dli ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP BIRBS. 
which exhibits ali those distinctions by which nature 
has marked this group as the fissirostral type of the 
whole family. We shall not, however, alter a designa. 
tion so weU known as that of Buzzard, particularly as 
it does not affect the scientific nomenclature, and as' the 
henharriers are sometimes called also by that general 
appellation common to the whole division. Of all the lead- 
ing divisions wehave now gone through, this is one of the 
most strongly marked in its typical characters, and the 
least understood in its aberrant forms. The genus 
Circus is unquestionably the pre-eminent type of the 
whole, while the Buteo lagopus appears to stand next 
in rank. To these, therefore, we shall first direct our 
attention. The peculiar habits of the henharriers form- 
ing the subgenns Circus, have been already suflScientlv 
noticed, and we shall now see that their structure is no 
less peculiar. Independent of their slender body and 
very long members, under which we include both wings 
feet, and tail, they may be readily known to an ordinary 
observer by their large ears, partially surrounded by a 
rutt of short and rather stiff feathers, which form a semi- 
circle round the outer portion of the head on each side 
and which meet under the chin. The bill is compar' 
atiyely small, unusually elevated at the base {fig 107 ) 
but very narrow and feeble towards its outer half. Now 
these two characters, unknown in any other falconine 
group, are precisely those which are prevalent among 
the owls 1 and they establish the important fact, that the 
