THE ACCIPITRINE BIRDS. 
123 
of a rock, and not often on a tree, but this sometimes happens. 
'I'he Indian Scavenger Vulture, however, often nests on a tree, 
Jippropriating the old nest of some other bird, just as the 
Egyptian Vulture in Greece and other countries of the Mediter- 
ranean will make use of the disused nest of a Laermner-geier, 
or Bearded Eagle, and lays its eggs among the carapaces which 
that bird has collected, after having cracked them upon the 
bald skulls of the descendants of ^schylus, or upon the rocks 
which, in modern times, do duty for that convenient mode of 
breaking up Tortoises. 
Eggs.— These are generally very handsome, being profusely 
spotted with red on a white ground. The amount of red mark- 
ing varies considerably. They are generally two in number, 
and often only one egg is laid, while on very rare occasions 
three have been met with. Axis, 2-S-2-7S inches; diam., 
1-9-2-05. 
THE TRUE RAPTORIAL, OR ACCIPITRINE, 
BIRDS. FAMILY FALCONIDHi. 
Although the name of Falconidca is generally in use for the 
Birds of Prey as a whole, the Family includes a number of 
Accipitrine forms which are far removed from the Falcons, 
which the name of the t’amily would imply as being the most 
typical. Between the True Falcons and the Vultures are found 
a number of intermediate types, which are divisible into 
Sub-families. Thus we have the Caracaras of South America 
(Polyborinm), Ground Birds of Prey, with their toes connected 
by a membrane. To these the Secretary-Bird of Africa is 
akin, but presents so many points of structural difference that 
it may be considered the type of a separate Sub-family {Ser- 
fentariince), now peculiar to Africa, but found in ancient times 
in France. Of the general mass of Accipitrine Birds, which 
have only a slight membrane connecting tlie outer and middle 
toes at the base, we have four Sub-families : the Long-legged 
Hawks {Accipilrinw), such as the Harriers, Goshawks, and 
Sparrow-Hawks ; and the shorter-legged series, comprising the 
Buzzards {Buteoni/m), the Eagles (Aquilince), and the Falcons 
{Fa/conince). 
With the web-footed Birds of Prey we have nothing to do, 
