NATURAL HISTORY. 
61 
ROOM XII.] 
illustrative of the characters of the principal groups: this 
collection is in progress. 
Cases 1 to 7 contain the first Order, Raptores, which 
are characterized by their strong bills, covered with a cere 
at the base, and hooked at the end ; their legs are strong, 
and their toes are armed with sharp claws. Cases 1—3, 
the family of Falcons (F a Iconic!ce), as the Eagles ( Aquila), 
with their long bills, Fishing Eagles ( Halicetus ), and the 
Osprey ( Pandion ). The latter is peculiar for having 
the under sides of the claws rounded like the upper. 
The Noble Falcons ( Falcon ), Case 4, are characterized by 
their short bills, with a deep notch near the tip of the 
upper mandible. This genus includes all the birds that 
are used in Falconry. The Sparrow-Hawks ( Accipiter), 
Case ^5, have the same short bills as the Falcons, but 
without the notch, and their legs are slenderand shieldedas 
the Goshawks and the Sparrow-Hawk; the Kites ( Milvus) 
are peculiar for their weak bills, and long forked tails; 
lastly, the Buzzards ( Buteo ), Cases 6 and 7? have long 
wings and a square tail; as the Common Buzzard, the 
Honey Buzzard (Terms'), and the Hen Hurrier (Circus). 
The latter have some resemblance to Owls. All these birds 
vary greatly in the colour of their plumage before they arrive 
at the adult state. The females are generally one-third 
larger than the males; their eggs usually white and spotless. 
The Owls {Strigidce), or Nocturnal Birds of Prey, have 
large heads, and their eyes surrounded with a circle of ra¬ 
diating feathers. Their plumage is very soft, their ears 
large, and placed just at the back of the disk of feathers 
which surrounds their eyes, and this development of the 
organs of hearing probably compensates for the imperfection 
of their sight, at least in full daylight. The Owls, Case 8, 
have been divided into many genera, as the Eagle Owls 
(Bubo), Short-horned Owls (Otus), the Earless Owls 
( Strix , Syrnia, and Noctua). The species of the last 
genus are said to fly much more by day than the rest of the 
Owls, and the disk of feathers round their eyes is not so 
distinctly marked as in the other genera. 
Cases 9—15, contain the Perching Birds, Insessores : 
they are generally smaller than the Raptores, their bills 
are weaker, and their claws slender and acute; like them, 
they have the hind toes articulated on the same plane with 
the front ones, which enables them to grasp the perch with 
