought to the ground 
by a sparrow hawk, without at all employ- 
ing those means, which, if fully exerted, 
would uniformly and inevitably prove fatal 
to the assailant. The length of the com- 
mon buzzard is about 20 inches ; scarcely 
any two of tire species are marked alike ; 
its food consists of birds, vermin ? reptiles, 
and insects. If the female bird be destroy- 
ed by violence or disease during incuba- 
tion, tiie male will, it is said, succeed to the 
charge, and perfectly accomplish it. 
F. milvus, or the kite, is about two feet 
long, and distinguished from the buzzard by 
a forked tail. In England it continues dur- 
ing the whole year ; in various parts of Eu- 
rope it is migratory, and, as winter ap- 
proaches, takes its flight to Egypt. It preys 
chiefly upon small birds, and, from a dis- 
tance in the air at which it is invisible to 
