7DM NO. .; Division Range Shelf .S lV/ ^'..-- pp • ':H^'':',; ILLUSTRATIONS , OF BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY. BY PRIDEAUX JOHN SELBY, ESQ. FET,LOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH ; FELLOW OF THE I.INNEAN SOCIETY; AND MEMBER OF THE WEHNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 3[C. VOL. I. LAND BIRDS EDINBURGH : PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETOR, AND PUBLISHED BY W. H. LIZARS, EDINBURGH; LONGMAN, RKKS, ORME, BROWN, GREEN AND LONGMAN, LONDON ; AND W. CURRY JUN. & CO. DUBLIN. MDCCCXXXI1I. G \ (' BIOLOGY LIBRARY G EDINBURGH I I'KINTED BY XETLL & CO. OLD FISHMAUKET. TO THE WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, THESE ILLUSTRATIONS (ON A BRANCH OP SCIENCE WHICH HAS BEEN EMINENTLY PROMOTED BY THE ZEAL AND ABILITY OF SEVERAL OP ITS MEMBERS) ARE INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. I CANNOT allow the present volume to meet the public eye, without offering a few remarks upon the design and execution of this work. The etchings do not pretend to any merit beyond that of fidelity of delineation, upon a scale hitherto unattempted, and to that spirit and character which will generally at- tend drawings made, as much as possible, from living specimens. With respect to the letter-press, I have not professed to give a complete history of British Birds, and have not, therefore, drawn together into one focus all that has been better said by other writers upon the subject ; but have contented myself with re- ferring, by occasional notes, to any anecdotes particu- larly interesting as to the species under consideration. The present work bears the title only of Illustrations, and, as such, I was chiefly anxious to clear the syste- matic arrangement of such discrepancies as still exist- vi PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. ed ; to condense the species, by excluding such en- largements as had arisen from a want of strict atten- tion to the changes of plumage under different periods of age ; and to add to the general stock of knowledge my mite of personal observation on the habits of this interesting tribe of creatures. In this latter respect, I trust candid readers will not charge against me as a fault the large share of egotism that seems to pervade this volume ; of two evils, I certainly would rather chuse to rest under this imputation, than that of being a downright compiler. As to the style, I have endeavoured, as far as lay in my power, to unite conciseness and perspicuity with that plain didactic manner in which I conceive all works on scientific subjects should be written. I shall conclude this short notice, with apologising for a slight want of regularity in the numbering of the plates. This was most unavoidable from the necessari- ly irregular manner in which the specimens were ob- tained, and the etchings accomplished ; but I should hope that no great inconvenience will be experienced on this point. February 10. 1825. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE Author cannot permit a Second Edition of his First Volume (together with the completion of his Work in a Second Volume) to issue from the Press, without congratulating his readers and the scientific world at large, upon the great degree of attention and minute accuracy of investigation which have been ex- tended to the present branch of Katural History since his labours commenced. No trouble has been spared on his part, not only in elucidating the subjects of his se- cond volume to the best of his ability, but in solving such doubts, and reconciling such discrepancies, as were unavoidably left in the former portion of his work ; and he trusts that, having rejected the former arrangement of M. TEMMINCK, and adopted now, through both volumes, that lately proposed by Mr VIGORS (and since followed by many eminent naturalists), will have materially contributed to that end. This resolution viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. was taken upon his most perfect conviction that the last mentioned plan of Classification is more in accord- ance with that natural Order, under which, it must be convincingly evident to those who will at all study the subject, the works of the Almighty Creator are of- fered to our view. The Author trusts that these two volumes may (un- der their present plan) be not merely regarded as elu- cidatory of the accompanying Plates, but may claim the higher title to public attention, as a compact and systematic Manual of British Ornithology ; and that his work may become useful, both from its portable size, and from the readiness of reference it will afford to the student in this interesting department of science. February 28. 1833. TABLE OF CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. INTRODUCTION, Explanation of Plumage, Glossary of Technical Terms, Types of the Genera, Synoptical Table, List of Authors quoted, Egyptian Neophron, Golden Eagle, Cinereous Sea Eagle, Osprey, Goshawk, Sparrow- Hawk, Jer- Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Hobby, Orange-legged Hobby, Kestrel, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, . Page xvi . xxiii . XXV , xxvii . xxxi , XXXV Plate A. 4 I. I*. & II. 12 III. & III.* 18 IV. 24 XII. & XII.* 29 . XIII. & XIII.* 32 XIV. 36 XV. & XV..* 39 XVI. 43 B. 45 . XVII. & XVII.* 47 XVIII. & XVIII.* 51 VI. 55. VII. 58 VIII. 62 IX. 66 X. 68 CONTENTS. Ash-coloured Harrier, Kite or Glead, Swallow-tailed Elanus, Great-horned or Eagle Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Scops-eared Owl, Snowy Owl, Barn or White Owl, . Tawny Owl, Tengmalm's Night Owl, Little Night Owl, Common Bee-eater, . Garrulous Roller, Chimney Swallow, Martin, Sand-Martin, Common Swift, European Goatsucker, Common King's-Fisher, Spotted Flycatcher, . Pied Flycatcher Great Cinereous Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat, Missel-Thrush, Fieldfare, . Song-Thrush, Redwing, Blackbird, . Ring- Ouzel, European Dipper, Golden Oriole, ' . Wheat-Ear, Whin-Chat, Stone- Chat, Redbreast, Plate Page XL 70 V. 74 . 77 XIX. 82 XX. 85 XXI. 88 XXII. 92 XXIII. 95 XXIV. 99 XXV. 102 XXVI. 105 . XXVII. 107 XLI. 114 . XXXIV. 117 XLII. 120 XLII. 123 XLII. 125 XLII. 127 XLII.* 131 XL. 136 XLIIL* 141 XLIIL* 143 XLIIL 148 XLIIL 150 C. 153 XLIV. 158 XLV. 160 XLV. 162 XLV. 165 XLV. & XLIIL 167 XLIV. 169 XLV.* 172 XXXV. 176 XLVIII. 181 XLVIII. 183 XLVIII. 185 XL VI. 188 CONTENTS. XI Redstart, Tithys Redstart, Blue-throated Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge-Warbler, Reed-Wren, Nightingale, Black-cap Warbler, . Greater Pettychaps, White-Throat, Lesser White-Throat, Dartford Warbler, Lesser Pettychaps, Wood-Wren, Yellow Wren, Gold-crested Regulus, Great Titmouse, Blue Titmouse, Marsh Titmouse, Cole Titmouse, Long-tailed Titmouse, Crested Titmouse, Bearded Titmouse, Alpine Accentor, Hedge Accentor, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, . Rock, or Shore Pipit, Meadow Pipit, or Tit, Tree Pipit, Richard's Pipit, Bohemian Wax- Wing, Sky-Lark, Wood-Lark, Snow-Bunting, Lapland Lark-Bunting, Pkte XL VI. Page 191 D. 193 C. 195 XLV.** 199 XLV.** 201 XLV.** 203 XVI. 206 XLVI. 209 XLVI. 211 XLVI. 213 C. 215 XLVI. 219 XL VII. 222 XLVII. 224 XLVII. 226 XLVII. 229 LI. 233 LI. 235 LI. 237 LI. 239 LI. 241 XLIII. 243 LI. 244 D. 247 XLIII.* 248 XLIX. 251 XLIX. 253 XLIX. 255 XLIX. 258 XLIX. 260 XLIX. 262 C. 264 XXXIV.* 268 L. 273 L. 276 ML 279 C. 283 Xll CONTENTS. Common-Bunting, .Yellow-Bunting, Reed- Bunting, Cirl-Bunting, Ortolan-Bunting, . House- Sparrow, Tree- Sparrow, Chaffinch, Mountain Finch, Sisken, . . . Goldfinch, . Common or Brown Linnet Mountain Linnet or Twite, Lesser Redpole Linnet, Hawfinch, Green Grosbeak, . Common Crossbill, Parrot Crossbill, Pine-Bullfinch, Common Bullfinch, Common Starling, Rose-coloured Pastor, Raven, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Magpie, Jay, Cornish Chough, Nutcracker, Green Woodpecker, Great Black Woodpecker, . Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Wryneck, Nuthatch, Plate Page LII. 286 LII. 288 LII. 290 LII. 292 C. 294 LIV. 298 LV. 300 LIV. 303 LIV. 306 LV. 309 LV. 312 LV. 315 LV. 318 LVI. 320 LV. 324 LIV. 326 LIII. 329 LIII**. 332 LIII.* 334 LIV. 336 XXXVI. 340 XXXVI. 343 XXVII. 346 XXVIII. 349 XXIX. 351 XXXII. 353 XXXI. 356 XXXI. 358 XXXIV. 362 XXXIII. 365 XXXIII. 368 XXXVIII. 372 D. 375 XXXVIII. 376 XXXVIII. 379 XXXVIII. 381 XXXIX. 385 CONTENTS. Xlll Common Creeper, . Common Wren, Hoopoe, Common Cuckoo, . Ring-Dove or Cushat, Stock-Dove, Rock-Dove, Turtle Dove, Common Pheasant, Black Grous, Red Grous- Ptarmigan, Common Ptarmigan, Common Partridge, Common Quail, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Plate Page XXXIX. 388 XLVII. 390 XL. 393 XXXVII. & XLV.*** 397 LVI. 406 LVL* 408 LVI.* 410 LVI. 413 LVIL 417 . LVIII. & LVIIL* 423 LIX. 427 LIX. & LXIX*. 430 LXI. 433 LXIL 437 LXIV. 442 LXV. 447 ( xiii ) INTRODUCTION. IT would be inconsistent with the projected plan of the pre- sent work, in which the Plates are intended to form the pro- minent feature, to enter into a discussion upon the peculiar adaptation of the several organs of the feathered tribe to the modes of life to which they have been ordained by an all-wise Creator ; to exhibit, in the course of such discus- sion, a minute display of their anatomical structure ; or to endeavour after explanations of the different and wonderful phenomena that this race of creatures occasionally present (further than I may hereafter touch upon under each de- scription), especially as there are already before the pub- lic so many excellent works entering diffusely and deeply into such points. These works are open to all who feel in- terested in the study of this pleasing branch of Natural History ; and it may therefore be sufficient for me to point out such only as appear more particularly illustrative of the several heads above mentioned. With respect to Organic Structure, both external and internal, and the necessary adaptation of its several parts to peculiar habits of life, I would recommend an attentive per- 5 Xiv INTRODUCTION. usal of the works of CUVIEB (especially his " Regne Ani- mal"), those of BUFFON, and the " Philosophy of Zoology" of Dr FLEMING, as well as the writings of Messrs VIGORS and SWAINSON; in all of which these general heads of the science are most ahly discussed. DERHAM'S " Physico- Theology," and the " Natural Theology" of the late learned Dr PALEY, are books almost too well known to need recom- mendation, but follow the others in such natural progression, by leading the mind to a deeper and more salutary interest in this branch of science, that they ought not to be omitted. The above works axe first mentioned, as applying to the sub- ject before us in its most enlarged scale ; but, with regard to the minor, and, I may add, more superficial points, there are many works upon general Ornithology, as well as upon that of our own islands, which I would particularly recommend. Dr LATHAM'S " General Synopsis," and " Index Ornitholo- gicus;" the " Ornithological Dictionary" and " Supple- ment of MONTAGU; the " Manuel d'Ornithologie" of M. TEMMINCK; the Ornithological works of BRISSON, LE VAILLANT, VIEILLOT, LESSON, &c., with those of the Ger- man writers MEYER, BECHSTEIN, and ILLIGER, will be found of eminent utility. For an instructive individual history of each species, the " Ornithology" of WILLOUGHBY, WHITE'S " Natural History of Selbourne," the works of PENNANT, LEWIN'S " British Birds," and the " British Birds" of BEWICK, well repay perusal. There are also some excellent independent treatises upon generic distinction, variation of plumage, and peculiar specific habits, dispersed through the various Scientific Journals, and Transactions INTRODUCTION. XV of the Philosophical Societies of the present day. The co- pious list of Synonyms that will he found attached to each species, may also be regarded in the light of a tahle of re- ferences to other works, which it would he therefore need- less to mention. Such remarks as appeared strictly necessary to the elu- cidation of the several orders and genera, have heen given under the characters of each, as they occurred in the course of classification, as being explanatory of the grounds upon which such general distinctions have been established. The recent more rapid progress of this science towards maturity, may be, in a very great degree, attributed to the attention paid by some of the later ornithologists to a point which had been before almost totally neglected, viz. the changes of plumage that the feathered tribe undergo in their progress from the young to the adult state, as well as those of a more peculiar and partial nature that are experi- enced at a certain season of the year, sometimes by both sexes, but more commonly only by the male bird. No op- portunity has been omitted by the present writer to verify (and frequently from the progress of experimental obser- vation) many of the changes recorded by TEMMINCK, MON- TAGU, and others; and, in order to their elucidation, figures are given of some species at different ages, and at different seasons, which will be more apparent in the se- cond part of this work, as these changes chiefly exist, and are most striking, in the water birds ; and have accordingly been more confusing in their consequences. A separate INTRODUCTION. figure also has been given wherever a very marked differ- ence exists between the two sexes ; and where this measure has not been adopted with respect to the variations incident to season, they have still been studiously pointed out in the description of the species. In the course of the descriptions, the terms vernal (or spring) and autumnal (or general) moult frequently occur; which it appears necessary to explain. By the Autumanl Moult is meant that entire annual change of plumage to which all birds are liable, and which usually takes place at this time of the year, or after the production of the species*. The term Vernal Moult is used to signify the partial change of feather that particular species undergo, and that takes place on the approach of the pairing season ; which livery, as it were, remains only during that period. The moult is styled double in such species as are subject to the above- mentioned change. In some cases, the male bird particularly is liable, though not to an actual change of feather, yet to a considerable va- riation either in colour or brilliancy of hue on certain parts of the plumage, at the foregoing season. This variation has been attributed by TEMMINCK to the action of the air, and a gradual wearing away of the edges of the feathers ; but I am sorry to be compelled, from the result of long continued ob- servation, to dissent from the opinion of so eminent a natu- ralist. I am induced to consider the plumage to be so far an actual part of the living bird, as to be under the in- * In the Swallow tribe, and some few others, it happens at a later pe- riod, or during the months of January or February. INTRODUCTION. Xvii fluence of such constitutional change as the bird may at any time experience, and such a change is strongly demonstrated at the season of pairing ; witness its effects in the high de- gree of spirit frequently demonstrated, and in the superior song generally called forth at this particular period. That there is an invisible circulating fluid pervading the feather, appears from the striking difference in elasticity and bril- liancy of colour between the feather upon a bird whilst alive, and upon the same bird in but a short time after death. In water-birds, this principle of life in the feather (if I may be allowed the expression), is singularly appa- rent ; as the plumage that is impervious to water upon the living bird, is almost immediately after death subject to its effect. There can be no reason, then, why the feather may not be influenced by the constitutional state of the bird, and as that is in its highest degree of vigour imme- diately previous to the season of propagation, why may not such vigour be exhibited to the very extreme points of the circulating medium, by a partial variation of colour, or an increased lustre of tone in the former hue of the feather ? It is not fanciful, for it has been established as a maxim in Pathology, that the state of health may, in man, be ascer- tained by the occasional flaccidity or crispness of the hair ; and have we not repeatedly met with well authenticated in- stances of great and sudden changes having taken place in its colour, under strong mental affections, acting only, of course, through the organic structure of the body? Changes of colour in the hair of many animals are seen, and that also at particular seasons ; and (as Dr FLEMING XVlii INTRODUCTION. asserts, in the case of the stoat, and some others, that assume a winter's garb) without any actual shedding of their coat, either upon the first variation, or in regaining their sum- mer's hue. It is possible, and there is now some reason for believing, that the edges only of the feather may be shed (but not by a gradual process), thus presenting a newer and brighter surface, either of the same, or, more frequently, of a different shade of colour. In the birds in which this partial change happens, it may even be observed, that, where the feather, as on the head of the Chaffinch, Reed- Bunting, and Stone-Chat, is of two distinct hues, the webs of the exterior one are joined to the main body of the feather by a line of separation of finer texture, thus forming an adscititious margin, as it were, to the inner part. In the course of the descriptions of each species, the terms Summer and Winter Visitant, and Polar and Equato- torial Migrant, will frequently occur, which, to general readers, may seem to require explanation. This I will, as briefly as possible, attempt. The Summer Visitant, or Polar Migrant, implies a bird resident, during the summer season, in these kingdoms, as being included in the northern- most parallel of latitude to which its migration extends, from the Equator towards the Pole*. To the Winter Visi- tant, or Equatorial Migrant, these kingdoms are in the southernmost parallel to. which their winter's migration reaches, in course from the Pole to the Equator, their sum- * Such are many of the Sylmadae ; also the Cuckoo, Night- Jar, Swallows, &c. INTRODUCTION. XIX mer being passed in higher and colder regions *. The term Occasional Visitant, when used, denotes a bird found here only at uncertain, and often distant intervals f, and will frequently apply to stragglers, that have been driven by tempest, or other casualties, out of their regular course of migration, either from more southern countries than our own to northern regions, or the reverse. Migration is an instinctive rule of action stamped upon the animal world (but more particularly displayed in the feathered race, from their superior ability of locomotion), by the general and provident Laws of Nature, and which has long engaged the attention of the speculative naturalist ; but, without perhaps the possibility of coming to any con- clusion upon the causes of such migration. Dr FLEMING, in the work before mentioned, clearly demonstrates, that a great latitudinal movement from the Equator toward the Poles takes place amongst the feathered tribe, on the ap- proach of spring, or immediately previous to the period when nature calls for the increase of the species ; and that another movement, the reverse of this, or from the Poles towards the Equator, is in force during the autumnal and hyemal months. Upon the above great unerring fact, two or three conjec- tural observations naturally present themselves. The in- fluence of particular climate may be sought for as more • Such are most of the genus Anas, Tringa, Scolopax, and some of the Thrushes, with the Snow-Bunting. f The Wax-Wing and Cross-Bill are instances under this head. XX INTRODUCTION. congenial to the production of the race. The progress of vegetation, and the consequent display of the insect tribe, may essentially operate upon the species that look to these sources for their supply of food ; and, accordingly, we find the arrival of these birds hastened or retarded, as the ef- fects of an early or late spring would suggest. During the time that insects are in the dormant and concealed state in one latitude, they may be in the active and requisite state in another, and an equalization of destruction in that tribe will doubtless have been ordained by Providence for the wisest purposes ; at the same time that the feathered race themselves present to the inhabitants of different countries an important periodical object either of food or economical utility. I shall now proceed to give an explanation of the Plumage of Birds, (with references to the outline etching on PLATE II), and to offer such a Glossary of Technical Terms (with re- ferences to PLATES 1, 2, 3, 4.) as may be found necessary in the course of the work. These plates are also intended to exhibit the leading principles of generic distinction, in a regular series ; as a reference to the " Types of the Genera" (hereafter given) will demonstrate. Let me here mention, that the Nomenclature of Colours adopted in the present work, is that of WERNER, as exhibited and improved by Mr SYME of Edinburgh, in a work which ought to be in the hands of every Amateur of Natural His- tory. ( xxiii ) EXPLANATION OF PLUMAGE. PLATE 2. Fig. 9. a, Forehead. /, Scapulars. by Crown of the Head. m, Lesser Wing-coverts, c, Occiput. ft, Bastard Wing. d) Nape of the Neck. o, Greater Wing-coverts. e, Chin. p, Secondary Quills. /, Cheeks. q, Primary Quills. g, Ear-coverts. r, Throat. //. Back. s, Breast, z, Rump, t, Abdomen. j, Upper Tail-coverts. ut u, Vent and under Tail-coverts. k, Tail. v, Tarsus. ( XXV ) GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS. Bill compressed. — When the bill is narrowed, by the mandibles being pressed in laterally. PI. 3. Fig. 1. cultrated — When each mandible is shaped like a ploughshare, with sharp edges. PL 1. Fig. 8. subulated — When the bill is long and slender, and shaped like an awl. PI. 3. Fig. 9. conical.— PL 4. Fig. 1. subconic — Approaching to the conical form. PL 3. Fig. 10. depressed. — When the bill is flattened, by the mandibles being pressed perpendicularly. PL 3. Fig. 4. culminated. — When the central ridge of the upper mandible is very prominent. PL 1. Fig. 17. quadrangular. — Of a square form. PL 2. Fig. 4. subquadrangular — Approaching to a square form. PL 2. Fig. 5. carinated. — When either mandible has a prominent ridge or keel. PL 1. Fig. 13. inflated — When the sides of the mandibles bulge out. PL 3. Fig. 13. emarginated. — When either mandible is slightly notched towards the extremity. PL 3. Fig. 2. deflected. — When the upper mandible is rather bent downwards to the point. PL 4. Fig. 3. Cere. — The naked skin at the base of the bill, in which the nostrils are situated in certain genera. PL 1. Figs. 1, 2, 3, &c. a. Claws retractile. — Capable of being drawn back into a sheath, as in the Falcon tribe. Culmen — The central ridge of the bill. Feathers elongated — Lengthened, as in the crests of certain birds. acuminated—Drawn to a fine point, as in the neck feathers of the Eagles. VOL. I. C TECHNICAL TERMS. Feet reticulated — When the scales appear like net-work. PI, 4. Fig. 7- ...... plated. — When the scales are large, and overlap each other like a coat of mail. PL 1. Fig. 8. Nostrils lateral — Situated on each side of the central ridge of the bill. .......... basal __ At the base of the bill. .......... ovoid. — Shaped like an egg. Phalanges — The joints of the toes. Tibia. — The feathered part of the leg above the tarsus, improperly called the Thigh. Toe reversible — Capable of being turned back, as is the case with the outer toe of many of the Owls. ...... fimbriated — When its sides are furnished with a fringed-like ap- pendage, as in some of the Grous. Tomia.— The cutting edges of the bill. Tongue bifid — Forked towards the extremity, as in the Falcon tribe. .......... extensile. — Capable of protrusion to a considerable length, as in the Woodpeckers. .......... lumbriciform. — Shaped and ringed like a worm, as in the Wood- peckers and Wryneck. Wings acuminated.— Having the quill-feathers drawn to a fine point, as in the Swift. xxvii ) TYPES OF THE GENERA. PLATE I. Fig. }. a, Bill of Golden Eagle. 2. a, Kite. 3. a, Common Buzzard. 4. a, Hen Harrier. 5. a, Goshawk. 6. a, Peregrine Falcon. 7. a, Head of Long-eared Owl. ft, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 8. a. Skeleton head of Carrion Crow. bt Foot. c, Front view of bill. 9. «, Head of Red-legged Chough, ft, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 10. «, Head of Nutcracker, ft, Foot. 11. a, Head of Roller, ft, Foot. 12. a, Head of Wax- wing, ft, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 13. a, Head of Golden Oriole, ft, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 14. a, Head of Common Starling, ft, Foot. c, Front view of bill. Genus. Aquila. Milvus. Buteo. Circus. Astur. Falco. VStrix. Corvus. Frigilus. > Nucifraga. > Coracias. v Bombycilla. vOriolus. VSturnus. xxvm TYPES OF THE GENERA. Fig. 15. 0, Head of Rose-coloured Pastor. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 16. a, Head of Cuckoo. b, Foot. 17. a, Head of Green Woodpecker. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 18. a, Head of Wryneck. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. PLATE II. Fig. 1. a, Head of Nuthatch. b, Foot. 2. a, Head of Common Creeper. 5, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 3. a, Head of Hoopoe. b, Foot. 4. 0, Head of King's-Fisher. b, Foot. 5. «, Head of Bee-Eater. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 6. «, Head of Chimney Swallow. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 7. a, Head of Swift. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 8. «, Head of Goatsucker. 6, Gape. c, Front view of bill. d, Foot. PLATE III. Fig. 1. «, Head of Ash-coloured Shrike. 6, Foot. e, Front view of bill. Genus. V Pastor. V Cuculus. Picus. Yunx. Sitta, \Si1 VCerthia. y Upupa. > Alcedo. VJVterops. VHirundo. Cypselus. Caprimulgus, } vLanius. TYPES OF THE GENEHA. XXIX Fig-. 2. a, Head of Blackbird. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 3. a, Head of European Dipper. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 4. a, Head of Spotted Flycatcher. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 5. a, Head of Hedge-Accentor. b, Foot c, Front view of bill. 6. a, Head of Great Pettychaps. b, Foot. c, Under side of the foot. d, Front view of bill. 7. a, Head of Stone- Chat. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 8. 0, Head of Pied Wagtail. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 9. «, Skeleton head of Meadow Pipit. b, Foot. c, Front view of head. 10. a, Head of Sky-Lark. Z>, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 11. a, Head of Great Titmouse. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 12. a, Head of Yellow Bunting. b, The same, with mouth open. c, Front view of bill. d) Inside of under mandible. e, Foot. 13. a, Head of Crossbill. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 14. «, Head of Bullfinch. by Foot. c, Front view of bill. Genus. VMerula. J-Cinclus. V Muscicapa. i- Accentor. Curruca. Saxicola. Motacilla. Anthus. Alauda. |~Parus. Emberiza. >Loxia. V Pyrrhula. XXX TYPES OF THE GENERA. PLATE IV. Fig. 1 . #, Head of Gold-crested Regulus, b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 1*. «, Head of Common Wren. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 2. a, Head of Greenfinch. b, Foot. c, Front view of Bill. «, Head of Chaffinch. e, Head of Goldfinch. 3. a, Head of Ring-Dove. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 4. a, Head of Pheasant. 6, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 5. #, Head of Red Grous. bt Front view of bill. 6. a, Head of Partridge. b, Foot. c, Front view of bill. 7. a, Head of Collared Pratincole. b, Foot. cy Front view of bill. 8. «, Head of Little Bustard. 6, Foot. c, Front view of bill. Genus. \- Regulus. Troglodytes. > Coccothraustes. Fringilla. Carduelis. > Columba. vphasiarius. > Lagopus. > Perdix. > Glareola. > Otis. ( xxxi ) SYNOPTICAL TABLE OF BRITISH LAND-BIRDS. ABBREVIATIONS. I. INDIGENOUS. P. V. PERIODICAL VISITANT. O. V. OCCASIONAL VISITANT. I 0 1 H ! •2s 1 ENGLISH SPECIFIC NAMES. LATIN SPECIFIC NAMES. Abbre- viations. 1 ... 2 T 1 2 3 Egyptian Neophron, Golden Eagle, Cinereous Sea Eagle, Neophron Percnopterus, Aquila Chrysaeta, Haliaetos albicilla, O.V. I I 4 Osprey, Pandion Haliseetos, I 2 5 Goshawk, Astur palumbarius, I :i 0 7 Sparrow Hawk, Jer-Falcon, Accipiter Fringillarius, Falco Islandicus, I o.v. Peregrine Falcon, Peregrinus, I. Hobby, subbuteo, P. V. Orange-legged Hobby, rufipes, o.v. Kestrel, Tinnunculus, I. Merlin, jEsalon, I. 4 8 Common Buzzard, Buteo vulgaris, I. Rough-legged Buzzard, Lagopus, o.v. It Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivorus, o.v. 10 Marsh Harrier, Circus rufus, I. Hen Harrier, cyaneus, I. Ash-coloured Harrier, cineraceus, P. V. 5 11 Kite or Glead, Milvus vulgaris, I. 12 Swallow-tailed Elanus, Elanus furcatus, o.v. 4 in GreatJiorned orEagle-Owl, Bubo maximus, o.v. 14 Long-eared Owl, Otus vulgaris, I. Short-eared Owl, Otus Brachyotos, P. V. XXX11 SYNOPTICAL TABLE OF s •g o 1 H t^t If! j 3 ENGLISH SPECIFIC NAMES. LATIN SPECIFIC NAMES. Abbre- viations. 15 Scops-eared Owl, Scops Aldrovandi, O V If) Snowy Owl, Surnia Nyctea, VJ» V • O. V. 17 Barn or White Owl, Strix Flammea, 1 18 Tawney Owl, Ulula stridula, X. 19 Tengmalm's Night-Owl, Little Night-Owl, Noctua Tengmalmi, Passerina, o.v. O. V. 2 1 1 ... 20 Common Bee- Eater, Merops Apiaster, O. V. 21 Garrulous Roller, Coracias garrula, Ov 2 ... 22 Chimney Swallow, Hirundo rustica, • V • P. V. Martin, urbica, P. V. Sand Martin, riparia, Pv 23 Common Swift, Cypselus murarius, . V . P V 5 5 ... 24 25 European Goatsucker, Common Kingsfisher, Caprimulgus Europseus, Alcedo Ispida, Jr. v • P. V. 1 2 1 ... 20 Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa grisola, p V. Pied Flycatcher, luctuosa, o. v. 2 ... 1 27 Great Cinereous Shrike, Lanius excubitor, O. V. Red-backed Shrike, Collurio, O. V. Woodchat, rufus, O. V. 3 1 28 Missel Thrush, Merula viscivora, I. Fieldfare, pilaris, P. V. Song Thrush, musica, I. Redwing, Iliaca, P. V. Blackbird, vulgaris, J. Ring Ouzel, torquata, P. V. 2 29 European Dipper, Cinclus aquaticus, 1. Golden Oriole, Oriolus Galbula, O. V. 4 1 30 Wheat-Ear, Saxicola (Enanthe, P. V. Whin-Chat, rubetra, P. V. Stone-Chat, rubicola, I. 31 Redbreast, Erythaca rubecula, I. 32 Common Redstart, Phoenicura ruticiila, P. V. Tethys Redstart, Tithys, o.v. Blue-throated Redstart, suecica, O. V. 2 33 Grasshopper Warbler, Salicaria Locustella, P. V. Sedge Warbler, Phragmitis, P. V. Reed Wren, arundinacea, P. V 34 35 Common Nightingale, Black-cap Warbler, Philomela Luscinia, Curruca atricapilia, P. V. P. V. Greater Pettychaps, hortensis, P. V. Whitethroat," cinerea, P. V. Lesser Whitethroat, garrula, P. V. 3 36 Dartford Warbler, M elizophilus provincia- I. lis, 37 Lesser Pettychaps, Wood Wren, Sylvia hippolais, Sibilatrix, P. V. P. V, Yellow Wren, trochilus, P. V. 4 38 39 Gold-crested Regulus, Great Titmouse, Regulus auricapillus, Parus major, I. I. Blue Titmouse, cceruleus, I. Marsh Titmouse, palustris, I. Cole Titmouse, ater, I. Long, tailed Titmouse, caudatus, I. BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY. XXX111 s 1 o J E _>> £ = 1 '•£ o ENGLISH SPECIFIC NAMES. LATIN SPECIFIC NAMES. Abbre- viations. Crested Titmouse, Parus cristatus, Bearded Titmouse, biarmicus, I. 40 Hedge Accentor, Accentor modularis, I. Alpine Accentor, alpinus, 0. V. 5 41 Pied Wagtail, Motacilla alba, I. Grey Wagtail, Boarula, I. Yellow Wagtail, flava, P. V. 42 Rock or Shore Pipit, Anthus aquaticus, I. Meadow Pipit, pratensis, I. Tree Pipit, arboreus, P. V. Richard's Pipit, Richardi, O. V. 5 43 Bohemian Wax-wing, Bombycilla garrula, O. V. 3 1 1 44 Sky Lark, Alauda arvensis, I. Wood Lark, arborea, I. 45 Snow Bunting, Plectrophanes nivalis, P. V. Lapland Snow Bunting, Lapponica, O. V. 46 Common Bunting, Emberiza miliaria, L Yellow Bunting, citrinella, I. Reed Bunting, Schreniculus, I. Coil Bunting, cirlus, I. Orlotan Bunting, Hortulana, 0. V. 2 47 House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, I. Tree Sparrow, montanus, I. 48 Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs, I. Mountain Finch, montifringilla, P. V. 49 Siskin, Carduelis spinus, P. V. Goldfinch, eiegans, I. 3 50 Common Linnet, Linaria cannabina, I. Mountain Linnet, montana, I. Lesser Redpole Linnet, minor, I. 51 Hawfinch Grosbeak, Green Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vulgaris, chloris, P. V. I. 4 52 Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, 0. V. Parrot Crossbill, Pytiopsittacus, 0. V. 53 Pine Bullfinch, Pyrrhula enucleator, 0. V. Common Bullfinch, vulgaris, I. 2 ... 54 Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, I. 55 Rose-coloured Pastor, Pastor roseus, O. V. 3 ... 56 Raven, Corvus Corax, I. Carrion Crow, corone, I. Hooded Crow, comix, I. Rook, frugilegus, I. Jackdaw, monedula, I. •->7 Magpie, Pica melanoleuca, I. 5(5 Common Jay, Garrulus glandarius, I. :>!) Cornish Chough, Fregilus graculus, I. 2 60 61 Nutcracker, Green Woodpecker, Nucifraga Caryocatactes Picus viridis, 0. V. I. (iivat Hlack Woodpecker, martius, 0. V. Great Spotted Wood- pecker, major, I. Lesser Spotted Wood- I' pecker, minor, . XXXIV SYNOPTICAL TABLE, &c. 1 o 1 h 1 3- 3 P & a h Genus. 1 ENGLISH SPECIFIC NAMES. LATIN SPECIFIC NAMES. Abbre- viations. G2 Wryneck, Yunx torquilla, P. V. 3 ... C3 Nuthatch, Sitta Europea, I. G4 Common Creeper, Certhia familiaris, I. Go GO Common Wren, Common Hoopoe, Troglodytes Europoeus, Upupa Epops, I. O. V. 4 ... 67 Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, P. V. 3 ... 1 ... G8 Ring Dove, Columba Palumbus, I. Stock Dove, jEnas, I. Rock Dove, livia, I. Turtle Dove, Turtur, P. V. 2 ... G9 Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, I. 3 ... 70 Black Grous, Tetrao Tetrix, I. 71 Red Grous Ptarmigan, Lagopus Scoticus, I. 72 Common Ptarmigan, Common Partridge, mutus, Perdix cinerea, I. I. Quail, coturnix, P. V. 4 .. 73 Great Bustard, Otis tarda, I. Little Bustard, tetrax, 0. V. ( XXXV ) LIST OF AUTHORS QUOTED, WITH THEIR ABBREVIATIONS. Alb. Arct. Zool. Bechst. Naturg. Deut. und Taschenb. Bewick's Br. Birds, Br. Zool. Briss. Orn. Buff. Ois. et PI. Enl. Cuv. Reg. Anim. Don. Br. Birds, Edw. Fau. Suec. Albin. Natural History of Birds, with coloured Plates, engraven from life, by Eleaxer Albin, 3 vols. 4to. London, 1738. Arctic Zoology, by Thomas Pennant, Esq., 2 vols. 4to. 1784. John Bechstein, Gemeinnutzige Naturgeschichte Deutschlands, Tweyte Auflage. Und Ornitholo- gisches Tasschenbuch, von und fur Deutschland. History of British Birds, the figures engraved on wood, by Thomas Bewick, Newcastle, 1797 ; also edit. 1826. British Zoology, by Thomas Pennant, Esq., 4th ed. 8vo. 1776. Ornithologie, par M. Brisson, 4to. Paris, 1760. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux, par M. Buffon, 4to. Paris, 1770, et Planches Enlumine'es de cet ou- vrage. Le Regne Animal distribue7 d'apres son Organiza- tion, par M. le Chevalier Cuvier, 8vo. a Paris, 1817. Natural History of British Birds, by E. Donovan, F. L. S., 8vo. London, 1799. Natural History of Birds, and other rare and un- described animals, by George Edwards, 4to, 7 vols. London, 1763. Caroli Linnaei Fauna Suecica, sistens Animalia Sue- ciae Regni. XXXVI LIST OF AUTHORS QUOTED, Flem. Br. Anim. Faun. Boreal. Amer. Frisch. Gmel. Syst. Ind. Ornith. Jardine's Wils. Amer. Orn. Lath. Syn. Lesson's Man. d'Orn. Le win's Br. Birds. Linn. Syst. Linn. Trans. Low's Fau. Oread. Meyer, Tasschenb. et Vog. Deut. Meyer, Vog. Liv. und Esthl. Mont. Orn. Die., Id. Sup. Pult. Cat. Dorset. History of British Animals, exhibiting the descrip- tive characters, and systematic arrangement, &c. &c., by John Fleming, D.D., F.R.S.E., F.L.S% &c. &c. Edinburgh, 1828. Fauna Boreali Americana, part ii. Birds, London, 1831. J. L. Frisch, Vorstellung der Vb'gel in Deutsch- land. Systema Naturae, John Frederick Gmelin, Leipsise, 1783. Index Ornithologicus, sive Systema Ornithologiae, complectens, Avium divisionem in Classes, Ordi- nes, &c. Studio et opera, Johannis Latham, R. S. Londini, 4to. 1790. Wilson's American Ornithology, by Sir William Jardine, Bart, F.R. S.E,, F.L. S., &c., Edin- burgh, 1832. A general Synopsis of Birds, by John Latham, 4to. 3 vols. Manuel d'Ornithologie, ou description des genres, et des principales especes d'Oiseaux, par R.P. Lesson, Paris, 1828. The Birds of Great Britain, by William Lewin, 4to. London, 1789. Caroli Linncei Systema Naturae, &c., 8vo. 3 vols. edit. 12. Holmiaj, 1766. Transactions of Linnean Society, 4to. London. Fauna Orcadensis, or Natural History of the Qua- drupeds, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes of Orkney and Shetland, by the Rev. George Low, Minister of Birza and Barra, 4to. Edinburgh, 1813. Dr Meyer and Dr Wolf. Tasschenbuch der Deut- schen Vogelkunde, und Naturgeschichte der Vog. Deutschlands. Dr Meyer. Kurze Bechreibung der Vog. Liv. und Esthl. Ornithological Dictionary, by Geo. Montagu, F.L.S. London, 1802. Supplement by the same, 1813. Catalogues of the Birds, Shells, and some of the more rare Plants of Dorsetshire, from the new and enlarged edition of Mr Hutchison's History of that county, by Richard Pulteney, M. D., F. R. S. Lond. and Edin., and F. L. S. London, 1799. WITH THEIll ABBREVIATIONS. XXXV11 Rail Syn. Rennie's Mont. Orn. Diet. Shaw's Zool. Temm. Man. d'Orn. Temm. Pig. et Gall. VailL Ois. d'Afriq. Wale. Syn. Wagler's Syst. Av. White's Hist. Selb. Will. Orn. VVils. Amer. Orn. Johannis Rail Synopsis Methodica Avium et Pis- cium, &c. 8vo. Londini, 1713. Ornithological Dictionary of British Birds, by Co- lonel G. Montagu, F.L.S., by James Rennie, A.M. A. L. S., &c. London, 1831. General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History, by George Shaw, M.D., F.R.S., with Plates, &c. London, 8vo. Manuel d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Systematique des Oiseaux qui si irouvent en Europe, par C. J. Temminck, Membre de plusieurs Academies, &c. 2d edit, considerablement augmente'e et mise au niveau des d'ecouvertes nouvelles. A Paris, 1820. Histoire Naturelle generale des Pigeons et des Gal- linace's, par C. J. Temminck, 8vo. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique. Synopsis of British Birds, by John Walcot, Esq. 4to. London, 1789. Systema Avium Auctor, Dr James Wagler, Stut_ gard, 1827. Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, in the county of Southampton, by Gilbert White, 4to. London, 1813. The Ornithology of Francis Willoughby, Esq. F.R.S. folio, London, 1678. American Ornithology, or Natural History of the Birds of the United States, &c., by Alexander Wilson, Philadelphia, 1808. ILLUSTRATIONS OP ORNITHOLOGY. ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY. ORDER I. RAPTORES, VIGORS. IN the natural arrangement, or that founded upon the af- finities connecting the various tribes of the feathered race, the Raptorial Order constitutes the first of the five great di- visions into which the Class Aves, like those of the other de- partments of the animal kingdom, may be divided : a num- ber, it may be observed, to which not only the primary, but also all the minor subdivisions, of such departments as have hitherto undergone investigation, appear to be limited. Of these divisions, it is one of the two which are considered ty- pical or representative (the Order Incessores being the other)^ and is composed of the various groups generally known as Birds of Prey ; answering to the Accipitres of LINN.«US, and analogous to the Carnivorous Animals of the Class Mamma~ lia. The compact yet powerful body, the predatory habits, the decided partiality for animal food, the strong anoT hooked bill, the muscular limbs, the curved and often semi-retractile claws, and other distinguishing traits, separate the birds of VOL. i. A 2 RAPTORES. VULTURID^E. this Order from all the others ; though, at the same time we must remark, that modifications of form and character are met with in the less typical members sufficient to support the necessary connection with the other orders of the Class. In this Division four Families only have yet been recognised, viz. the Vulturida, Falconida, Strigida, and Gypogeranida. Of these the three first mentioned embrace the extensive Lin- nean genera Vulture, Falco, and Strix ; the fourth is repre- sented by the African Serpent-Eater {Secretary Vulture of LATHAM). The fifth, necessary to complete the series of affinities within the circle of this Order, is still wanting. FAMILY IT.* VULTURID^ The Vulturidse, which form one of the typical families of the order, are distinguished by having the head more or less divested of feathers, the bill strait at the base, and covered with a cere, either thinly covered with hair or naked, simple or carunculated ; their limbs are muscular and generally short, the tarsi and feet naked, the latter armed with rather strong, but not very hooked talons. They principally sub- sist upon carrion and decomposing animal matter ; but, as might be expected, the forms which approach nearest to the Falconidte occasionally prey upon living subjects. They are mostly inhabitants of the warmer regions of the globe, where they act an important and salutary part in the economy of nature, by clearing the surface of noxious and putrid ani- mal remains. Their wings are ample, and their flight, which is powerful, and can be long sustained, is generally described in wide circles. In this family, five distinct forms have been admitted ; two of which, genus Vultur and genus Sarcoram- * According to the system of Mr VIGORS (the one here adopted), the aber- rant family of Gypogeranidae stands first, as the typical families invariably occupy the middle station. But, in this work, we commence of course with the second family, as the first affords no British species. RAPTORES. NEOPHRON. * pints, as possessing the peculiar features of the family in the highest degree, are justly considered its typical representa- tives ; the other three are aberrant, viz. the genera Neophron, Cathartes, and Gypaetos, in which a deviation of structure is perceptible, and which serve, from the affinities they exhibit, not only to complete the circle of their own family, but to connect it with those belonging to other orders of the class. GENUS NEOPHRON (SAVic,.) NEOPHRON. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill elongated, slender, strait ; the upper mandible covered with a cere for half its length, and with a distinct hooked dertrum or tip. The lower mandible curving downwards at the point, with no apparent gonys or angle. Nostrils longitu- dinal, lateral, directed forwards, and placed near to the cul- men of the bill. Anterior part of the head and the face naked ; the neck covered with acuminate feathers. Wings ample, the third quill-feather being the longest. Tail of fourteen feathers. Legs of mean strength and length ; the tarsi reticulated. Feet with four toes ; three before, and one behind. The front toes united at the base. Claws strong, slightly hooked, and blunt. Under surface of the toes sca- brous. This genus, which was first established by SAVIGNY, has since been adopted by Mr VIGORS, who makes it one of the five forms recognisable in the family of the Vulturida. It belongs to the aberrant division, or that in which the groups indicate a modification of those peculiar characters that dis- tinguish the typical divisions, represented (as I have before stated) by genus Vultur and genus Sarcoramphus. Its structure, according to the affinities displayed, seems inter- mediate between the genus Gypaetos, of which the Vultur barbatus of authors is the type, (and which more imme- diately connects the Vulturidae with the succeeding family of 4 RAPTORES. NEOPHRON. NEOPHRON. the Falconidse), and the genus Catkartes, restricted by the ornithologists of the present day to certain species belonging to America, of which Cathartes Aura and Cathartes Uruba are the representatives. From this latter group the present genus differs, not only in geographical distribution, but in having the neck more fully clothed with feathers, and the bill and legs> of still weaker conformation. It is restricted to* the old world, and has for its type the Neophron Percnop- terus of SAVIGNY (Vultur Perc. of LINN.EUS). In habits these birds are, if possible, more filthy than any of tire other members of this family, their food consisting almost wholly of the rankest carrion and most disgusting offal of every de- scription. They are also of a more timid character, appear- ing very destitute of the boldness that characterizes the larger and more typical Vultures. EGYPTIAN NEOPHRON. NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS, Savig. PLATE A. Neophron Percnopterus, Savig. Ois. de 1' Egypt, p. 16 — Vigors in Zooli Journ. 2. 380 Jardine and Selby, Illust. of Orn. 1. pi. 33. Vultur Percnopterus, Linn. Syst.- 1. 123. 7 — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 2. sp. 3 — Shaw's Zool. 5. 7- pi- 33. Alpine Vulture, Lath. Syn. 1. 12; Id. Sup- 3. Vultur ^Egypticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 2. var. B. Sacre d'Egypt, Buff. Ois. 1. 167- Egyptian Vulture, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 13. Vultur leucocephalus, Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 1. sp. :J Bill bluish-black, paler towards tbe base. Cere wax-yel- low. Irides pale chesnut-brown. Head and neck dark- brown, the tips of the feathers rather paler, the roots white. Upper parts reddish-brown, the feathers paler towards the base, and having the whole of their shafts dark. Under parts brown, of different shades, inter- mixed with a few white feathers. Quills brownish- black. Tail marbled with shades of hair and clove- brown, and darkest towards the end. GENUS PANDION, SAVIG. OSPREY. GENERIC CHARACTERS. HILL rather short, strong, the culmen rounded, and broad ; tomia of the upper mandible nearly straight, as far as the hooked tip. Nostrils oblong-oval, slightly oblique, and extending nearly the whole length of the cere. Wings long ; the second and third quill-feathers the longest in each wing. Legs muscular and strong ; the tarsi short, and co- vered with prominent retrinulated scales. Feet having the toes free, and nearly of equal length ; the outer toe reversible, and all of them armed with strong, much curved, and very sharp claws, of which the under part is rounded. Claw of the exterior toe longer than that of the middle and inner ones. Under surface of the toes very rough, with small sharp-pointed scales. The rounded under surface of the claws of this group is of itself a sufficient characteristic to separate it from the pre- ceding, and other nearly allied genera ; but in addition, they possess other distinctions in the form of the bill and legs, as well as in habits and general economy, of consequence enough to warrant such a removal. The Common Osprey (Falco Hal'ueetus, LINN.) stands as the type of the present genus, which contains two or three other species, one of which Pand. Icthyceetus of Dr HOIISFIELD, approximates, in some respects, very closely to the genus llalkvtiis, and forms the link of ' 24 RAPTORES. PANDION. OSPREY. connection between the two. The Ospreys are strictly pisci- vorous. They capture their prey by pouncing it when swimming near the surface, and are so fastidious as generally to refuse it, however fresh, unless taken alive by themselves. They possess a form and structure admirably adapted for the mode of living they pursue, their body being long and narrow, yet sufficiently compact and muscular ; their limbs powerful ; and feet furnished with toes and claws of such size and strength as to embrace a considerable surface, and take a very firm grasp of their slippery prey, and at the same time so constituted as to allow of that grasp being quickly withdrawn in case of danger, or from having attack- ed a fish too unwieldy to be raised from the water. Their plumage is also different in texture from that of the other Aquiline groups, being firmer and more closely set, particu- larly upon the lower parts of the body ; and the thighs are destitute of the long plumes that adorn the rest of the Fal- conidae. OSPREY. PANDION HALIJEETUS, Savig. PLATE IV. Balbusardis Haliseetus, Flem. Brit. Anim. 1. 51. No. 15. Falco Halireetus, Linn. 1. p. 129. 26 — Fauna Suec. No. C3 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 1?. 30 __ Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 263 — Muller, No. 66.— Briss. 1. p. 440. 10. t. 34. Aquila Halieeetus, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 17- Falco arundinaceus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 263. var. B. a female in moult. Morphnos seu Clanga, Rail, Syn. p. 7. 6.— Will. Ang p. 63. Le Balbusard £w Ois. v. 1. . 103. t. 2.— Id. PL Enl. 4 Le Balbusard, £w# Ois. v. 1. p. 103. t. 2.— Id. PL Enl. 414. Aigle Balbusard, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 47- 2d. Flusadler, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 12 — Meyer, Vb'g. Deut. v. 2. Heft 23. a figure of the Male. Osprey, Br. Zool. 1. No. 46.— Id. fol. p. 65. t. A. 1.— Arct.Zool. 2. No. 91. _ Lath. Ind. Syn. 1. p. 45. 26 — Id. Suppl. p. 13 — Lewirfs Br. Birds, 1. t. 5 __ Mont. Ornith. Diet __ Id. Sup — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 5— White's Hist. Selb. p. 97.— Bewick's Br. Birds, I. p. 13 — Shaw's Zool. 7- P- 82 — Don. Br. Birds, 3. t. 70 __ Putt. Cat. Dorset, p. 2. Carolina Osprey, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 46. 26. A. Cayenne Osprey, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 47. 26. B. PROVINCIAL, — Fishing Hawk, Fishing Eagle, Bald Buzzard. OSPREY. RAPTORES. PANDION. 25 According to MONTAGU, this species appears to be more abundant in Devonshire than in any other part of the king- dom. Its peculiar habits necessarily limit its appearance to particular districts and situations ; for being strictly pisci- vorous, it is only in the vicinity of lakes, rivers, or such Food, pools of water as abound with fish, that we can expect to meet with it. I have seen them upon Loch Lornond (where they are said to breed), and upon Loch Awe, where an eyry is annually established upon the ruins of a castle near the southern extremity of the lake ; and another, in a similar situation, nearly opposite to the Gorge, or egress of the Ri- ver Awe. The nests are, however, generally robbed when containing eggs ; and the young are hardly ever permitted to escape. These circumstances will account for their de- creasing numbers in Scotland. The Osprey is a powerful bird, the female often weighing upwards of five pounds. Its limbs are very muscular, in proportion to its general dimensions, and measure nearly two inches in circumference below the knee. The tarsi and feet are clothed with scales, and the under surfaces of the toes are very rough, and covered with protu- berances,— an admirable provision for keeping firm hold of its slippery prey. — The peculiar formation of the foot contri- butes also greatly to this object ; for in the Osprey, the talon of the outer toe is considerably larger than that of the inner one (the reverse of which we find in its congeners), and the toe itself is capable of being occasionally turned backwards. The thighs are covered with short feathers, closely set, and are totally destitute of the long plumes, which, in most instances, adorn the legs of the Falcon genus. The plumage of the under parts of the body is also of a close and firm texture, and nearly resembles that of water- fowl. These peculiarities are in perfect accordance with the nature and habits of the individual ; for, being subject to fre- quent and complete submersion in pursuit of its prey, the elongated thigh feathers would be only encumbering appen- 26 RAPTORES. PAND1ON. OSPHEY. dages ; and a more open and delicate texture of feather would prove no defence against the element it so often visits. The general flight of the Osprey is heavy, and like the Common Buzzard, but at times it glides slowly along, with motionless wing. MONTAGU* observes, that when examining the water for its prey, its wings are in continual action, al- though it remains stationary for a considerable time. Its su- perior weight, he adds, may perhaps render it difficult to con- tinue suspension with an almost imperceptible play of the wings, like the Kestrel. According to TEMMINCK •(•, it is found pretty generally disseminated throughout Europe, and is very abundant in Russia, Germany, and Switzerland. The Nest, &c. Osprey builds in lofty trees or ruins, or amid rocks, as the situation may afford, and not, as WILLOUGHBY has mention- ed, among the reeds in marshy grounds. It lays three or four yellowish- white eggs, blotched and speckled with red- dish-brown. The figure at PLATE 4 is that of a female bird of the natu- ral size, and about two years old. The male is rather smaller, but similar in plumage. General Bill large, straightish at the base, and very hooked at the ^P> °^ a bluish-black colour ; cere greyish-blue. Irides lemon-yellow. Crown of the head umber-brown, the fea- thers edged with white, long, slender, and acuminate ; hind part of the head and nape of neck white. On each side of the neck, proceeding from the posterior angle of the eye, and reaching almost as far as the shoulders, is a streak of blackish-brown. Throughout the throat, white, with a few brown streaks and speckles. On the upper part of the breast., a patch of umber- brown ; this is indicative of a young bird, the adults * Article Osprey^ in Supplement to Ornithological Dictionary, where some interesting facts are given relative to the history of this bird. t Man. d'Ornith. 2d edit, OSPREY. UAPTORES. PANDION. 27 generally having that part immaculate. Belly, vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts, white. The whole of the upper part of the body umber-brown, in some individuals the feathers margined paler. Two middle tail-feathers umber-brown, the rest transversely barred with white on their inner webs. Greater quills blackish-brown. Legs short, of a greyish-blue colour ; the tarsi covered with rough reticulated scales. Toes armed with very long talons, which are cylindrical, be- ing rounded beneath, and the outer one the largest. SUB-FAMILY ACCIPITRINA. Bill bending from the base, with a prominent lobe, or fes- toon, upon the cutting margin of the upper mandible. Wings short, and when closed not reaching beyond two- thirds of the length of the tail. The fourth quill-feather generally the longest in the wing. Legs rather slender and long. The passage from the aquiline group is effected by cer- tain species in which the wings become shortened, and the tarsi slender. To the Falcons the Hawks are nearly allied in habit ; as their prey (consisting of birds and mammalia) is taken entirely upon wing ; dead subjects and carrion being refused by them even when pressed by hunger. Their mode of attack on birds is, however, different, being generally in an oblique line, or in rapid evolutions, near the earth, and not by outsoaring and then pouncing down upon them from above. Their bill also wants the strength of that of the true falcons, the sides being more compressed ; and in- stead of the marked tooth of the upper mandible, and the corresponding notch in the lower, it is only furnished with the marginal lobe or simiatioii above mentioned. Their near affinity to the Buzzards (Sub-Family Buteonina) is support- ed by certain species of the latter, which approach in many 28 RAPTORES. ASTUR. particulars to the genus Astur^ containing the larger Acci- pitrine birds. Buteo borealis of Swainson may be cited as an example of this near relationship. GENUS ASTUR, BECHST. GOSHAWK. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill short, bending from the base, with the sides rather compressed, and the upper mandible having a lobe or festoon upon its cutting margin. Nostrils oval, opening rather ob- liquely forwards. Wings short, and, when closed, scarcely reaching to one-half the length of the tail. The fourth quill- feather the longest in the wing, and the inner webs of the first five, deeply notched. Legs having the tibiae and tarsi of mean length ; the latter scutellated, or covered in front, with large broad scales. Toes of mean length ; the middle toe much longer than the side one, which are nearly equal to each other. Hind toe strong; claws incurved, very strong, and sharp ; those of the hind and inner fore toes much larger than the other two. By BECHSTEIN, the title of Astur was applied to this whole sub-family, but it has since been confined to the larger species, which have the tarsi shorter in comparison to their size, and the scales that defend them rather differing in form and texture from those of the Sparrow-Hawks (genus Acd- piter), to which, in other respects, both as to habits and form, they are closely allied. The Goshawks, though strong, are neither so compactly nor powerfully built as the true Fal- cons ; and, from the shortness of the wings, their flight, when in active pursuit, is performed by quicker repeated strokes, and nearer to the ground. These birds, however move with singular rapidity, and in their evolutions are greatly assisted by the length and expanse of their tail. They feed entirely upon feathered and animal prey, frequently of much size, which they strike when in motion upon wing. They are RAPTORES. ASTUR. 29 chiefly the inhabitants of wooded districts, and possess a wide geographical distribution. GOSHAWK. ASTUR PALUMBARIUS, Bechst. PLATES XII. AND XII*. Synonyms of Adult. Falco palumbarius, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 130.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 2C9. sp. 30. > — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 29. sp. 65 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 49. — Fauna Suec. No. 67 — Raii, Syn. p. 18. 1 — Will. p. 5. t. 3. and 5. Astur, Briss. 1. p. 317 — /&• 8vo, p. 91. I/Autour, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 130 — Id PL EnL 418 — Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 55. 2d ed. Hunderhabicht, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 28. Goshawk, Br. Zool. 1. No. 52. t. 24.— Arct. Zool. 2. No. 99 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 58.— Id. Sup. p. 16 — Mont. Ornith. Diet— 7rf. Suppl.— Albin. 2. t. 8 __ Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 9 __ Wale. Syn. 1. t. 9.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 23 — Shaw's Zool. v. 7. p. 118 __ Low's Fauna Oread, p. 36. ) Falco gallinarius, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 266. sp. 73. Faleo gentilis, Gmel. p. 270. sp. 13 — Lath. Ind. Ornith, i. p. 29. sp. 66. I Synonyms of L'Autour sors, Buff. PL Enl. pi. 461. and 423. > Young. Greater Buzzard, Lath. Syn. v. p. 49. ) This powerful species of Falcon is very rarely met with in England. I have never seen a recent specimen south of the Tweed. In the wild and mountainous districts of Scotland it is more common, and is known to breed in the forest of Rothiemurchus, and on the wooded banks of the Dee ; and, according to Low, in his Fauna Orcadensis, is rather nume- rous in those islands (Orkneys), where it breeds in the rocks and sea-cliffs. Its flight is very rapid, but generally low, and it strikes its prey upon the wing. Different kinds of feathered Food. game, wild ducks, hares and rabbits form its principal food. According to MEYER, it will even prey upon the young of its own species. It generally builds in lofty fir trees, and Nest, &c. lays from two to four eggs, of a skim-milk white, marked with streaks and spots of reddish-brown. By falconers, it was considered to be the best and most courageous of the short-winged hawks, and was accordingly 30 RAPTORES. ASTUR. GOSHAWK. trained to the pursuit of grouse, pheasants, wild geese, herons, &c. Although it is nearly equal in size to the Jer- Falcon, yet the shortness of its wings, and its general con- tour, readily distinguish it from that species, in all its stages of plumage. The Goshawk is very common in France, as well as in Germany, Switzerland, and Russia. In Holland it is rare. The " Falcon gentil? from its description, must be referred to this species. PLATE 12. Represents an adult male, in the natural size, drawn from a specimen in the possession of Sir WILLIAM JARDINE, Bart. General -Bill bluish-grey, darkest at the tip. Cere wax-yellow. Irides lion™1*" bright gamboge-yellow. Crown of the head dark clove- Adult male brown. Over the eye is a streak of white, mixed with clove-brown. Ear-coverts streak down the sides of the neck, and the whole of the upper parts, hair-brown; the quills being barred with a darker shade of the same. Tail hair-brown, with five distinct bars of blackish- brown ; the tip being white. Chin and throat white, streaked with hair-brown. Under parts and thighs white, barred transversely with dark hair-brown. Under tail-coverts white. Legs and toes wine or wax yellow. Front of the tarsi scutellated ; the scales being well de- fined, and partly overlapping each other. Claws black ; those of the inner and hind toes very large, and much hooked. PLATE 12 *. A young male bird, of the natural size. Young Bill bluish- gray, dark towards the tip. Cere lemon-yellow. Irides grey. Above the eye, and passing to the occiput, is a streak of white, intermixed with a few brown specks. The crown of the head, and upper part of the neck? reddish-brown, the feathers margined with white. Up- per part of the neck reddish-brown, the feathers mar- . RAPTORES. ACCIPITER. :Jl gined with white. Upper parts of the body liver brown, the feathers margined paler. Under parts reddish- white, with long lanceolate streaks of blackish brown, occupy- ing the centres of the feathers. Tail liver-brown, with four bars of blackish-brown ; the tip white. Tarsi and toes lemon-yellow. Claws black. White varieties of the Goshawk have been sometimes met with. GENUS ACCIPITER, AUCT. SPARROW-HAWK. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill bending from the base, the sides compressed upwards, and forming a rather narrow rounded culmen. Cutting mar- gin of the upper mandible with a very distinct obtuse lobe. Nostrils oval. Wings short; the fourth and fifth feathers longest; the first having the inner web alone notched, or sinuated; the next four with both webs emarginated. Legs with the tarsi long and slender, scutellated in front, with the scales thin and smooth, and closely united to each other. Feet having the toes slender, the middle one longer than the outer by one joint, and exceeding the inner by two. Hind and inner toes of equal length and strength, armed with very strong, hooked, and sharp claws, much longer than those upon the middle and outer toes. The Sparrow-Hawks are chiefly distinguished from the birds of the preceding genus by their inferior size, and the greater comparative length and smoothness of their tarsi. In habits and mode of living, a great similarity exists ; and though small, they are equally noted for their courage and audacity. In the various species that belong to the pre- sent genus, the difference of size between the male and fe- male is more than usually marked, of which our own indige- nous bird furnishes a striking example. By CUVIER, the gene- 32 RAPTORES. ACCIPITER. SPARROW-HAWK. ric term of Nisus was conferred upon the group ; but, as the title of Accipiter had long been given to it, and adopted also by RAY and BRISSON, I have, in conformity with the rule generally advocated, retained the one sanctioned by priority of imposition. SPARROW-HAWK. ACCIPITER FRINGILLARIUS, Ray. PLATES XIII. AND XIII •, Accipiter Fringillarius, Rail, Syn. p. 18. A. 2.— Will. p. 51. t. 5 — Shaw's Zool. 13. 30. Falco Nisus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 131. 31 — Fauna Suec. No. 69 — GmeL Syst 1. p. 280. 31.— Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 44. 107 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 25.— Mutter, No. 71. Buteo Nisus, Flem. Br. Anira. 1. 55. No. 24. L'Epervier, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 225 — Id. PL Enl. 467- and 412.— Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 56. 2. Die Sperber, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 29. Sparrow-Hawk, Br. Zool. 1. No. 62 — Ib. fol. t. A. 10. A. 11 — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 226. N — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 99, 85.— Ib. Suppl. p. 26 — Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 20 Haye's Br. Birds, t. 3.— WU. (Ang.) p. 86 — Mont. Or- nith. Diet.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. 27 — Shaw's Zool. 7. 187. — Low's Fau. Oread, p. 38.— Pult. Cat. Dorset. This destructive and well known species is remarkable for the great difference in size between the male and female, the former seldom measuring twelve inches in length, whilst the latter often exceeds fifteen inches. It is one of the boldest of its genus, and the female, from her superior size, is a fatal enemy to partridges and other game, as well as pigeons. — It flies low, skimming over the ground with great swiftness,, and pounces its prey upon the wing with unerring aim. The force of its stroke is such as generally to kill, and sometimes even to force out the entrails of its victim. It is common in most parts of the kingdom, but particu- larly frequents the lower grounds, and well wooded inclo- Nest, &c. sures. — It builds in low trees, or thorn bushes, forming a shallow and flat nest, composed of slender twigs, and very SPARROW-HAWK. RAPTORES. ACCIPITER. 33 similar to that of the Ring Dove, but rather larger. It will occasionally occupy the deserted nest of a Crow. The eggs are from four to six in number, of a skim-milk white, blotched at the larger end with reddish brown. In the Orkney Islands, where it is abundant, it breeds in the rocks and sea cliffs. Mr Low, in his Fauna Oread., mentions a combat that he witnessed between the Sparrow-Hawk and the Short-eared Owl, and which terminated in the defeat of the latter. During the time these birds have young, the de- predations they commit upon game, and the small feathered tribe, are very great. In a nest containing five young ones, Food. I found a Lapwing, two Blackbirds, a Thrush, and two Green Linnets, recently killed, and partly divested of their feathers. The Sparrow-Hawk is very widely diffused, and found in all parts of Europe. In the days of Falconry it was trained, and much appro- ved in the pursuit of partridges, quails, and many other birds. In rearing the young of this species, care should be taken to separate them very early, otherwise the female birds, being superior in size, and stronger, are sure to destroy and devour the males, as I have repeatedly found, when they were kept caged together. PLATE 1 3. A female of the natural size. Bill bluish-grey, General the tip black. Cere lemon-yellow. Irides gamboge- J^np~ yellow. Crown of the head and upper parts of the Female body blackish-grey, passing into clove-brown. Above the eye (which is defended by a large bony projection) is an indistinct line of white, which also encircles the nape of the neck. Under parts white, undulated with black or brownish-black bars. Quills greyish-black, the exte- rior webs with darker bars. Base and margin- of the inner webs barred with white. Tail clove-brown, with broad brownish-black bars, the tip white. Legs and VOL. r. c 34 RAPTORES. FALCO. toes long and slender, particularly the middle toe, colour gamboge, inclining to primrose-yellow. Claws black, hooked, and strong ; those of the inner and hind toes being of equal size, and longer than the others. Male bird. PLATE 13 *. A male bird, also represented in the natural size, and shewing the singularly great difference in di- mensions between the sexes. Colour of the upper parts of the body (being an imma- ture bird) clove-brown, the feathers edged with light reddish-brown. Under parts tinged with reddish-brown, and many of the undulating bars or transverse lines of the same hue. The upper parts of the adult male are of a fine bluish- grey colour. SUBFAMILY FALCONINA. Bill thick, strong, short, bending suddenly from its base, and toothed. Wings long; the second quill-feather the longest in the wing. Tarsi short, strong, and reticulated. Toes armed with hooked and very sharp talons. The larger species are very courageous, and strong upon the wing, preying entirely on living birds and animals. Some of the smaller species are partly insectivorous. GENUS FALCO, LINN. FALCON. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill short, very strong, curved from the base ; the upper mandible armed on each side, near its point, with an acute tooth, which fits into a corresponding notch in the lower one, the tip of which is truncated. Cere very short. Nostrils. RAPTORES. FALCO. 35 lateral, circular, and open, with a small, round, central co- lumn. Wings long, acuminate ; the second feather gene- rally the longest ; and jone or more of the first quills with the inner web strongly notched near the top. Legs having the tarsi rather short, strong, and reticulated. Feet with the middle toe united to the outer one at their base by a mem- brane, and exceeding it in length by a joint ; the inner shorter than the outer toe. Hind toe short, armed, as well as the inner toe, with a strong, hooked, and very sharp talon, exceeding the others in length. The birds of this genus, justly considered the typical form of the Falconidae, as possessing the raptorial powers in the highest perfection, are distinguished from the other groups by their stronger bill, furnished with an acute tooth ; their long and acuminate 'wings, vigorous power of flight, and peculiar mode of capturing their prey. From their do- cility, and susceptibility of being reclaimed (that is, trained to the purposes of falconry), they have been usually termed " the Noble Birds of prey," all the others coming under the designation of " Ignoble." The more powerful species prey upon the larger birds and animals ; the former of which they capture upon wing, by outsoaring, and then darting down upon them with astonishing force and rapidity, the death- stroke being inflicted by their talons. Many of the smaller kinds, Jin addition to birds and thelesser animals, feed also upon insects, particularly those of the Coleopterous order. Their general form is robust yet compact, and their power of flight, from the full development of the wings, perhaps unequalled for swiftness and durability. It has, however, been remarked, that, from their shape, they experience a difficulty in rising vertically, and in calm weather they are compelled to make their ascent in an oblique direction. This genus contains a great number of species, spread throughout every part of the globe, and in all parts equally distinguished for their courage and predatory habits. Though at present the various species RAPTORES. FALCO. FALCON. are united under one head, it is probable that, when more thoroughly known, from having been subjected to analysis, it may be found necessary to subdivide the genus, which, indeed, in the case of the smaller American Falcons, has al- ready been done by the Prince of Musignano, he having characterized these latter as a disinct group, with " wings shorter than the tail, and scutellated tarsi ;" which last cha- racter, however, as Mr Swainson has properly observed, is only partially correct. JER-FALCON. FALCO ISLANDICUS^ Lath* PLATE XIV. Syn. of Adult. Syn. of Im- mature Birds. Faucon Gerfaut, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 17- Falco Islandicus candicans, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 32. 69.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 275. sp. 101 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. sp. 65. Falco Rusticolus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 268. sp. 7. Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. p. 28. 60. Gerfaut de Norve'ge, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 239.— Id. PI. Enl. 462. White Jer-Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 83 and 84 — Id. Supp. p. 21 Br. Zool. 1. No. 47. t. 19 Arct. Zool. 2. p. 221. E Lewirfs Br. Birds, 1. t. 26. Gyrfalco candicans, Flem. Br. Anim. 1, 51. No. 14. Falco Gyrfalco, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 32. 68. Linn. Syst. 1. p. 130 — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 275. sp. 27. Gyrfalco Islandicus, Briss. 1. p. 373. A. t. 31 — Id. 8vo. p. 108 — Mutter, No. 73. Falco sacer, Gmel. p. 273. sp. 93. Le Gerfaut, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 239. t. 13 — Id. PL Enl. 210 and 446. Le Sacre, Buff. Ois. 1. 246. t. 14. Iceland Falcon, Arct. Zool. 2. p. 216.— Lath. Syn. 1. 71. 5. B. Jer-Falcon, Mont. Ornith. Diet — Id. Supp — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 29. Low's Fauna Oread, p. 35. Brown Jer-Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 82. Greenland Falcon, Arct. Zool. 2. p. 220. THIS is one of the most powerful, and at the same time one of the boldest of the whole genus. As such, it was held in high estimation by the followers of that princely, but now neglected pastime we have before mentioned, and was used for flying at what were deemed the FALCON. RAPTORES. FALCO. 37 " nobler flights" of game, such as cranes, herons, wild geese, &c. According to " The Gentleman's Recreation'"' (an old but interesting treatise on hunting, hawking, and other field sports), this kind was difficult to reclaim ; but, when once brought to obey the voice of the falconer, was of much greater value than any of the others. The Jer-Falcon is of very rare occurrence in England ; and I have never been able to examine a recent specimen on the south of the river Tweed. It is known in the northern parts of Scotland, particularly in the Orkney and Shetland Isles, and is enumerated by Mr Low in his Fauna Oread., but he appears to consider it as a visitant, not as a fixed inhabitant of those parts. In Europe, Iceland, Greenland, and other northern coun- tries, are the native regions of this species ; and from the first of which it has obtained its trivial name. It was from this island, also, that the Royal falconries of Denmark and other kingdoms were supplied with their choicest casts of hawks. According to Dr Richardson*, the Jer-Falcon is a constant resident in the Hudson's Bay territories, where it is known by the name of the " Speckled Partridge Hawk," or by that of the " Winterer." He adds, it is not enumerated by Wil- son or Bonaparte amongst the birds of the United States, and I am unable to give the exact southern limits of its range, though I have ascertained that it is occasionally found as far south as latitude 52°. It is found northward to the coast of the Arctic Sea ; and probably in the most northern Georgian Islands." Its geographical distribution, therefore, seems limited to latitudes not lower than 50°. It breeds in the highest and most inaccessible rocks ; but the number and colour of the eggs remain as yet undescribed- During the period of incubation, and while rearing its young, it becomes very daring ; as we learn from the following state- * See Fauna Boreali Amer. vol. ii. page 27- 38 RAPTORES. FALCO. FALCON. ment of the author above mentioned. " In the middle of June 1821, a pair of these birds attacked me, as I was climbing in the vicinity of their nest, which was built on a lofty precipice on the borders of Point Lake, in latitude 65 y. They flew in circles, uttering loud and harsh screams, and alternately stooping with such velocity, that their mo- tion through the air produced a loud rushing noise. They struck their claws within an inch or two of my head. I en- deavoured, by keeping the barrel of my gun close to my cheek, and suddenly elevating its muzzle when they were in the act of striking, to ascertain whether they had the power of instantaneously changing the direction of their rapid course ; and found that they invariably rose above the ob- stacle with the quickness of thought, shewing equal acuteness Food. of vision, and power of motion, — It preys upon the larger species of game and wild-fowl, also on hares and quadrupeds, upon which it precipitates itself with amazing rapidity and force. Its usual mode of hawking is, if possible, to out-soar its prey, and thence to dart perpendicularly upon it. PLATE 14. Represents a male of this species, of middle age, and in the natural size ; drawn from a specimen in the valuable collection of JOSEPH SABINE, Esq. General Bill very strong and thick; with a well-marked tooth. descrip- Colour bluish-grey. Cere and orbits lemon-yellow. Irides reddish-brown. Head and neck white, with a few blackish-brown spots or streaks. Breast and belly white, slightly spotted in the same manner. Upper parts blackish-brown, the feathers spotted and margined with greyish- white, the bars of the feathers being also white. Tail banded, blackish-brown and white. Legs and toes yellow. Claws black. For a more particular descrip- tion of the plumage, &c. at different periods of age, I refer my readers to the " Fauna Boreali Americana." FALCON. RAPTORES. FALCO. 39 PEREGRINE FALCON. FALCO PEREGRINUS, Linn. PLATES XV. and XV. Faucon Pelerin, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 22. Falco Peregrinus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 33. 72 — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 272 Bi-iss. 1. p. 341 — Raii, Syn. p. 13. l.—Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 49. No. 10 Faun. Boreali Amer. 2. 23. No. 7. Falco Barbarus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 38. 71 Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 272. Le Faucon Pelerin, Buff. Ois. 249. t. 16. Wander-Faike, Bechst. Tasschenb. p. 33 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 55. Le Lanier, Buff. PL Enl. 430. Adult Male. Peregrine Falcon, Br. Zool. 1. No. 48. t. 8 — Arct. Zool. 2. No. 97 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 73 — Id. Supp. p. 18 — Levin's Br. Birds, 1. 1. 12 Mont. Or- nith. Diet — Id. Supp— Wale. Svn. 1. t. 12 — Shaw's 2 Bewick's Supp. Br. Birds. ~ ilcc 12 — Shaw's Zool. ^. p. 128 Syn. of Adult. Tartarian Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 73. A. Spotted Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 68 — Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 2. Barbary Falcon, Will. (Ang.) p. 81 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 72. Great-footed Rawk^Wils. Amer. Orn. ed. SirW. Jardine, 3. 251. pi. 76. fern. Falco communis, Gmel. 1. p. 270 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. I. 30. t. 67 Briss,} 1. p. 321. Falco Hornotinus, Briss. 1. p. 324. A. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 270. Faucon Sors, Buff. Ois. 1. t. 13 — Id. PI. Enl. 470. Yearling Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 65. Falco gibbosus, Briss. 1. p. 324. B — Gmel. Syst. 1. 270. Le Faucon Haggard, Buff. Ois. 1. 254. Haggard Falcon, Will. Ang. p. 88 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 66. Black Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 67 — Edw. t. 4. Red Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 69. lied Indian Falcon, ~Will. Ang. p. 81. t. 9 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 69. THE uncertainty in which the history of this species was long involved, appears to have arisen from the error of earlier writers, in considering the Falco Peregrinus and Falco com- munis, with its enumerated varieties, as two distinct species. Deficiency of observation, and consequent want of an ac- curate knowledge of the various changes of plumage the bird undergoes in its progress to maturity, naturally led to this effect ; and we accordingly find, that the bird hitherto de- scribed as the Falco communis, the type of the supposed species, arid its varieties, must have been originally figured Syn. of Young 40 RAPTORES. FALCO. FALCON. from an immature specimen of the Falco Peregrinus, the species now under consideration. By tracing the gradual advances, and noting the gradations of colour of this bird from a nestling to maturity, the seve- ral varieties of the supposed F. communis may also be con- nected, and the individuals brought back to the same line of descent, from the different synonyms under which they have been hitherto known. Thus, the Falco Hornotinus, or Yearling Falcon, appears to be the young bird in its nestling or early plumage. The Falco Juscus I should consider as a bird of the same age, but a female. Passing over the White-headed (F. leucocephalus and White Falcon (F. alb us), to be regarded only as accidental varieties, (though it might admit of a doubt, whether they are not links in the gradation of the change of plumage, which, let it be remembered, is regulated by certain and fix- ed laws), we come, in the next place, to the Falco communis of authors. At this period of its life, it has undergone a moult ; and though a marked difference still exists between it and the old Peregrine Falcon, the advance towards matu- rity is sufficiently perceptible. The intermediate links in the chain upwards are supplied by the F. gibbosns^ the F. ruber indicus, and the F. mdculfUus, which last shews the transi- tion to the adult F. Peregrinus *. Jn England and Wales the Peregrine Falcon is rare, and is only found indigenous in rocky or mountainous districts. The Highlands and Northern Isles of Scotland appear to be the situations most favourable to it, and in that part of the kingdom it is numerous and widely diffused f . The most * My own observations on this species have been confirmed and greatly assisted by an excellent paper, written by JAMES WILSON, Esq. entitled, *' Observations on some species of the genus Falco" and published in the 2d volume of the Transactions of the Wernerian Society. •f In Dumfriesshire it breeds numerously in the precipices of the Mof- fat range of hills. See Sir WILLIAM JARDINE'S Note on the Great-footed Hawk, in his edition of WILSON'S Americ. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 251. FALCON. RAPTORES. FALCO. 41 inaccessible situations are always selected for its eyry, and Nest, &c. its nest is placed upon the shelf of a rock. It lays four or five eggs, in colour very similar to those of the Kestrel, but considerably larger. In America it has a very wide distribution, being found in both divisions of that continent, and in a great variety of latitude, as it changes its hunting grounds with the season. In summer its range extends to Hudson's Bay and Melville Peninsula, from whence specimens were brought by Captain PARRY, and where it preys chiefly upon the water-fowl, par- ticularly the Long-tailed Duck (Havelda glacialis). Captain KING also met with it at Port Famine, in the Straits of Ma- gellan ; and the species appears to be the same in New Hol- land. In daring disposition it equals most of its congeners, and many interesting traits in its history are related by different writers, amongst which, some in the Supplement to the Or- nithological Dictionary will well reward the reader's atten- tion*. I may be allowed to add the following instance, as having happened under my own observation, and as exemplifying not only its determined perseverance in pursuit of its prey, when under the pressure of hunger, but as arguing also an unexpected degree of foresight. In exercising my dogs upon the moors, previous to the commencement of the shooting season, I observed a large bird of the Hawk genus hovering at a distance, which, upon approaching, I knew to be a Peregrine Falcon. Its atten- tion was now drawn towards the dogs, and it accompanied them, whilst they beat the surrounding ground. Upon their having found, and sprung a brood of grouse, the falcon immediately gave chase, and struck a young bird, before they had proceeded far upon wing. My shouts and rapid advance prevented it from securing its prey. The issue of this at- * See MONTAGU, SuppL, under the head Falcon Peregrine. 42 RAPTORES. FALCO. FALCON. tempt, however, did not deter the Falcon from watching our subsequent movements, and another opportunity soon offer- ing, it again gave chase, and struck down two birds by two rapidly repeated blows, one of which it secured,"and bore off' in triumph. The flight of this species, when pursuing its quarry, is astonishingly rapid, almost beyond credibility. By MONTAGU it has been reckoned at 150 miles in an hour. Colonel THORNTON, an expert falconer, estimated the flight of a Falcon, in pursuit of a Snipe, to have been nine miles in eleven minutes, without including the frequent turns. This sort was formerly much used in falconry, and was flown at the larger kinds of game, wild ducks and herons. Food. In its unreclaimed state it preys upon the different sorts of game, wild geese, wild ducks and pigeons. PLATE 15. An adult female, in three-fourths of the natural size. General Bill deep bluish-grey at the base, black towards the tip ; tion.nP~ verv ^rong, and armed with a prominent tooth. Cere Adult and space surrounding the eyes lemon-yellow. Irides brown. From the corners of the mouth is a bluish-black patch or streak pointing downwards. Head greyish- black. Upper parts of the plumage deep bluish-grey, marbled with a darker tint. Quills brownish-black, the inner webs barred with white ; the first quill having a deep sinuation near the tip of the inner web. Tail-co- verts bluish- grey, barred with greyish-black. Tail barred alternately with black and grey, the tips of the feathers white. Throat and breast yellowish- white. Belly, vent and thighs greyish, transversely barred with greyish-black. Under wing-coverts white, barred with black ; tarsi short and strong. Toes very long, parti- cularly the middle one, colour gamboge-yellow. Claws black, hooked, and strong. The wings, when closed, reaching to the end of the tail. HOBBY. RAPTORES. FALCO. 43 PLATE 15 *. Represents an immature bird, and of the size Young of nature ; indicating a change of plumage, by a few Bird' grey feathers upon the back and scapulars. The crown of the head, and upper parts blackish-brown, the occi- put with a few white feathers. Chin and under part of the neck white, with black streaks. Breast, belly, and thighs white, with oblong cordated blackish-brown spots. Tail barred with bluish-brown and black. Legs and toes inclining to leek-green. HOBBY. FALCO susBUTEOy Linn. PLATE XVI. Falco subbuteo, Lath. Ind. Omith. 1. p. 47. 114. — Gmel Syst. 1. p. 283. — Raii, Syn. p. 15. A. 14. Dendro Falco, Briss. 1. p. 375. 20 — Id. 8vo. p. 109 — Will. p. 47. Le Hobereau, Buff. Ois. 61. p. 277 — Id. PI. Enl. 432. Faucon Hobereau, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 25. 2 ed. Faum-falke, Bechst. Tasscheub. Deut. 1. p. 36. • Hobby, Br. Zool. 1. No. 61 — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 227- C Witt. (Ang.) p. 83. — Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 21 — Lath,. Syn. 1. p. 103. 99. — Ib. Supp. p. 28. — Mont. Ornith. Diet — Id. Sup — Pull. Cat. Dorset, p. 3 — Don, Br. Birds, 4. p. 91 — Wale. Svn. 1. t. 21 — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p .41 — Shaw's Zool. v. 7. p. 193. ' IN England, this species of Falcon is among the number perj0(jical of those birds that are named Polar Migrants, or summer Visitant, periodical visitants. It arrives in April, and after perform- ing the offices of incubation, and of rearing its young, leaves us, for warmer latitudes, in October. I have not been able to trace it far northward, and believe that the boundary of its migration will include but a few of the southern and midland counties •(•. Wooded and inclosed districts appear to be its usual haunts. •f It has been killed as far north as the Tyne ; and a specimen shot at Streatham Castle, Durham, is now in the collection of the Messrs HAN- COCK, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 44 RAPTORES FALCO. HOBBY. It builds in lofty trees, but will sometimes save itself the task of constructing a nest, by taking possession of the deserted one of a Magpie or Crow. The number of its eggs is com- monly four, of a bluish-white, with olive-green, or yellowish- brown blotches. Food. *ts favoui>ite game is the Lark, but it preys upon all small birds. Partridges and Quails also become frequent victims to its courage and rapacity, in which qualities, diminutive as it is, it yields to none of its tribe. Possessing a great length and power of wing, the flight of the Hobby is wonderfully rapid, and can be supported with undiminished vigour for a considerable time. I have often admired the adroitness displayed by one of this species, in pursuit of a Lark ; the chase generally ending in the capture of the quarry, in spite of all its aerial revolutions and efforts to avoid the fatal blow. When hawking was keenly followed, the Hobby was train- ed to the pursuit of young partridges, snipes, and larks. It is of elegant form, and resembles, in miniature, the Peregrine Falcon. The wings, when closed, reached beyond the end of the tail, in the specimens that have fallen under my inspec- tion, though MONTAGU mentions them as being shorter. — Ac- cording to TEMMINCK, it is common throughout Europe, during the summer months ; but retires to warmer regions at the approach of winter. It is widely spread throughout Asia ; and I have received specimens from the East Indies, in every respect similar to our own. PLATE 16. Shews an adult male, of the natural size. General ^^ bluish-black ; strong ; with the tooth prominent, and descrip- a slight sinuation posteriorly. Cere and eyelids yellow. Irides reddish-brown. Upper parts greyish-black, the margins of the feathers being a shade paler. A black patch or streak proceeds from the corners of the inferior mandible down each side of the neck. Chin and throat white. Breast and belly inclining to buff-orange, with HOBBY. RAPTORES. FALCO. 45 dark brown streaks. Thighs and under tail-coverts buff- orange. Quills black, the inner webs of the feathers having orange-brown spots. The first quill having a deep notch or sinuation on the inner web, about an inch from the tip ; the second having the outer web obliquely sinuated, and being the longest in the wing ; the first exceeding the third in length. Tail greyish-black, the outer feathers having yellowish-brown bars on their in- ner webs. Tarsi and toes yellow. Claws black. ORANGE-LEGGED HOBBY. FALCO RUFIPES, Bechst. PLATE B. Falco rufipes, Bechst, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. 39 — Shaw's Zool, 13. 39. Falco vespertinus, Linn. Syst. 1. 129 — Gmel Syst. 1. 282. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 46. sp. 109. female. Variet^ singuliere de Hobereau, Buff. PL Enl. 431. Faucon a pieds rouges, ou Hobez, Tenon. Man. d'Orn. 2. 33. Rothf ussiger Falk, Meyer, Vog. Deut. Heft. 18. m. f. Ingrian Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. 102. 88 — Id. Sup. 27 — Lath. Gen. Hist. 1. 122. No. 49 — Shaw's Zool. 7- 190. Orange-legged Hobby, Lath. Syn. 2. 46 — Id. Gen. Hist. 1. 124, 51. Red-footed Falcon, Gould's Birds of Europe. SPECIMENS of this Falcon having been killed in Norfolk, Occasional I now insert it in the list of our Fauna as an occasional visit- ant. In form and general appearance it bears a strong re- semblance to the Hobby, though of smaller dimensions ; pos- sessing also the characteristic length of wing that distin- guishes the typical forms of the genus. The wings, when closed, reach to the end of the tail, and are very sharp- pointed ; the second feather is the longest, by about half an inch ; and the first and third, in the specimen now before me, are of equal length. At one inch and a quarter from the tip, the first quill has its inner web (as in the Hobby) abruptly notched ; of the second, the outer web alone is very obliquely sinuated. The tarsi (which are feathered in front 46 RAPTORES. FALCO. HOBBY. for more than one- third of their length) are reticulated, but shew three large scales at the bottom, and on a line with the middle toe, though not so broad or distinctly marked as those in the Merlin, the Rusty-crowned Falcon, or the Kes- trels. This species preys upon Quails and small birds, and, like some of the other lesser Falcons, much upon the larger coleopterous insects. TEMMINCK, in his " Manual," men- tions that Mr MEYER found nothing but the remains of beetles in the stomachs of such as he dissected. It inhabits wooded districts, and is a common species in Russia, Poland, and Austria, reaching as far westward as the Tyrol and Switzerland ; but in France, as in this country, it is of rare occurrence. General The old male bird is described as having the head, neck, tiara*1* " breast, and upper parts of the body, of an uniform blackish- Male, grey ; the abdomen and thighs reddish-brown ; the cere, eye- orbits, and legs rich orange-red; and the claws yellowish, Female. w^tn darker points. The female is larger, and differs widely from the male in appearance, in the adult state ; the head and nape of the neck are of an uniform pale reddish-brown, with a dark circle round the eye; the throat and cheeks white; the breast and abdomen tinged with pale reddish- brown, the shafts of the feathers being dark brown. Upper plumage deep bluish-grey, barred with greyish-black. Tail bluish-grey, with several bars of black, of which the one nearest the tip is the broadest. The young females, accord- ing to GOULD, have the head streaked with a darker colour. PLATE B. The following is the description of the bird from which the figure upon the plate was taken, and which I conceive to be a female of the second year. Crown of the head, nape, and moustache, pale reddish-brown. Eye-orbits encircled by a patch of greyish-black. Fore- head, cheeks, and throat pale reddish-white. Lower part of the hind-neck, and^adjoining the mantle, reddish- KESTREL. RAPTORES. FALCO. 47 brown, barred with greyish-black. Back, wing-coverts and scapulars deep bluish-grev, each feather being transversely barred with greyish-black. Quills with their outer webs and tips blackish-grey, the remainder of the inner webs having transverse oval white bars. Breast and belly pale reddish-brown, tinged with cine- reous, the shaft of each feather and a small spot near the tip deep brown. Abdomen, thighs, and under tail- coverts pale buff, immaculate. Tail pale bluish-grey, with nine black bars; the one nearest the tip being double the breadth of the others. Legs and toes deep orange-yellow. Claws yellowish white, with darker ends. Outer toe scarcely exceeding the inner in length. Bill, cere, and basal part of the under mandible, yellow ; the tooth and posterior sinuation distinctly marked ; the sides convex, leaving a broad and rounded culm en. KESTREL. FALCO TINNUNCULUS, Linn. PLATES XVII. and XVII*. Falco Tinnunculus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 41. t. 98 Gmel. Sjst. 1. p. 278. 16 — Raii, Syn. PI. 16. 16 — Will. p. 50. t. 5 — Meyer, Tasschenb. 1. p. 62 — Shaw's Zool. 7- 179 — Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 50. No. 13. Falco Tinnunculus alaudarius, Gmel. p. 279. Accipiter alaudarius, Briss. 1. p. 379. 22. La Cresserelle, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 379 — Id. PL Enl. 401. old male, and 471. the young of the year. Faucon Cresserelle, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 29. Turm-falke, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 37. Kestrel, Stannel, Windhover, Will. (Ang.) p. 84. t. 5. Kestrel, Br. Zool 1. No. 60 Ib. fol. p. 68. t. A Arct. Zool. 2. p. 226. N. —Lath. Syn. 1. p. 94. 79 — Id. Supp. p. 25 — Lewies Br. Birds, 1. t. 19. Mand. F — Mont. Ornith. Diet Wale. Syn. 1. 1. 19 Pult. Cat. Dorset. p. 3 — Low's Fau. Oread, p. 37 Don, Br. Birds, 3. t. 51 Shaw's Zool. v. 7- p. 179 — Haye's Br. Birds, t. 4.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 38. and 40. Mand. F. PROVINCIAL — Kastril, Stonegall, Windhover. THIS well-known species is distinguished, not only by the symmetry of its form and its elegant plumage, but by the 48 RAPTORES. FALCO. KESTREL. peculiar gracefulness of its flight, and the manner in which it frequently remains suspended in the air, fixed, as it were, to one spot, by a quivering play of the wings, scarcely percep- tible. It is one of our commonest indigenous species, and is widely spread through the kingdom. Upon the approach of spring (or the period of incubation), it resorts to rocks and high cliffs. Nest, &c. The nest consists of a few sticks loosely put together, and sometimes lined with a little hay or wool ; and is placed in some crevice, or on a projecting shelf. I have known it, un- der the failure of more favourable situations, to breed in the deserted nest of a magpie or crow. The eggs are from four to six in number, of a reddish- brown colour, with darker blotches and variegations. — It Food. preys upon the different species of mice, which it hunts for from the elevated station at which it usually soars, and upon which it pounces with the rapidity of an arrow. The cast- ings of a nest of young Kestrels that I frequently inspected, consisted entirely of the fur and bones of mice; and MONTAGU remarks, that he never found the feathers or remains of birds in the stomach of this hawk. He therefore concluded, that it is only when it finds a difficulty in procuring its favourite food that it attacks and preys on the feathered tribes. That it will do so, under some circumstances, is evident, since bird- catchers have discovered the Kestrel in the very act of poun- cing their bird-calls ; and I have myself caught it in a trap baited with a bird. In summer, the cockchafer supplies to this species an ob- ject of pursuit and food, and the following curious account given from an eye-witness of the fact. " I had," says he, " the pleasure, this summer, of seeing the Kestrel engaged in an occupation entirely new to me, hawking after cockchafers late in the evening. I watched him through a glass, and saw him dart through a swarm of the insects, seize one in each claw, and eat them whilst flying. He returned to the RAPTORES. FALCO. 49 charge again and again. I ascertained it beyond a doubt, as I afterwards shot him *." The Kestrel is easily reclaimed, and was formerly trained to the pursuit of larks, snipes, and young partridges. It is a species, in point of geographical distribution, very widely spread, being found in all parts of Europe ; and spe- cimens I have obtained from India seem to be in every re- spect the same, with the slight exception of the colours of the female bird usually appearing paler. In form as well as habits, the Kestrels (as Sir WM. JAR- DINE justly observes, in his edition of WILSON'S American Ornithology) differ from the species previously described ; their wings being shorter, and the relative proportions of the feathers different. Their manner of hovering, and taking their prey by surprise, is also characteristic. To this subor- dinate group may be added the Rusty-crowned Falcon of the Fauna Boreali- Americana (the American Sparrow-Hawk of WILSON) ; whose habits seem to be intermediate between those of the Kestrel and Merlin ; and some others belonging to that country, which Prince CHARLES BONAPARTE has se- parated from the larger Falcons. At the extremity of this group the Merlin appears to hold its station ; whose habits, as well as the more rounded form of the wings, and the length of the toes, apparently lead back to the Sparrow- Hawks, or Accipitrine sub-family. PLATE 17. A female bird, of the natural size. The whole of the upper parts of the plumage are of a red- General dish orange, marked with numerous arrow-shaped black J^cnp" spots and bars. Tail having a broad black bar nearFemale the tip, which is white ; the upper part reddish-orange, barred with black. Breast, belly, and thighs, pale bufft * In the above interesting communication, I must call my reader's atten- tion to the fact of the bird eating the insects when upon wing ; a habit also seen, and much more constantly, in the genus JElaniis, of which Elanus furcatus is the type. D 50 RAPTORES. FALCO. KESTREL. streaked and spotted with brownish black. Quills brownish-black, margined with white ; the two first having their inner webs deeply notched ; the second and third with the outer webs strongly sinuated. The se- cond quill rather longer than the third, which latter ex- ceeds the first by more than half an inch. The young male, for the first year, is very similar in plu- mage to the female bird. PLATE 17*. An adult male of the natural size. Male Bird. Bill bluish-grey at the base, with the tip black, strong, the sides convex, the tooth prominent, and the poste- rior undulation of the cutting edge well marked. Cere and naked space round the eyes lemon-yellow. Irides brown. Forehead yellowish- white. Crown of the head, nape of the neck, and part of the shoulders, light clove-brown, with the shafts of the feathers black- ish-grey. Back and wing coverts reddish-orange, each feather having an arrow-shaped black spot near its tip. Rump bluish-grey ; tail the same, with a broad black bar near the tip, which is white. From the corners of the mouth is a dark greyish-black streak, running be- neath the eye, and pointing downwards. Throat and chin yellowish-white. Breast, belly, and thighs pale buff-orange, inclining to light reddish orange, with brownish-black spots. Quills black, with the margins and tips greyish-white, and the inner webs barred with reddish-white. Legs and feet saffron-yellow. Claws black. MERLIN. RAPTORES. FALCO. 51 MERLIN. FALCO J?ESALON, Temm. PLATES XVIII. AND XVIII*. Synonyms of Adult Male. Synonyms of Female, and immature Males. Falco jEsalon, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 27 — Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 196.— Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 50. 14 — Faun. Amer. Boreal. 2. 37. No. 11. pi. 25. Fauco Emerillon, Temm. Man. cTOrnith. 1. p. 27. Falco Litho-Falco, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 47. t. 115 — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 278. — Briss. 1. p. 341). 8 Rail, Syn. p. 14. 8. Falco caesius, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 60. Le Kocier, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 286 — Id. PI. Enl. 447. Stone Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 93. 77- — Mont. App. to Supp. of Ornith. Diet — Shaw's ZooL v. 7. p. 182. Falco ^Esalon, Gn.el Syst. 1. p. 284. sp. 118 Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 49. t. 119.— Rail, Syn. p. 15. 15.— Briss. 1. 382. 23 — Will. p. 50. t. 3. I/Emerillon, Buff. Ois. Pi. Enl. 468, young male. Merlin, Br. ZooL 1. No. 63 — Will. (Ang.) p. 85. t. 7 — Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 22 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 106. 93 — Id. Suppl. p. 27-— Mont. Ornith. Diet — Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 3 — Low's Faun. Oread, p. 39.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 22 — Don, Br. Birds, 4. t. 94 — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. t. 41 — Shaw's Zool. 7- p- 196. THE Merlin has generally been considered a winter or equa- Partially torial visitant, and to leave Great Britain at the approach of migratory- spring, for other and more northern climates. Repeated observation has, however, convinced me, that this opinion is incorrect ; or, at least, that its migration is confined to the southern parts of the island. — It is certainly indigenous in Northumberland, and, I believe also, in parts of Cumberland and Westmoreland, as mentioned by Dr LATHAM. In the first named county, it resorts, during summer, to the ex ten sivc and upland moors, where it breeds, and where I have frequently met with its nest, which, in all the instances that Nest, &c. have come under my notice, was placed upon the ground, amongst the heather, and not in trees, or in rocks, as TEM- MINCK mentions in his " Manuel." The number of the eggs is from three to five ; they are of a bluish- white colour, marked with brown spots, principally disposed at the larger end. 52 RAPTORES. FALCO. MEULIN. My readers will perceive, that, among the synonyms, I have included the Stone Falcon (Falco Lithofalco of authors), as I feel convinced that it is the male Merlin in adult plu- mage ; the two agreeing in every respect, except that the irides of this supposed species are stated by SONNINI, and other writers (who appear to have faithfully copied his de- scription), to be yellow, and those of the Merlin are brown. But an objection raised upon the colour of the eyes is cer- tainly not of sufficient import to authorise the establishment of a distinct species ; for I know from experience, that the colour of the iris cannot always be depended upon as a speci- fic character, having repeatedly found it to vary in the Marsh Harrier, and in the Peregrine Falcon. As a further proof that the Merlin also is subject to variation in the colour of the iris, I must state that two, among many nestlings that I have at different times attempted to rear, displayed a marked difference from the rest in the colour of the iris ; and, had they lived to attain maturity, would, I may safely say, have shewn yellow irides, being similar to those of the young Spar- row-Hawk, or young Hen-Harrier, viz. of a yellowish-grey colour ; but which, with maturity, become yellow. The trivial name of stone falcon is perfectly appropriate to the Merlin, as it is very often to be seen perched upon a large stone amid the wide wastes that it frequents during the sum- mer months. As autumn approaches, the Merlin descends to the lower grounds, or migrates to the southern parts of the kingdom. Inferior as this species is in size, it fully supports the cha- racter of its tribe ; frequently attacking birds superior to itself in magnitude and weight, and has been known to kill a partridge at a single blow. — Like others, before enumera- ted, it became subjected to the purposes of pastime, and was trained to pursue partridges, snipes, and woodcocks. Its flight is low and rapid, and it is generally seen skimming along the sides of hedges in search of its prey. In witnessing its attack upon a flock of small birds, I have been astonished MERLIN. HAPTORES. FALCO. 53 at the rapidity of its evolutions, and the certainty of its aim, as it never failed in securing and bearing off its victim, even though chosen from the centre of the flock. PLATE 18. represents the adult male in the natural size. Bill bluish-grey, the tip black ; strong, with the sides con- General vex, and the tooth prominent. Crown of the head, and tion^ upper parts of the body bluish, or pearl- grey ; the shafts Male bird- of the feathers being black. Tail bluish-grey, with a broad black bar near the end, which is white. Chin white. Inferior parts buff-orange, with oblong, drop-shaped, blackish-brown spots. Under surface of the interior webs of the quill-feathers barred with white. Cere, legs, and eye-orbits yellow. Irides generally brown. PLATE 18*. A female bird. Natural size. Crown of the head dusky brown, streaked with black. Female Nape of the neck, and streak over the eyes white, spot- ted with brown. Back and scapulars brown, tinged with grey ; the feathers edged, and spotted with reddish- brown. Quills brownish-black, spotted or barred with reddish-brown. The two first quills having their inner webs abruptly and very deeply notched ; the second and third with their outer webs strongly sinuated. The first quill rather shorter than the fourth, the second and third of equal length. Under wing-coverts brown- ish-orange, spotted with white. Throat white. Breast and under parts yellowish-white, with broad, oblong, brown streaks. Tail dusky, with seven or eight yel- lowish-white, or pale reddish-brown bars. , The young are similar in plumage to the female bird. 54 RAPTORES. BUTECX SUBFAMILY BUTEONINA. Bill weak, bending immediately from the base. Wings long and ample ; the first four feathers having their inner webs notched near the tips. First quill short ; the third and fourth generally the longest. Thigh feathers long and pen- dant. Tarsi partly naked, or clothed with feathers. Plu- mage soft and downy. In disposition, the members of this subfamily are, for the most part, sluggish and inactive, and devoid of the courage that distinguishes the other species of the Falconidae. They pounce their prey upon the ground. In their affinities, they are nearly allied by some species (Buteo borealis, &c.) to the Goshawks (gen. Astur} ; and in the Harriers (gen. Circus), there is an evident approach to the owls in the radiated ruff surrounding the head. GENUS BUTEO, BECHST. BUZZARD. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill rather weak, bending from the base ; the cutting mar- gin of the upper mandible slightly sinuated, and shewing an obtuse lobe; sides compressed, widening towards the base, where the culmen is broad and flat. Under mandible shal- low, with the tip obliquely truncated. Cere large ; nostrils rather pyriform, with the narrow end turning upwards and forwards. Wings long and ample ; the first quill very short, and not exceeding the seventh in length ; the second shorter than the fifth ; the third and fourth the largest in the wing. The first four having their inner webs deeply notched ; the third, fourth, and fifth with the outer webs obliquely sinua- ted. Legs with the tarsi short, naked, and scutellated in front, or feathered to the toes. Toes rather short ; the front ones united at the base. Claws strong, but not much hooked. BUZZARD. RAPTORES. BUTEO. 55 The birds belonging to this genus are of large size, but generally of a heavy form and indolent aspect. Their plu- mage is soft, downy and loose, approaching in its texture to that of the Owls, which some of the species still further re- semble in their partially crepuscular habits.* Their flight is easy and buoyant, but not remarkable for swiftness, and is generally in extensive circles. They prey upon the smaller birds and animals, as well as reptiles, for which they either watch, in sailing through the air, or (as is often the case) from some old tree or eminence, upon which they will re- main perched for hours together. They strike their prey upon the ground, as they sweep over it, but make no attempt to capture it, when in motion, by active pursuit. In some species a close affinity to the Goshawk is perceptible, the proportion of the wings and form of the bill becoming more assimilated to those birds. COMMON BUZZARD. BUTEO VULGARLY, Bechst. PLATE VI. Buteo vulgaris, Flem. Brit. Anim. 1. 54. No. 21 — Shaw's ZooL 13. 46 — Faun. Amer. Boreal. 2. 47. pi. 27. Falco Buteo, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 127- —Fauna Suec. No. 60.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 265. sp. 15 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 23.— -Ran, Syn. p. 16. A. 1 Witt. p. 38. t. 6. i — Muller, No. G4.—Briss. 1. p. 406. Falco communis fuscus, Gmel. Syst. p. 270. sp. 86. Falco variegatus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 267. sp. 78 — Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 24. 48. Falco absolitus? Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 28. sp. 61. La Buse, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 63.— Buff. Ois. 1. p. 206. t. 8 Id. PL Enl. 419. Mause Falk, Meyer, Viig. Deut. Heft. 14 — Frisch, Vog. Deut. t. 74. Falco albidus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 267. sp. 49. white variety. Common Buzzard, Br. ZooL 1. No. 54. t. 25.— Ib. fol. t A. 3 Arct. Zool. p. 224. I — Will. (Ang.) p. 70.— Lath, Syn. 1. p. 48 — Id. Sup. p. 14 * WILSON, when speaking of the Buteo lagopus, observes, " they are often seen coursing over the surface of the meadows, long after sunset, many times in pairs." — See WILS. Amer. Orn. ed. Sir W. Jardine, vol. ii. p. 54. 56 RAPTORES. BUTEO. BUZZARD. Mont. Ornith. Diet. — Ib. Sup Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 6. — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 6 Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 109. Bewick's Br. Birds. 1. 15. — Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 3. Falco GaUinarius, Gmel Syst. p. 266. Ash-coloured Buzzard, Arct. Zool. 2. No. 103 — Lath. 1. p. 55. Falco cinereus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 267- Greater Buzzard, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 49. Spotted Buzzard, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 49. Buzzardet, Penn. Arct. Zool. 2. No. 109. Speckled Buzzard, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 97- Plain Falcon, Arct. Zool. 2. 104. PROVINCIAL,— Puttock, Wood Buzzard. THIS is a well-known species of Falcon, being of common occurrence in all the wooded districts of England. It is a heavy inactive bird, both in disposition and appearance, and is generally seen perched upon some old and decayed tree, such being its favourite haunt. Its flight is slow, in extensive circles, and, except during the season of incubation, when it often soars to a considerable height, it seldom remains long on the wing. Food. It preys upon leverets, rabbits, game, and small birds, all of which it pounces on the ground. It also devours moles and mice, and, when pressed by hunger, will feed on reptiles and insects. Nest, &c. It breeds in woods, and forms its nest of sticks, lined with wool, hay, and other materials, and will sometimes occupy the deserted nest of a crow. The eggs are two or three in number, larger than those of a hen, and are of a greenish- white, either plain, or spotted with reddish-brown. The young, according to PENNANT, remain in company with the parent birds for some time after having quitted the nest, — a circumstance at variance with the usual habits of birds of prey. It is common in all the wooded parts of Europe, and, according to TEMMINCK, very abundant in Holland. In France, this bird is killed during the winter for the sake of its flesh, which is esteemed deli- cious eating. Although previously unnoticed as a North American bird by WILSON and the PRINCE of MUSIGNANO, it was met with by the Expeditions under Captain FRANK- BUZZARD. RAPTORES. BUTEO. 57 LIN ; and found to extend as far north as the 57th parallel of Latitude. It is described, and beautifully figured, in the second volume of the Fauna Boreali-Americana. It is also an inhabitant of the Madeiras ; from whence I have seen speci- mens, agreeing in every respect with our own. The Buzzard is found to vary greatly in plumage, and has consequently been multiplied, by some ornithologists, into se- veral species, as will appear by a reference to the synonyms. I have constantly endeavoured to verify the several varieties that have come under my examination, by comparison with the descriptions and figures given by different ornithological writers ; and amongst the varieties that have thus occurred, I may enumerate the Ash-coloured Buzzard of LATHAM and EDWAKDS *, and one of a uniform reddish-brown colour. PLATE 6. Figure of the natural size. Cere and irides lemon-yellow. Bill bluish-black ; broad General at the base, but much compressed towards the tip ; with the cutting edge of the upper mandible distinctly si- nuated. Crown of the head and upper parts of the body hair-brown, inclining to broccoli-brown, the mar- gins of the feathers edged with yellowish -white and yel- lowish-brown. Chin and throat white, with a few brown streaks upon the shafts of the feathers. Breast yellow- ish-white, with oblong brown streaks, which upon the belly become small and arrow-shaped. First four pri- mary quills deeply notched, the basal part of the inner webs white, with brownish-black bars ; the rest of the quills, and the secondary ones, barred with shades of brown. Third, fourth, and fifth quills having their outer webs strongly sinuated. Sides and thighs dark clove-brown, the feathers edged with white and yellow- ish-brown. Tail square, with about twelve blackish- brown bars. Legs and toes yellow. The front of the • Mr SWAINSON thinks that Mr EDWARD'S bird refers to the Gyrfakon in the young state, and has quoted it as such. 58 RAPTORES. BUTEO. BUZZARD. tarsi scutellated. The upper part of the toes reticulated. Toes short, united at the base by a membrane. Hind and inner toe each with four shield-shaped scales ; outer toe with five ; and the middle one with eight. Claws black, strong, but not much hooked ; and very sharp. ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. BUTEO LAGOPUS, Flem. PLATE VII. Buteo Lagopus, Shaw's Zool. 13. 47 — Flem. Br. Anim. 2. 54. No. 22. — Faun. Boreali-Amer. 2. 52. No. 16. pi. 28. Falco Lagopus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 260 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 19. 33 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 37- Falco Sclavonicus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 26. 54. Falco spadiceus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 27- sp. 57, but not the synonyms of Philosoph. Trans. Buse Pattue, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 65. Buse Gantee, Vail. Ois. d'Afr. 1. pi. 18. Rauchfussiger Busard, Bork. Deut. Orn. Heft, female. Rough-legged Falcon, Penn. Br. Zool. Appen.— Lath. Syn. 1. p. 75 Shaw's Zool. 7- ?• 145. — Mont. Ornith. Diet. — Id. Suppl Bewick's Br. Birds, Supp — Wilson's Amer. Ornith. edit, by Sir W. Jardine, 2. 54. pi. 33. f. 1. Dusky Falcon, Penn. Arct. Zool. Placentia Falcon, Lath. Syn. Suppl. 19. sp. 57. IN the Appendix to Pennant's British Zoology, a figure and short description are given of this bird, under the name of " the Rough-legged Falcon ;" and in the Arctic Zoology of the same author, the bird described as the " Dusky Fal- con" appears to be very safely referable to the same species. By many ornithologists the Falco pennatus, a bird belong- ing to the first or Aquiline section, has been confounded with this species, to which it bears a close resemblance, both in size and colour. It may, however, be readily distinguished by the form and size of its bill, and the uniform brown co- lour of the tail, which, in the bird now under description, is always more or less white at the base. BUZZARD. RAPTORES. BUTEO. 59 The Rough-legged Buzzard is a rare British species, and Occasional can only be considered as an occasional visitant. MONTAGU mentions two or three instances of its having been taken in the south of England. In the winter of 1815, Northumberland was visited by some of these birds, and se- veral opportunities were afforded me of inspecting both living and dead specimens. Those which came under examination closely resembled each other as to colour and markings, though some indivi- duals were darker along the belly than others ; and the quan- tity of white upon the upper half of the tail was not always of equal breadth. Two of these birds, from having attached themselves to a neighbouring marsh, passed under my fre- quent observation. Their flight was smooth, but slow, and not unlike that of the Common Buzzard, and they seldom continued for any length of time on the wing. They preyed upon wild ducks, Food, and other birds, which they pounced upon the ground; and it would appear that mice and frogs must have constituted a great part of their food, as the remains of both were found in the stomachs of those that were killed. Since the above-mentioned year they have not been again seen in that neighbourhood.* It is a native of Norway, and other northern countries of Europe, where it frequents marshy districts, preying upon leverets, hamsters, water-rats, moles, and frequently lizards and frogs. According to TEMMINCK, it builds in lofty trees, Nest, &c. and lays four white eggs, spotted with reddish-brown. In North America it is a common species, and possesses an ex- tensive range, having been frequently seen in the districts • Sir WILLIAM JARDINE, in his edition of WILSON'S American Or- nithology (in a Note appended to the " Rough-legged Falcon "), mentions several that have subsequently been killed in East Lothian, and other southern districts of Scotland. A fine specimen, shot near Alnwick, in March 1828, was also sent to me. Scarcely a year passes without the ap- pearance of this bird upon the rabbit-warrens in Norfolk. 60 RAPTORES. BUTEO. BUZZARD. traversed by the Expeditions under Sir JOHN FRANKLIN, though, from its very shy character, only one specimen could be procured. Dr RICHARDSON informs us, that " a pair were seen at their nest, built of sticks, in a lofty tree, stand- ing on a low, moist, alluvial point of land, almost encircled by a bend of the Saskatchewan. They sailed round the spot in a wide circle, occasionally settling on the top of a tree ; but were too wary to allow us to come within gunshot." Its residence in the Fur Countries is not however permanent, as it retires southwards in October, to winter upon the banks of the Delaware and Schuylkill ; returning again to the north early in spring. The figure at PLATE 7. represents a female bird, of the na- tural size, killed in the winter of 1815, and now in my possession. General Bill bluish-black, darkest towards the tip; small and ^ escrip- weak ; bending rapidly from the base ; the cutting mar- gin of the upper mandible shewing only a faint sinua- tion. Commissure reaching rather beyond the anterior orbit of the eye. Cere and irides gamboge-yellow. Lores covered with small whitish feathers (shewing an ap- proach to the genus Pernis), which are partly concealed by the bristly black hairs, disposed in a radiating form. Head, neck, and throat, yellowish-white, inclining to cream-colour, with slender streaks of umber-brown. Breast yellowish- white, with large spots of umber-brown. Lower part of the belly umber-brown, forming a broad bend across that region. Thighs cream-yellow, with arrow-shaped brown spots ; the feathers very long and soft. Tarsi covered with feathers, colour cream-yel- low, with a few brown specks. Back and wing coverts umber-brown, the edges of the fea- ther paler. Lower part of the inner webs of the great- er quill-feathers white. Quills notched and sinuated, as in the Common Buzzard. Upper tail-coverts and RAPTORES. PERNIS. 61 base of the tail white, the remaining part brown, band- ed with a darker shade of the same colour. Toes saf- fron-yellow, short ; the inner stronger, and as long as the outer one. Hind and inner toes each having four large scales ; the outer five ; the middle toe seven or eight. Claws black ; long, but not much hooked. GENUS PERNIS, Cuv. HONEY-BUZZARD. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill slender, weak, bending gradually from the base to the tip ; with the cutting margin nearly strait. Cere occupying half the length of the bill. Under mandible sloping gradu- ally to the tip. Nostrils long, narrow, very obliquely placed in the cere, and opening forwards. Lores thickly clothed with small soft, tiled feathers. Wings long and ample ; the first feather shorter than the sixth, and the third and fourth the largest in the wing. Inner webs of the first four notched, and the outer webs of the third, fourth and fifth sinuated. Tail long and slightly rounded. Legs having the tarsi half feathered ; the lower, or naked part, being reticulated. Toes rather slender, the inner and outer ones of nearly equal length, the anterior joints of all scutellated. Claws weak, slightly hooked, with the inner edge of the middle one di- lated. This genus was first instituted by CUVIER, for the recep- tion of the Common Honey-Buzzard and some other exotic species, distinguished from the other members of this subfa- mily, as well as from the rest of the Falcomdce, by the com- parative weakness of the bill and claws, and by the close-set scale-like feathers that cover the lores, or that space between the bill and eyes ; which part in all the rest is nearly naked of feathers, but provided more or less with stiff bristles, ge- nerally disposed in a radiating form. 62 RAPTORES. PERNIS. BUZZARD. The nearest approach to this genus (and by which it be- comes closely allied to the other Buzzards) appears to be Buteo Lagopus, where a covering of small downy feathers is visible beneath the projecting hairs. The habits of its mem- bers, as might be expected, are in unison with this modifica- tion or departure from the typical character of the family, being still less fierce and predatory ; subsisting almost whol- ly upon insects (particularly those of the Hymenopterous and Neuropterous orders) and the smaller reptiles. Their form is lengthened and graceful, and, from the extent of their wings and tail, they fly with great buoyancy and ease. Their plumage partakes of the softness belonging to the other birds of this subfamily. HONEY BUZZARD. PERNIS APIVORUS, Cuv. PLATE VIII. Pernis apivorus, Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1. 322 — Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 52. No. 17. Falco apivorus, Linn. Syst. 1. sp. 130. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 267, sp. 28. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 25. 52 Briss. 1. p. 410. — Id. 8vo, p. 117.— Jfaw, Syn. 16. 2 Muller, No. 68. Falco Poliorinchos, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 19. Buse Bondree, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 67. 2d ed. La Bondree, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 208.— Id. PI. Enl. 420. a yearling bird. Wespen Buzzard, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 39. — Id. Vog, Liv. und. Esthl. p. 12. Honey Buzzard, Br. Zool. 1. No. 56 — Id. fol. 67. 1. A. 4. and A. -f 4 — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 224. I — Will. (Ang.) p. 72.— Lewirfs Br. Birds, i. t. 1. — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 52 — Sup. p. 14 — Albin. 1. t. 2 — Mont. Ornith. Diet. and Suppl — Putt. Cat. Dorset — Wale. Syn. i. t. 1—BewicVs Br. Birds, 1. 17.— White's Hist. Selb. 1. t. 7 — Shaw's Zool. v. 7- p. 114. PROVINCIAL, — Capped Buzzard. Rare visi- THIS rare and elegant species is easily to be distinguished tant. £rom a]j itg congeners, by the small, round, and closely-set feathers that cover the space between the bill and eyes, which space in the other species is either naked, or but thinly co- vered with bristles or hairs. This peculiarity has induced BUZZARD. RAPTORES. PERNIS. 63 CUVIEE to separate the Honey Buzzard from the preceding genus, and to form of it and a few other foreign species, pos- sessing the same character, his genus Pernis. The instances of this bird being killed in England are but Rare visi- few. LATHAM says, that during such a number of years as tant> he has been a collector, he has received but one fresh speci- men. I have never met with it in a living state, nor been able to obtain it newly killed ; and I am indebted for the figure in the present work to the polite attention of N. A. VIGORS, Esq. who kindly lent me, for that purpose, the very fine specimen he possesses *. MONTAGU describes one, taken at High Clere in Berk- shire (and now in the British Museum), that had the breast and belly of a light brown, barred with reddish-brown, which, according to that accurate ornithologist TEMMINCK, is cha- racteristic of the female, or a young bird. The young, during the first year, or previous to the first general moult, have the cere and iris brown, and the head spotted with white and brown. The Honey Buzzard preys upon moles, mice, and small Food, birds, and on lizards and insects, particularly wasps, bees, and their larvae, which should appear to be their favourite food. WILLOUGHBY describes a nest of this bird, in which he found the limbs of wasps, and fragments of the nymphae in the stomachs of the young ones, whose craws contained also several lizards and frogs. Its flight is easy and graceful, and it is frequently seen • Since the publication of the first edition of this volume, a very fine male of this species was shot, in September 1829, in Thrunton Wood, Northumberland, by the keeper of the Hon. H. T. LIDDLE, of Eslington House ; a description of which was published in the first volume of the Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Another beautiful variety, with white head and neck, was killed, in October 1831, at Cheswick, near Berwick on Tweed, and kindly presented to me by Mr DONALDSON. This bird is described in the 2d volume of the Transactions above mentioned. 64 RAPTORES. BUZZARD. near pieces of water, on account of the Libellulae, and other aquatic insects. Nest, &c. It breeds in lofty trees, forming a nest of twigs, lined with wool, and other soft materials. The eggs are small, in proportion to the size of the bird, of a yellowish white, marked with numerous spots and stains of reddish-brown, sometimes so confluent as to make them appear almost entirely brown. It is a native of eastern climes, and, according to TEM- MINCK, is as rare in Holland as in England. In the south of France it is more abundant, but migratory. PLATE 8. Figure of the natural size. General Bill bluish-black ; slender, and weak ; bending gradually from tne ^ase to tne **P ; W^ t^ie comrmssure nearly straight. Cere greenish-grey. Irides yellow. The space between the eyes and bill covered with small, round, and closely-set feathers. Crown of the head clove-brown, tinged with bluish-grey. Upper parts um- ber-brown, more or less varied, and edged with clove and yellowish-brown. Throat yellowish- white, with a few brown streaks down the shafts of the feathers. Un- der parts yellowish-white, occasionally tinged with buff- orange; with bars and triangular spots of chesnut-brown. Tail long, umber-brown, with three blackish-brown bars. Feet and tarsi yellow, reticulated, and feathered a little be- low the knee. Claws black, and not much hooked. GENUS CIRCUS, BECHST. HARRIER. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill bending from the base, weak, much compressed, and forming a narrow rounded culmen ; the tomia of the upper mandible exhibiting a very small festoon or sinuation near RAPTORES. CIRCUS. «5 the middle of the bill. Under mandible shallow, and round- ed at the point. Nostrils rather large, broadly oval, and nearly concealed by the reflected and upward-curving hairs of the lores. Head surrounded by a ruff of stiffish tiled fea- thers. Wings long, with the fourth feather scarcely exceed- ing the third, but being the longest in the wing ; first four having their inner webs notched ; the third, fourth, and fifth, with the outer webs, sinuated. Tail long, and slightly rounded. Legs with the tarsi long and slender, feathered in front for a short distance below the joints, with the naked part scutellated. Toes of mean length, and rather slender ; middle toe the longest ; the outer rather exceeding the inner, and joined at the base to the middle one by a membrane ; third toe shortest. Claws moderately incurved, and very sharp ; those of the inner and hind toes the largest. The birds of this genus are distinguished from the more typical Buzzards, by their prolonged and slender form, their lengthened tarsi, and the distinct ruff of close-set feathers, which, as in the Owls, surrounds the face. In their habits they are more active than the other birds of this subfamily ; and their flight, though not remarkable for swiftness, is light and buoyant, and can be supported for a long time (though generally at no great elevation) in search of their prey, consisting of birds, small mammalia, and reptiles, all of which they pounce on the ground. In the form of the bill, the reflected bristks of the lores, and the peculiar ruff* surrounding the face, they shew a decided affinity to the suc- ceeding family of Strigidce, particularly to the birds of that group which, from their habit of hawking in the day-time, have obtained the name of Accipitrine Owls. VOL. RAPTORES. CIRCUS. HARRIER. MARSH HARRIER. CIRCUS RUFUS, Briss. PLATE IX. Syn. of Adult. You oung. Circus osruginosus, Shaw's Zool. 13. 41. Buteo aeruginosus, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 55. 25. Falco rufus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. p. 25. 51 Gmel Syst I. p. 266. 77. Circus rufus, Briss. Ornith. v. 1. p. 404. Circus palustris, Briss. 1. p. 401. La Harpaye, Buff. Ois. v- 1. p. 217 — Id. PL Enl. 460. Busard Harpaye, ou de Marais, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. 69. 2d ed- Brand weihe, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. p. 24. sp. 19. Harpy Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 51. Falco aeruginosus, Linn. 1. p. 130 — Fauna Suec. No. 66.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 26T.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 25. 53 — Rail Syn. p. 17. A. 4 Mutter, No. 69. Falco arundinaceus, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 1. p. 681. 19. Le Busard de marais, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 218 — Id. PL Enl. 424. a yearling- bird Sumpfweihe, Meyer, Taschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 43. Moor Buzzard, Br. Zool. 1. No. 57. t. 27 — Id. fol. p. 67. t. A. 5. — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 225. ~L.—Lath. Syn. 1. p. 53.— Id. Suppl. 15 Mont. Ornith. Diet. 2 vol — Will. (Ang.) p. 75. t. 7 — Lewirfs Br. Birds, 1. t. 8.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 8 — Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 3 — BewicVs Br. Bird, 1. 19. PROVINCIAL, — Duck Hawk, White-headed Harpy, Moor Buzzard. General THE female bird of this species, which is represented on tion.01 Plate 9, measures twenty-three inches in length, and in Female breadth, with extended wings, four feet five inches. The bill is bluish-black. The cutting edge of the upper mandible has a very slight festoon. Cere lemon-yellow. Nostrils covered with the upturned bristles of the front part of the lores. Irides blackish-brown. Crown of the head, throat, and cheeks, straw-yellow, streaked with brown. Behind the ear-coverts, and surrounding the neck, is a ruff of stiffish feathers. Upon the ridge of the wing, a patch of straw- yellow. The rest of the body of dark umber-brown, passing upon the belly into reddish-brown. Legs long, the tarsi slender, and, together with the toes, yellow. Claws black. Male bird. The male, taken at the same time, is rather inferior in size, and of an uniform umber-brown colour, with the exception HARRIER. RAPTORES. CIRCUS. 67 of a small spot of the straw-yellow upon the occiput. And in him the irides are yellow. The young differ from the adult birds in being without the straw-yellow upon the head or wing-coverts. Varieties of this species, with more or less white, are also frequently found. I kept one of these birds in confinement for some years, in which the throat, bastard-wing, the first four quill-feathers, and the outer tail-feathers, were of a pure white. The rest of its plumage was of dark umber-brown. Marshy districts and moors are the favourite haunts of Food, this species. They prey on wild ducks and other water- fowl, young game, leverets, and water rats. Lizards and frogs also form a great portion of their food ; and they will sometimes take perch, and other kinds of fish. Their flight is slow, and generally near the ground, beat- ing it with great regularity in search of their prey ; but during the season of incubation, the males will soar to a con- siderable height, and remain suspended in the air for a long interval of time. They build in the tall tufts of grass or rushes which grow in marshy places, and lay four or five round eggs, entirely white ; and not spotted with brown, as asserted in the Index Ornithologicus of LATHAM. These birds abound in all the marshy districts of England and Scotland, and, according to MONTAGU, are very nume- rous in Wales, where they prey upon the rabbits that inha- bit the sand-banks of the shores of Caermarthenshire. The same writer observes, that he has seen no less than nine feeding together upon the carcass of a sheep. In Holland they are of course numerous, from the nature of the country ; and rare in Switzerland. They are migratory upon the Continent, but remain with us the whole year. The affinity between this species and the Hen Harrier, is shewn in the general contour of the form, the length of the tarsi, and in the similarity also of their habits and manners. r>8 RAPTORES. CIRCUS. HARRIER. HEN HARRIER. CIRCUS CYANEUS) Flem. PLATE X. Male and Female. Syn. of Adult and middle- aged Male. Syn. of Fe- male and Young. ( Circus cyaneus, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 5.3. 20. -? Falco cyaneus, Mont. Trans. Linn. Soc. v. 9. p. 182.— Meyer, Taschenb- I Deut. v. 1. p. 182. Falco cyaneus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 276 — Linn. Syst. 1. p. 126. 10. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 39. 94 Mutter, No. 74. Falco torquatus (mas.), Eriss. Ornith. 1. p. 345. — Ib. 8vo, p. 100. Falco Bohemicus, Ginel. Syst. 1. p. 299. sp. 107-— Falco albicans, Id. p. 276. sp. 102. Falco griseus, Gmel p. 275. sp. 100 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. I. p. 37, 86. Falco montanus, Gmel. 1. p. 278. sp. 106. var. B. Lanarius cinereus, Briss. 1. p. 365. 17- — Id. 8vo. p. 106. L'Oiseau St Martin, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 212 — Id. PI. Enl. 459. Busard St Martin, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 72. Busard a croupion blanc, Vail. Ois. d'Afriq. Sept. v. 1. PI. 8. Kore oder Halbweihe, Bechst. Tasch. Deut. p. 25. sp. 20. Hen Harrier, Brit. Zool. 1. No. 58. t. 28 — Will. (Angl.) p. 72 Albin, 2. t. 5 Lath. Syn. v. 1. p. 88 — Id. Suppl. p. 22 — Lewin's Birds, 1. t. 18 Hayes' Br. Birds Mont. Ornith. Diet. v. I Id. Suppl Wale. Syn. t. 17 — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 33 — Pult. Cat. Dorset. p. 3 — Don. Br. Birds, 3. t. 59 — Low's Fau. Oread, p. 37 — Shawls Zool 7. p. 163. New York Falcon, Penn. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 209. f Falco Pygargus, Linn. 1. p. 126. 11 — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 277. sp. II. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 39. 94 — Rail Syn. p. 17. 5. (fern.)— Muller, No. 74.— Will. p. 40. Falco Hudsonii et Buffonii, Gmel. 2. p. 277. sp. 19. and 103. Falco rubiginosus, Lath. Ind, Ornith. 1. p. 27- sp. 56. Falco torquatus (fern.), Briss. 1. p. 345. 7 — Ib. 8vo, p. 100. La Soubuse, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 215. t. 9 — Id. PI. Enl. 443. young female, and 480, young male. Le Busard GrenouiUard, Vail. Ois. d'Afriq. 1. PI. 23. Ring-tail, Br. Zool. 1. No. 59 — Id. fol. p. 68. t. A. 7 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 89. 95. — Id. Supp. p. 22 — Mont. Ornith. Diet — Id. Sup.— Lewies Biit. Birds, 1. t. 18.— Will. (Ang.) p. 72 — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 18.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 35.— Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 163. Ring-tail Hawk, Edwards, t. 107 — Arct. Zool. 2. No. 106. White-rumped Bay Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 54. Hudson's Bay Ring-tail, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 91. 76. Cayenne Ring-tail, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 91. Marsh Hawk, Wils. Amer. Orn. ed. by Sir Wm. Jardine, 2. 272. pi. 51 . ^ fig. 2. THE above long list of synonyms arises from this bird having been considered by many ornithological writers as two distinct species, — a mistake doubtless occasioned by the very HARRIER. RAPTORES. CIRCUS. 69 dissimilar appearance of the sexes in the adult state, with re- spect to size and colour. The facts, however, adduced by MONTAGU *, to prove the identity of the two, are clear and satisfactory ; to me particularly so, as the result of my own observations lead entirely to the same opinion. Mons. TEM- MINCK, also, in his valuable " Manuel," has shewn so little doubt upon the subject, as at once to bring the synonyms of the Hen Harrier and Ring-tail together. The species, though not very numerous, is pretty generally found throughout Britain, frequenting low marshy situations, or wide moors. The flight of the Hen Harrier is always low, but at the same time smooth and buoyant, beating its hunt- ing grounds with great regularity, and at stated intervals. It is very destructive to game, which it pounces upon the ground ; it also feeds upon small birds and animals, lizards and frogs. It breeds on the open wastes, and frequently in Negt &c thick furze covers ; the nest is placed on the ground, and the eggs are four or five in number, of a skim-milk white, round at each end, and nearly as large as the Marsh HarrieH-. The young males, for the first year, are similar in appear- ance to the females, after which they gradually assume the grey plumage that distinguishes the adult. It is common in France, Germany, and Holland, inhabit- ing the low and flat districts ; but in Switzerland, and all mountainous countries, it is of rare occurrence J. PLATE 10. Fig. 1. Shews the male bird, in perfect plumage, and of the natural size. • See Supplement to Ornith. Diet, article Hen Harrier. f I refer my readers to some very interesting particulars respecting the habits and economy of this species, detailed at considerable length by Sir William Jardine, in a note to his valuable edition of Wilson's American Ornithology. % Some doubts still remain as to the identity of our own and the Ame- rican species. 70 RAPTORES. CIRCUS. HARRIER. General Bill bluish-black. Cere wax-yellow, almost hidden by the tion.nP* projecting bristles at the base of the bill. Irides kingV Malebird. yellow. Head, neck, upper part of the breast, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, bluish-grey, passing into pearl- grey. The rump white. Quills black. Breast, belly, under wing and tail-coverts, pure white, without any spots or streaks, as in the Ash-coloured Harrier. Middle tail-feathers grey ; the outer ones having their inner webs white, barred with blackish-grey. Legs and toes lemon-yellow. Fig. 2. The female. Female. The space surrounding the orbits of the eyes white. Crown of the head and ear-coverts umber-brown. The ruff composed of stiff white feathers, with brown shafts. Upper parts umber-brown, more or less varied with yel- lowish or reddish-brown. Quills dusky, barred under- neath with white. Breast, belly and thighs yellowish- white, with long streaks of deep orange-brown. Rump white. Tail barred with clove and umber-brown. Legs yellow. ASH-COLOURED HARRIER. CIRCUS CINERACEUS, Shaw. PLATE XI. Circus cineraceus, Shaw's ZodL 13. 41. sp. 3. Buteo cineraceus, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 55. No. 26. Falco cineraceus, Mont. Ornith. Diet — Id. SuppL— Trans. Lin. Soc. 9. p. 188. Busard Montagu, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 86. Die Halbweihe, Naum Vog. 4. p. 180. t 21. p. 33. Ash-coloured Falcon, Montagu, Ornith. Diet. — Id. Suppl. The British Fauna is indebted to the persevering researches and acute discrimination of our countryman MONTAGU for HARRIER. RAPTORES. CIRCUS. 71 the discovery of this new species of falcon, the description of which he has most accurately given in the Supplement* to the work I am so often proud to quote. The resemblance it bears to the Hen Harrier was without doubt the cause of its remaining so long unnoticed as a separate species, having in all probability, when previously met with, been considered only as a variety of that bird. The specific distinctions are, however, when subjected to the test of strict examination, obvious and well defined. The leading points of difference are the following. Though greatly inferior in weight, it exceeds the Hen Harrier considerably in dimensions, both as to length and extent of wing. The third quill-feather is much longer than any of the others, and its wings, when closed, reach beyond the extre- mity of the tail ; whereas in the Circus cyaneus, they are shorter than the tail by two inches. The colour of the un- der wing-coverts, the belly, and thighs, is also very different. The ruff which encircles the back part of the head, and neck of the Hen Harrier, is not so distinctly marked in this species. The general contour and appearance of the two birds will be found, on comparison, to be very different. A close attention to the respective descriptions will also discover other minor traits of separation. The Ash-coloured Harrier is far from being numerous in England. I have taken it in Northumberland, where it breeds upon the moors or open lands. It skims along the surface of the ground, like the Hen Harrier, but with more rapid flight, and more strikingly buoyant. Lives upon small birds, lizards, frogs, &c. Its Food. nest is placed upon the ground, amongst furze or low brush- Nest, &c. wood. The eggs are generally four, and of a pure white. According to TEMMINCK, it is found throughout Hungary, in Poland, Silesia, and Austria. It is common also in Dal- matia and the Illyrian Provinces, but is of rare occurrence in Italy. * See article Ash-coloured Falcon. 72 RAPTORES. CIRCUS. HARRIER. PLATE 11. A male bird, of adult age, and of natural size. Killed near Morpeth in Northumberland in 1817. General j$[\\ bluish-black. Cere lemon-yellow. Irides yellow. Head descrip- J J tion. and upper parts of the body deep ash-grey, the tips and middle parts of most of the feathers blackish-grey. Throat and breast deep ash-grey. Belly, sides, and thighs, white, with reddish-brown streaks. Under wing- coverts barred with reddish-brown. Primary quills black ; secondaries ash-grey above, beneath paler, with three blackish bars, one of which is visible on the outer side of the wing. Tail long, the two middle fea- thers grey, with a tinge of brown ; the rest grey on the outer web, the inner having five reddish-brown bars. Legs slender and yellow. Toes short, the claws black. Since the above-mentioned year, I have killed two male specimens of this bird, both of which answered the foregoing description. Female. Bill bluish-black. Cere wax-yellow. Irides bright yellow, Crown of the head reddish-brown, with blackish-brown spots. Nape of the neck varied with orange-brown and white. Above and below the eye, is a streak of pale reddish- white. Ear-coverts deep umber-brown. Upper parts of the body umber-brown, the feathers margined with pale orange-brown. Lower part of the rump and the tail-coverts white, streaked with pale orange-brown. The whole of the under parts orange-brown, without spot or streak. Tail, having the two middle feathers nearly of an uniform brown, the rest being barred with pale orange-brown and umber-brown, except the outer feathers, which are barred with orange-brown and white. The young males, previous to the first moult, are similar in plumage to the female bird. RAPTORE8. MILVUS. 73 SUBFAMILY MILVINA. Bill of moderate strength, nearly strait at the base. Fea- thers upon the head and neck, narrow and acuminate. Nostrils placed rather obliquely. Wings very long ; the first quill-feather short. Tarsi scaled, short, feathered for a short space below the knee. Tail more or less forked. Prey pounced upon the ground, or, when consisting of insects, caught in the air. Flight very buoyant, with little exertion of the wings, and in wide circles. GENUS MILVUS, AUCT. KITE. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill of moderate strength, nearly strait at the base; rapid- ly incurved in front of the cere to the tip, which forms an acute hook. Culmen subangular. Cutting margin of the upper mandible with a shallow lobe or festoon between the line of the nostrils and the tip. Upper mandible rounded at the tip. Cere short ; nostrils oval ; rather obliquely placed in the cere. Feathers of the head and neck acumi- nate. Wings very long ; the first feather short, more so than the seventh ; the fourth the longest of all ; the first five ha- ving their inner webs notched; the second, third, fourth, and fifth, with the outer ones, the same. Tail long, more or less forked. Legs with the tarsi very short ; feathered below the joint ; the naked frontal part scutellated. Toes rather short, and strong, the outer united at its base to the middle one. Claws long and strong, moderately incurved, with the inner edge of the middle one thin and dilated. The birds of this genus are distinguished for their grace- ful and easy flight, which is performed by little exertion of 74 RAPTORES. MILVUS. KITE. their pinions, in extensive circles, and in which they are guided by the elongated and forked form of their tail. To the preceding genera of the Buzzards they shew a strong affinity, both in form and habits, though their forked tail, and greater development of wing, are sufficient charac- teristics of separation. In shape of bill, and other particu- lars, they approach to some of the earlier groups of the Aquiline subfamily ; thus supporting that circular arrange- ment of affinities which prevails throughout all the lesser, as well as the more extensive, divisions of creatures. They are birds of rather a cowardly disposition, and seldom attack prey of great size, confining themselves to the lesser birds, animals, reptiles, fish, &c. They pounce their prey upon the ground. KITE OR GLEAD. MILVUS VULGARIS, Flem. PLATE V. Milvus vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 51. pi. 16. Falco Milvus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 126. 12 — Faun. Suec. No. 57 Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 261 — Will. p. 41. t. 6 — Raii Syn. p. rj. A. 6 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 20. 37 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 25. Milvus regalis, Briss. 1. p. 414. 35. t. 33 — Id. 8vo. p. 118. Re Milan Royal, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 197 — Id. PI. Enl. 422.— Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 59. Rother Milan, Bechst. Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 13. Kite, Br. ZooL 1. No. 53 — Id. fol. t. A. 2 — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 223. H.— Will (Ang.) p. 74.— Lewirfs Br. Birds, 1. t. 10 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 61. 43. — Sup. p. Ij.—Mont. Ornith. Diet. — Id. Suppl — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 21 — Hayeks Br. Birds. 1. t. 5 — Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 103. Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 3. — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 10. — Don. Br. Birds, 2. t. 47. Falco Austriacus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 262.— Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. t. 39. Austrian Kite, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 62. 45. young bird. PROVINCIAL,— Puttock, Fork-tail Glead. THIS beautiful species, distinguished from the rest of our native Falconidae by its forked tail, is the only British indi- genous member of the fifth subfamily. KITE. RAPTORES. MILVUS. 75 Its measurements are considerable, in proportion to the weight of its body, as it frequently exceeds two feet two inches in length, and five feet along the extended wings. The Kite is variously diffused throughout England, being a common bird in many parts of the country, and rare in others. In all the wooded districts of the eastern and mid- land counties it is abundant : it is also met with in West- moreland ; but is seldom seen in the northern parts of York- shire, in Durham, or Northumberland. In Scotland, it occurs plentifully in Aberdeenshire, and is found also in the immediate vicinity of Loch Katterine, and of Ben Lomond ; also at Loch Awe, and in the adjoining district. It is proverbial for the ease and gracefulness of it flight, which generally consists of large and sweeping circles, per- formed with a motionless wing, or at least with a slight and almost imperceptible stroke of its pinions, and at very distant intervals. In this manner, and directing its course by aid of the tail, which acts as a rudder, and whose slightest motion produces effect, it frequently soars to such a height as to be- come almost invisible to the human eye. The prey of the kite consists of young game, leverets, Food, rats, mice, lizards, &c. which it takes by pouncing upon the ground. It is a great depredator in farm-yards, after chick- ens, young ducks, and goslings ; and is in consequence bit- terly retaliated upon as a common enemy in those districts where it abounds. It will also, under the pressure of hunger, devour offal and carrion, and has been known to prey upon dead fish. Some very curious and interesting facts in the history of the Kite are mentioned by MONTAGU *, which shew how com- pletely unguarded or insensible to danger predacious birds are, when intent upon their prey, or urged by the cravings of hunger. It breeds early in the spring, in extensive woods, generally " See Supplement to Omith. Diet, article Kite. 76 RAPTORES. MILVUS. KITE. Nest, &c. making its nest in the fork of a large tree. The nest is com- posed of sticks, lined with wool, hair, and other soft mate- rial. The eggs are rather larger than those of a hen, and rarely exceed three in number. They are of a greyish-white? speckled with brownish-orange, principally at the larger end ; but sometimes they are found quite plain. According to TEMMIMCK, it is met with in the different departments of France ; throughout Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. In Russia it is not common, and is rare in Hol- land. Upon the Continent, it generally migrates in autumn ; but it remains with us through the whole year. The figure represented in PLATE 5. is from a female bird, of middle age, and in the proportion of three-fifths of the natural size. General Bill yellowish-brown at the base, towards the tip blackish- descrip- brown. Cere and irides kingVyellow. Head and neck greyish- white, streaked with lines of dusky-black, occu- pying the centre of the feathers, which are narrow, and sharp-pointed. Upper parts of the body and wing co- verts reddish-orange, the middle of the feathers brown- ish-black, the edges buff-orange. Breast, belly and thighs, reddish-orange, with streaks of brownish-black. Vent and under tail-coverts plain reddish-orange. Tail long, and deeply forked, reddish-orange, with the tips of the feathers reddish- white. Under side of the tail reddish-white, barred with blackish-brown. Primary quills brownish-black ; the secondary ones blackish brown, passing into blackish-grey. Thighs adorned with long plumes. The tarsi short and scaled, of a Dutch-orange colour. Claws bluish-black, and not much hooked. EL ANTS. KAPTOUKS. EL AN US. 77 GENUS ELANUS, SAVIGNY. ELANUS. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill weak, of mean length, compressed, nearly straight at the base, the tip hooked. Wings long, with the second feathers generally the longest. The first and second having their inner web strongly notched. Tail long, more or less forked. Legs with the tarsi short, feathered for half their length; the naked part of the tarsus being reticulated. Claws strong, and incurved; the under surface, in some species, partly rounded. The birds of this genus, like the Kites, are remarkable for their graceful circling flight. In them the bill is of weak conformation, and with a very slight indication of a festoon upon the upper mandible. The tarsi are short, and feathered half way along the front. The toes are separate, and, in some species, the side and hind claws are rounded beneath, as in the genus Pandion. Their food consists of reptiles, &c., but more particularly of the larger insects, which they capture with their feet, and then devour in the air. They seem to represent the Jissirostral tribe of the Insessores among the Falconidae. SWALLOW-TAILED ELANUS. ELANUS FURCATUsy Savigny. Elanus furcatus, Shaw's Zool. 13. 49. sp. 2. Nauclerus furcatus, Vig. in Zool. Journ. No. 7- 387 — Lesson's Num. d'Ornith. 1. 101. Falco furcatus, Linn. Syst 1. 129. 25 — Gmel. Syst. 1. 262.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 22. sp. 41.— Linn. Trans. 14. 583. Milvus Carolinensis, Briss. 1. 418. 36. Milan de la Caroline, Buff. Ois. 1. 221 — Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1. 322. Swallow-tailed Falcon, Penn. Arct. Zool. 2. No. 108. t. 10 — Lath. Syn. 1. 60. 42. Swallow-tailed Hawk, Wils. Amer. Orn. 6. 67. pi. 51. f. 3— Id. Ed. Sir Wm. Jardine, 2. 275. p. 51. fig. 3 — Audition's PL 72 — Id. Orn. Biog. 1. 361. 78 RAPTORES. ELANUS. ELANUS. Occasional I INSERT this elegant species in the list of our fauna as visitant. an occasionai visitant, upon the authority of two specimens ; one of which was killed at Ballachoalish, in Argyleshire, in 1772, and recorded by the late Dr WALKER in his Adver- saria for 1772 and 1774 ; the other was taken alive in Shaw- Gill near Hawes, in Wensley-dale, Yorkshire, in September 1805, and mentioned in the 14th Vol. of the Linnean Tran- sactions, p. 183. In the Southern States of North America, in Peru and other parts of South America, it is an abundant species; but, according to AUDVRON, has never been seen to the north or eastward of Pennsylvania. From the descrip- tion given of it by that practical ornithologist, and from that of the not less gifted WILSON, (to both of which I must, on account of their length, refer my readers,) the habits of this, and, I believe, of the other species of Elanus, differ in many essential particulars from those of the more typical Falco- Food. nidse. The prey of this bird, whether consisting of reptiles or of insects, taken upon wing, either in their flight, from the surface of the ground, or from the branches and trunks of trees, is invariably devoured in the air. It is remarkable for the gracefulness of its motion on wing, and the extraordinary evolutions it performs when in pursuit of its insect prey. Contrary to the habits of the other Falcons, it is gregarious, being frequently seen in great numbers together, and so un- willing is the flock to desert a companion in distress, that when one is shot or wounded, instead of flying from the dan- ger, they all assemble over the dead or dying bird, and con- tinue to hover over it, even after being repeatedly fired at, and having their numbers diminished by each successive dis- charge *. It breeds, according to AUDUBON, in the tops of the highest oak and pine trees near the margin of ponds and Nest, &c. streams, making a nest similar in external appearance to that of the crow ; formed outwardly of dry sticks intermixed with Spanish moss, and lined with coarse grass and a few feathers. * See AUDU BON'S Ornith. Biograph. vol. 1. p. 368. article Swalhw- tailed Hawk. ELANUS. RAPTORES. ELANUS. 79 The eggs, from four to six in number, are of a greenish-white, with a few irregular blotches of dark brown at the larger end. The young, when excluded, are covered with a buff-coloured down, above which succeeds plumage very similar to that of the adult, but destitute of its lustre and purple reflections. This they retain till spring, when it becomes matured. The average size of this species appears to be about five inches in length, by four feet two or three inches tioru in extent of wings. The bill is black, of mean strength ; the cutting margins without a sinuation. The cere yel- low, or, according to AUDUBON, pale blue; its base cover- ed with bristles. The head, neck, and under plumage, white, with a slight tinge of grey ; the shafts of the feathers indicating a dark line upon the head, neck, and breast. Mantle, wing-coverts, and scapulars, black, with blue and purple reflections. Quills black ; the third the longest in the wing ; the first being equal to the fifth. Tail of twelve feathers ; and very deeply forked ; the lateral ones much elongated, black, with green and pur- ple reflections. Legs greenish-blue ; the tarsi very short, feathered half way down the front ; the naked part co- vered with reticulated scales. Toes short and divided ; the anterior joints scutellated. Claws much incurved, acute ; their colour flesh-red. FAMILY IV.— STRIGID^E. The Owls or nocturnal birds of prey, which form the fourth natural family of the order Raptores, are distinguished by a peculiarity of physiognomy, that at once separates them from all the others, and cannot fail to make them at once cognizable by the most cursory observer. For, though nearly related as they undoubtedly are in direct affinity with the Falconidae, it cannot but be allowed, that a certain gra- dation of form is wanting (either as yet undiscovered, or no 80 RAPTORES. STRIGIDJ2. longer existing) to fill up the chasm which at present sepa- rates the nearest resembling members of the two families, and which appear to be some species of the genus Circus among the Falconidse, and the Accipitrinae or Hawk Owls among the Strigidae. By their near affinity also to the Ca- primulgidce (Goatsuckers), particularly seen in the genus Podargus, the connection between the Insessorial and Rapa- cious birds is beautifully sustained, though a similar de- ficiency of intermediate forms is even in this case observable. By far the greatest proportion of the Strigidoe are noctur- nal or crepuscular feeders, sallying forth from their concealed retreats towards the close of day, when other birds are re- tiring to roost, but when the other animals which form their principal support are quitting their holes to feed, in expect- ed security, during the silence and darkness of the approach- ing night. Some of the species, however, are capable of bearing the light of day ; and these pursue their prey in the same manner as the Falconida. A nearer approach to that family is also here observable, in the smaller size of the fa- cial disk, the dimensions of the eye, and the comparative length, as well as stronger structure, of the wings and tail. In the nocturnal species, which steal upon their prey by the noiselessness of their flight, the plumage is remarkably soft and downy ; the margins of the wing-feathers (the great Or- gans of motion) being loose, and divided into fine filaments, thus offering the least possible opposition in passing through the air, and their progress is by a slow and gentle motion of the pinions. The ear also is of a singular construction, and developed to an extent seen in no other birds, giving them an acuteness and delicacy of hearing, that can detect even the slightest rustling of their prey. Their eyes also, in the greater part directed forwards, are, from their size, position, and construction, beautifully calculated for collecting and concentrating the horizontal and dim rays of twilight. The small degree of attention that has hitherto been given to the peculiar features that distinguish the Owls, especially to the RAPTORES. BUBO. 81 organ of hearing (and upon a strict analysis and comparison of which only a circular arrangement of the subdivisions can be formed agreeable to nature), compels me to adhere at pre- sent to an arrangement of the British species under the ge- neric heads admitted by most of the eminent modern orni- thologists. The general characters of the family may be stated as fol- lows. Bill hooked, compressed ; the base covered with a cere. Nostrils, oval or rounded ; placed in the anterior part of the cere, and covered, as well as the greater part of the bill, with reflected bristly feathers. Head large ; face more or less flat, surrounded by a ruff or border of small close-set feathers. Eyes large, encompassed by a radiated circle of slender hairy feathers. Toes three before and one behind, the outer one reversible. Claws moderately incurved ; long, and very sharp. Plumage soft and downy. GENUS BUBO, CUT. EAGLE OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill, short, strong, bending from the base, compressed to- wards the tip. The cutting margin of the upper mandible slightly sinuated. Nostrils, large, oval or rounded, placed in the anterior part of the cere. Facial disk small and in- complete above the eyes ; head furnished with egrets or tufts. Auditory opening, small, oval, without an operculum. Wings rather short, concave ; the third and fourth quill-feathers generally the largest. Legs and toes clothed with feathers. Outer toe reversible ; claws long, moderately curved, and very sharp. This genus was established by CUVIER, and contains, be- sides the Great-horned or Eagle Owl of Europe, several other species, amongst which may be mentioned the Virginian Horned Owl (Bubo Virginiana) and the Arctic Horned Owl (Bubo Arctica) of Dr RICHARDSON and SWAINSON, VOL. i. F 82 RAPTORES. BUBO. EAGLE OWL. both natives of North America. They differ from the other Eared Owls in having the facial disk less distinctly marked, and incomplete above the orbits of the eyes, and in the com- parative smallness of the external auditory conch, which is farther destitute of an opercidum or flap. Their habits may be stated as nocturnal, though not so strictly so as some of the other genera, as they are not unfrequently seen abroad, and in activity, before the sun sinks below the horizon ; and most in the Arctic Regions (which some species constantly inhabit), regularly fly in day-light during the summer months. They are also observed to be less annoyed, and to appear less stupified, when disturbed during the day, than the true nocturnal feeders ; and to be so much upon the alert, as seldom to admit of a close approach. They are birds of great strength and activity, and prey upon mamma- lia, birds, and sometimes fish, which they strike with their talons. GREAT-HORNED OR EAGLE OWL. BUBO MAXIMUS, Sibbald. PLATE XIX. Bubo maximus, Sibb. Scot. 15. — Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 57- No. 30. Strix Bubo, Linn. 1. p. 131 — Gmel. Syst. p. 286. sp. 1. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. p. 51.— Rail Syn. p. 24. 1 — Will. p. 63. t. 12.— Briss. 1. p. 477- Le Grand Due, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 322 Id. PL Enl. 435 — Veil Ois. d'Afriq. v. 1. p 106. pi. 40. Hibou Grand Due, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 100. Grosse Ohreule huhu, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 882 — Meyer, Tassch, Deut. v. p. 70 — Id. Vog. Liv. und Esth. p. 33. sp. 4. Strix Bubo Atheniensis. Gmel Syst. 1. p. 286. var. B. Black Wing Horn-Owl, Alb. 3. t. 6. Athenian Horn-Owl, Edw. t 64 — Lath. 1. p. 118. Great-eared Owl, Br. Zool. 1. No. 64. t. 29 — Arct. Zool. 2. No. 114 — Alton, 3. t. 6.— Will. (Ang.) p. 99. t. 12 Lath. Syn 1. p. 116. 1.— Id. Supp. p. 40 — Lewiri's'Br. Birds, 1. 1. 23 — Mont. Ornith. Diet.— Id. Supp. — Bewick's Br. Birds, Supp — Wale. Syn. — Shaw's Zool. v. 7. p. 211. Eagle Owl, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 57. 30 Rennie's Orn. Diet. 159. THIS species, which is equal in size to some of the largest Eagles, is of very rare occurrence in Great Britain ; and, in 5 EAGLE OWL. RAPTORES. BUBO. 83 the few instances on record, the birds can only be regarded as wanderers, or compelled by tempest to cross the Northern Occasional Ocean * visitant' It preys upon fauns, rabbits, the different species of grous, Food. rats, &c. — It builds amid rocks, or on lofty trees, and laysNest'&c" two or three egs, larger than those of a hen, round at each end, and of a bluish- white colour. According to TEMMINCK, it is common in Russia, Hun- gary, Germany, and Switzerland. It is also stated to be a native of Africa ; but has not been met with in the New World. Its place is there supplied by the Virginian and Arctic Horned Owls. The Athenian Horned Owl of EDWARDS appears to be a small variety of this species ; and Dr LATHAM enumerates amongst its varieties, the Smooth-legged, and Magellanic Eared Owl or Jurucatu. This latter, indeed, is now with greater probability supposed to have been a bird of the pre- sent species, denuded of feathers upon the tarsi by moult, or some accidental cause. As the rarity of the bird in this country permits so few opportunities of learning any parti- culars of its habits, I avail myself of Sir WM. JARDINE'S interesting observations upon an individual that he kept for several years, and which by his kindness has now come into my possession. See Note on the Great-horned Owl in Sir WM. JAKDINE'S edition of WILSON'S American Ornithology, 2. 257. PLATE 19- The figure on this Plate represents a male bird of this species, in the proportion of about three-fifth parts of the natural size. Base of the bill pale yellowish-brown, the tip darker. General Irides bright orpiment-orange. Upper parts of t body varied and spotted with black, ochre-yellow, and * I have been lately informed, from very good authority, that one of the above species was killed on the upland moors in the county of Durham some years ago. This specimen was afterwards in Mr BULLOCK'S museum. F 2 84 RAPTORES. OTUS. yellowish-grey. Under parts ochre-yellow, with oblong black spots and streaks. Chin white. Thighs deep ochre-yellow, with a few transverse blackish-brown lines and bars. Legs and toes thickly clothed with downy feathers of the same colour as the thighs. Claws very long and sharp, colour pale yellowish grey. Horns composed of six or eight elongated feathers, varied, and coloured like the rest of the plumage. The female is similar to the male bird, except in wanting the white upon the chin or throat, and is superior in size. GENUS OTUS, Cuv. EARED OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill bending from the base, and forming an elliptic curve ; the cere covering the basal ridge for nearly half the length of the bill. Cutting margin of the upper mandible straight, the under one having the tip obliquely truncated and notched. Nostrils, oval, obliquely placed. Facial disk of moderate size, and complete. Conch of the ear extending from the outer angle of the eye to behind the limb of the lower jaw, the opening defended by a flap or operculum. Head furnished with egrets. Wings long ; the second quill- feather the longest. Tail even, and scarcely shewing any concavity beneath. Legs and toes feathered to the insertion of the claws. Toes rather short ; the outer one reversible. Claws moderately curved, long, and very sharp; rounded beneath, except the middle one, which is grooved, and with a sharp inner edge. This natural group (of which Otus vulgaris may be con- sidered the type) has also been separated from the other Strigidse by the great French naturalist, whose recent death the scientific world has such reason to deplore. The mem- bers of this genus are distinguished by the completeness of EARED OWL. RAPTORES. OTUS. 85 their facial disk, by the great size of the external auditory opening defended by an operculum, and by egrets more or less distinct upon the forehead ; their wings also are long and ample, and the second quill-feather exceeds all the rest in length. Their habits are more nocturnal than those of the preceding genus, although one species, Otus Brachyotos, which appears to tend to the Hawk Owls, is sometimes seen flying by day, in lowering and gloomy weather. They prey upon the smaller mammalia (particularly those of the order Glires, FLEM.), and also upon birds, which they capture at roost. Their flight is light and buoyant, and sometimes tolerably rapid. Some of the species inhabit woods and fo- rests, others (in which a slight departure from the type is observable) affect more open districts and extensive heaths. LONG-EARED OWL. OTUS VULGARIS, Flem. PLATE XX. Otus vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 56. No. 27- Otus Europseus, Shaw's Zool. 13. 56. Strix Otus, Linn. Syst, 1. p. 132. 4. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 288. sp. 4 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. p. 53. 7 Rail. Syn. p. 35. «. 2 Will. p. 64. t. 12 Le Moyen Due, ou Hibou, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 342 Id. PI. Enl. 29. Hibou Moyen Due, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 102. Mittler Ohreule, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 896 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 93 — Frisch. Vbg. 29. Hoorn Uil, Sepp, Nederl. Vog. p. 303. Long-eared Owl, Penn. Br. Zool. 1. No. 65. t. 30 Arct. Zool. 2. No. 115. — Lath. Syn. v. 1. p. 121 — Id. Supp. p. 42 Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 24. —Mont. Ornith. Diet.— Id. Supp — Wale. Syn. t. 23— Will. (Ang.)p. 99. t. 12 — Bewick's Br. Birds, v. 1. P. I. 46. Italian-eared Owl, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 122. THE excellent mixture of colours in this bird, and the im- posing appearance of its long tufts or ears, render it one of the most interesting of its genus. Though not so numerous as the Barn (Strix flammea), or the Tawny Owl (Ulula stri- dula), it is found in most of the wooded districts of England and Scotland. Plantations of fir, particularly of the spruce 86 RAPTORES. OTUS. EARED OWL- kind, are its favourite haunts, as in these it finds a secure and sheltered retreat during the day. It also frequently in- habits thick holly or ivy bushes, whose evergreen foliage en- sures a similar retirement. It is an indigenous species, and breeds early in spring ; not making any nest of its own, but Nest, &c. taking possession of that of a Magpie or Crow. — The eggs are generally four or five in number, white, and rather larger and rounder than those of the Ring-Dove. When first ex- cluded, the young birds are covered with a fine and closely set white down ; they remain in the nest for more than a month before they are able to fly. If disturbed and handled, they hiss violently, strike with their talons, and, at the same time, make a snapping noise with their bills. When they quit the nest, they take up their abode in some adjoining tree, and, for many subsequent days, indeed for weeks, may be heard after sunset uttering a plaintive but loud call for food ; during which time the parent birds are seen diligently employed in hawking for prey. Food. Mice and moles form the principal part of their proven- der ; though MONTAGU * says, that they seldom take small birds on the roost. In the stomach of one individual, I found five skulls of mice, which were, without doubt, the relics from its repast of the previous night. This bird is of a resolute character, and, when wounded, or taken by surprize, throws itself upon its back, and makes a vigorous defence with its claws, hiss- ing with violence, and snapping with its bill. In this situa- tion, the ears are fully elevated, and projected forwards. It is pretty generally diffused throughout Europe ; and in North America is found to inhabit the woods at a distance from the sea. It has been observed as far northward as lati- tude 60° ; and, as Dr RICHARDSON observes, " probably ex- ists as high as the forests extend." * MONT. Ornith. Diet. vol. ii. KAK.:I> ()\\i. RAPTORES. OTUS. 87 PLATE 20. A male bird, and nearly of the natural size. Bill blackish-grey ; bending from the base, and forming General an elliptic arch ; with the culmen rather broad and round. Irides Dutch orange, inclining to orpiment- orange. The bristly feathers covering the nostrils and base of the bill are white, with black shafts. Above the eye, and at the inner angle, black. Cheeks tawny. The circle of small feathers surrounding the face mot- tled with white, black, and orange-brown. Above each eye is a tuft of six or eight elongated feathers, of a liver brown, margined with yellowish-brown and white, which the bird can erect or depress at pleasure. Upper parts of the body pale orange-brown, streaked with blackish- brown, and beautifully powdered with black, white and grey specks. Quills barred with brownish-black, the bases of the primary ones orange-brown. Exterior web of the outer quill serrated, and the points of the barbs reverted. Second quill-feather the longest ; the first be- ing equal to the fourth, which is about half an inch shorter than the third. First quill having its inner web notched at about an inch from the tip. Tail pale orange, with a greyish tinge, barred and spotted with black ; square and straight. Under parts ochreous-y el- low, passing into white, with oblong and arrow-shaped streaks and spots. Legs and toes clothed with pale buff-coloured feathers as far as the two last scales upon the toes. Claws long, very sharp, and moderately cur- ved ; the middle one grooved beneath, and having a sharp edge ; the inner one imperfectly grooved ; the outer and hind claw rounded. 88 RAPTORES. OTUS. EARED OWL. SHORT-EARED OWL. OT us BRACHYOTOS, Cuv. PLATE XXI. Otus Brachyotos, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 56. No. 28. — Shaw's Zool. 13. 57. Strix Brachyotos, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 55. 11 — GmeL Syst. 1. p. 289. sp. 17 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 73. Strix Ulula, Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 60. sp. 27- var. B — GmeL Syst. 1. p. 294. Strix Brachyura, Nils. Faun. Suec. v. 1 . p. 62. sp. 27. Hibou Brachyote, Temm. Man. d' Ornith. v. 1. p. 99. Chouette ou Grand Cheveche, Buff. Ois. v. l.p. 372. t. 27 — Id. PL Enl. 438. Chouette Caspienne, Sonn. Nouv. ed. Buff. Ois. v. 4. p. 169. Kurzorige Ohreule, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 909 — Frisch. Nog. t. 98. Caspian Owl, Lath. Syn. v. 1. p. 140. and 147. Short-eared Owl, Penn. Zool. v. 1. p. 204. and 206. — Arct. Zool. 2. No. 116. — Leu-iris Br. Birds, 1. t. 25 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 124. 9. — Id. Supp. p. 43. Mont. Ornith. Diet. v. 2 Wale. Syn. 1. 1. 25 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 4. — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 48. and 50 Low's Faun. Oread, p. 42 — Wils. Amer Orn, ed. Sir Wm. Jardine, 2. pi. 33. f. 3 — Northern ZooL 2. 75. No. 19. PROVINCIAL. — Hawk Owl, Woodcock Owl.* Winter The birds of this species are only to be met with in the England!" southern parts of England, between the months of October and April, as they migrate on the approach of spring to Scotland and its islands, where they breed. Mr Low, in his Fauna Orcadensis, mentions this Owl as being very frequent in the hills of Hoy, where it builds its nest amongst the heath. It is there of great boldness, and has been seen to chace pigeons in the open day -f. In a nest, which contained two full-fledged young ones, he found the remains of a moorfowl, and two plovers, besides the feet of several others. In this country they generally remain concealed in long grass, or in rushy places, upon waste grounds or moors. In * The name of Woodcock Owl has been given to this species in England, from its appearance and departure coinciding with those of the bird from which the title is derived. •j- I have seen it hawking by clay, in gloomy weather, upon the North- umbrian moors. EARED OWL. RAPTORES. OTUS. 89 autumn, I have often met with them in turnip fields, but have never seen them in plantations ; nor do they ever at- tempt to perch upon a tree. Five or six of these birds are frequently found roosting together ; from which circumstance it is probable that they migrate in families. MONTAGU thinks that this may arise from the abundance of food they meet with in the places where they are thus collected, but the truth of this supposition I am inclined to doubt, from the fact of their being seldom met with during two days together in the same place. They rarely appear in England previous to the beginning of October, though I have killed two or three individuals when grouse-shooting on the upland moors in August, at which season they were in the moult *. * Sir WILLIAM JARDINE (in a note on this species in his edition of WILSON'S American Ornithology) thinks that it may lank as a summer vi- sitant in the north of England and Scotland ; and would even extend the southern limit of its incubation to the extensive moorland ranges of Cum- berland, Westmoreland, and Northumberland. He appears to entertain no doubt but that the birds killed in such situations, during the grouse sea- sons, bred there ; and goes on to state what (from its interesting nature) I make no apology for transcribing " On the extensive moors at the head of Dryfe (a small rivulet in Dumfriesshire), I have, for many years past, met with one or two pairs of these birds, and the accidental discovery of their young first turned my attention to the range of their breeding ; for, previous to this, I also held the opinion that they had commenced their migration southward. The young was discovered by one of my dogs point- ing it ; and on the following year, by searching at the proper season, two nests were found with five eggs. They were formed upon the ground among the heath, the bottom of the nest scraped until the fresh earth appeared, on which the eggs were placed, without any lining or other accessory co- vering. When approaching the nest or young, the old birds fly and hover round, uttering a shrill cry, and snapping with their bills. They will then alight at a short distance, survey the aggressor, and again resume their flight and cries. The young are barely able to fly by the 12th of August, and appear to leave the nest some time before they are able to rise from the ground. I have taken them, on that great day to sportsmen, squatted on the heath like young black game, at no great distance from each other, and always attended by the parent birds. Last year (1831) I found them 90 RAPTORES. OTUS. EARED OWL. The head of this Owl being smaller than the generality of its fellow species, has procured it, in some parts, the name of Hawk Owl, or Mouse Hawk. Many ornithologists have been in doubt respecting it, and the synonyms are conse- quently in some confusion and obscurity. They appear to have been deceived by the dissimilar aspect of the head be- tween the living and dead bird, as it is only in the first state that the horns or ears are visible. Food. Their principal food with us consists of field-mice ; but from Mr Low^s account (as before quoted), it should seem that they do not always confine themselves to such diet. MONTAGU also mentions one, in whose craw he found part of a lark, and a yellow hammer *. When first disturbed, they fly to a short distance, look intently at the object of their alarm, at the same time visibly erecting their horns. If a dog be in company, they hover above it, uttering at the same time a querulous and impatient cry. When wounded, they defend themselves with the same resolution, and in the same manner as the preceding species. This Owl is of wide locality, being met with in Siberia, and in many parts of North America ; and specimens are also mentioned as having been brought from the Sandwich Is- lands. • PLATE 21 . The bird here represented measured fifteen inches in length, and three feet across the extended wings. General Bill bluish black ; elliptically curved ; and with a broad tion.nP rounded culmen. Irides bright gamboge-yellow. Fea- thers covering the nostrils, white, with black shafts. Circle immediately above the eyes brownish-black. Cheeks yellowish-brown, the shafts and ends of the in their old haunts, to which they appear to return very regularly ; and the female, with a young bird, was procured ; the young could only fly for srxty or seventy yards." * MONT. Ornith. Diet. Supplement, article Short-eared On-L EARED OWL. RAPTURES. OTUS. 91 feathers black. Circle of small feathers behind the au- ditory conch, mottled with yellowish-orange, black, and white, except opposite to the orifice of the ear, where it is wholly black. Forehead furnished on each side with four or five feathers a little longer than the rest, which it can erect or depress at pleasure. Head, back, and wing-coverts liver-brown, deeply edged with pale buff- orange. Greater quills bright ochreous yellow, the two first with two dusky bars on the outer web, the next two with three, and the rest with^wr ,- all of them having one irregular bar on the inner web ; and the tips fading into ash-grey. Second quill- feather the longest ; the first shorter than the third. First quill notched, near the tip, on the inner-web ; with the outer web serrated, and the barbs recurved. Wings, when closed, reaching about an inch beyond the tail. Breast and fore part of the neck buff-orange, streaked with brownish-black or liver-brown down the centres of the feathers, with the edges ochreous-yellow. Belly and abdomen yellowish- white (in some pale yellowish-brown), with dark brown shafts to the feathers. Tarsi and toes pale ochreous- yellow, without spots or streaks; the feathers on the toes assuming a hairy appearance. Claws blackish-grey, long, moderately incurved, and very sharp. The mid- dle claw grooved beneath, with a sharp inner edge ; the rest having the under surface rounded. This description varies but little from that of PENNANT, who first gave an accurate description of this bird, and added it to the British Fauna. My measurement is, however, greater than that which he assigns to it ; but it proved to be the general standard of a great many specimens that came under my hand. 92 RAPTORES. SCOPS. GENUS SCOPS, S AVION Y. SCOPS OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill curved from the base ; the upper ridge of the culmen flattened ; the cere short ; nostrils placed in front of the cere, round. Facial disk small, and incomplete above the eye orbit. Auditory conch small, and without an operculum. Forehead with egrets or tufts. Wings long ; the third fea- ther the longest in the wing. Tail even, or slightly rounded, concave beneath. Legs rather long ; the tarsi feathered to the toes, which have their upper joints reticulated, and the anterior ones scutellated. Claws sharp, moderately curved, and partially grooved beneath. General plumage soft and downy. This genus, instituted by SAVIGNY, appears to bear the same analogy to the large Eared-Owls, that the small Night- Owls (genus Noctua) do to the larger smooth-headed groups. Their habits, from the accounts of SPALLANZANI and others, are nocturnal, and they seldom issue from their day-retreats before the sun has fairly set below the horizon. Their prey consists of insects, mice, and other small animals of that kind. SCOPS-EARED OWL. SCOPS ALDROFANDI, Will, and Hay. PLATE XXII. Scops Aldrov. Will. Orn. 65 — Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 57. No. 31. Strix Scops, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 129. 5 — GmeL Syst. 1. p. 290. sp. 5. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. 56. 18 — Rail Syn. p. 25. 3 — Briss. 1. p. 495 — Will. (Ang.) p. 65. t. 12. Strix Zorca et Giu, Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 1. p. 56. 15. et 16. Le Petit Due. Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 353. t. 24 — Id. PI. Enl. 436. Hibou Scops, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 107. Kleine Ohreule, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 912 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. ?4. Scops-eared Owl, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 129. 1. 15 — Id. Supp. p. 43 — Mont. Supp. to Ornith. Diet — Bewick's Supp. to Br. Birds. EAHED-OWL. RAPTURES. SCOPS. 93 IN consequence of a few well authenticated instances of this handsome little Owl having been lately taken in Eng- land, I have ventured to insert it as an occasional visitant, Occasional and to give a representation of one obtained, as I am assu- vlsltant red, in the neighbourhood of London*. — It is very common in the warmer parts of Europe during the summer months, but regularly leaves them on the approach of autumn, for regions nearer to the equator. In France, it arrives, and de- parts with the swallow. Its favourite residence in Italy, ac- cording to SPALLANZANI, is in the lower wooded regions, — Field and shrew mice, insects, and earth-worms, are its food, Food. in quest of which it sallies forth at night-fall, uttering at the same time its cry, which resembles the word chivi, and whence, in some districts, it has acquired the name of Chi- vini. It constructs no nest, but deposits five or six eggs in the hollow of a tree. An interesting account of the habits and manners of this bird is given by the above-mentioned author, who reared and domesticated several nestlings. From the few species of Strigidae to be met with in our collections rendering fruitless any attempt at analysis, and the very slight attention that has hitherto been paid to the peculiar characters and econo- my of these interesting birds, I am prevented in the wish to trace the direct affinities of this species, or the relation that the group it belongs to is likely to bear to others, in the cir- cular arrangement of the family. It is to be hoped that the labours of some of the ornithologists of the present day will speedily be directed to this point. PLATE 22. Figure of the natural size. Bill black. I rides kingVyellow. Head, face, and neck, General smoke-grey, beautifully speckled with black and brown. Breast and belly ash-grev, barred and speckled with • I have seen a specimen which was killed near York, and is now in the possession of that ingenious artist Mr BEWICK. The Foljambe Collection also possesses'English specimens of this species. 94 RAPTORES. SCOPS. OWL. black and reddish-brown. Back chesnut, sometimes yellowish-brown, with a greyish cast, crossed by fine black zigzag lines. Quills having the outer webs al- ternately barred with white and mottled brown. The second and third quill-feathers the longest ; the inner web of the first and second notched near the tip ; the outer webs of the same slightly sinuated, and that of the first having the points of the barbs serrated, but not re- versed. Tail barred and spotted with black, brown, and white. Tarsi feathered, of an ash-grey colour, speckled with brown ; with the under part of the joint, and a small space below, naked. Toes naked, bluish- grey, with the first joints reticulated, and the anterior ones scutellated. The outer toe capable of being turned backwards. Claws pale yellowish-brown. The feathers which compose the horns amount to six or eight on each side ; and do not consist of a single feather, as LINN.EUS and the early writers have asserted. GENUS SURNIA, DUMERIL. HAWK-OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. BILL short, bending from the base, the cutting margin slightly sinuated. Cere short. Nostrils large, oval, obliquely placed at the anterior margin of the cere. Facial disk very incomplete and small, eyebrows projecting. Ears small, oval. Wings of mean length; not reaching, when closed, to the end of the tail. The third quill-feather the longest. Tail elongated, rounded, or wedge-shaped. Legs and toes thickly feathered. Claws long, very sharp, and much in- curved. Inner and middle claws grooved beneath, the latter having a sharp inner edge ; those of the outer and hind toes rounded. General plumage firmer in texture than the more nocturnal group. SNOWY-OWL. RAPTORES. SURNIA. 95 The genus Surina, established by DUMEEIL to embrace those species of the Strigidae which shew a considerable ap- proximation to the Falconidce (not only in the habit of hawking by day, but also in form, having smaller heads, less complete facial disks, arid longer tails, than the other Owls), appears properly to include the Snowy Owl of au- thors, as that bird possesses all the essential characters of the other Hawk Owls, and its habits (from the statement of those who have studied and observed them) are declared to be those of a day-flying, rather than a nocturnal bird of prey. The members of this genus are natives of high northern lati- tudes, and are widely distributed. They feed upon birds, animals, and fish. Their plumage, although soft, has not the downy texture or appearance so distinctive of the more typical or night-flying kinds. SNOWY OWL. SURNIA NYCTEA, Dumeril. PLATE XXIII. Surnia Nyctea, Dumeril. — Sir Wm. Jardine's ed. of Wils. Amer. Orn. 2. 46. Strix Nyctea, Gmel Syst. 1. p. 201 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 57. sp. 20 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 75 — Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. 4. p. 53. pi. 32. f. 1. Nyctea cinerea, Shaw's ZooL 13. 68. " Strix alba Freti-Hudsonis, Briss. 1. 522. La Chouette Harfang, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 387 — Id. PI. Enl. 458 Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 82 — Veil. Ois. d'Amer. Sept. v. 1. pi 18. Chouette blanche, Vaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. 1. pi. 45. old bird. Schnee-Kauz, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 925. Schnewuil, Meyer Vog. Liv. und Esthl. p. p. 29. Snowy Owl, Arct. Zool. 2. No. 121 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 132. 17 — Id. Supp. p. 45 — Mont. Supp. to Ornith. Diet.— Bewick's Supp. Br. Birds — Wer- nerian Trans, v. 4. IT is only within these few years past that this noble and beautiful Owl has been established as indigenous in Great Britain. In a tour made to the Orkney and Shetland Isles, in the year 1812, Mr BULLOCK, the late proprietor of the London Museum, met with it in both groups of islands ; and 96 RAPTORES. SURNIA. SNOWY OWL. it is now ascertained that the species is resident, and breeds there. I have seen specimens that were killed in Shetland, since the above-mentioned period, and some of which are now in the magnificent Collection at the Edinburgh Mu- seum. From the observations that have been made on its habits, it appears to be by no means confined to twilight for its supplies of food, rather perhaps the reverse, as it has been seen pursuing its prey in the day-time. Food. Alpine hares, rabbits, rats, and the different species of grouse, fall under that description *. It rests exposed upon the ground, where it can look around it, and descry the ap- proach of an enemy. Those seen by Mr BULLOCK were upon the open sand- banks, on the sea-shore, which, from abounding with rabbits, were doubtless their favourite haunts. Nest, &c. They breed on the ledges of precipitous rocks, the eggs, being two in number, of a pure white, according to most au- thors ; but by VEILLOT, they are said to be spotted with black f. It is common in the regions of the arctic circle, even in- habiting during summer the frozen coast of Greenland. Is very numerous on the shores of Hudson's Bay, and the most remote arctic islands that have been visited, belonging to the American Continent ; also in Norway, Sweden, and Lapland; but is of very rare occurrence in the temperate parts of Eu- rope and America. * WILSON informs us that it is a dexterous fisher ; pouncing its finny prey by an instantaneous stroke of the foot, either in skimming near the surface, or from its position on a stone in shallow-water. Dr RICHARDSON has seen it pursue the American hare on the wing, and make repeated strokes with its foot at the animal. — See " Northern Zoology," vol. ii. p. 89. •{• Dr HICHAB.DSON says, that this bird " makes its nest on the ground, and lays three or four white eggs, of which usually only two are hatched. In winter, when fat, it is esteemed delicate eating by the Indians, Its flesh is very white." SNOWY OWL. RAPTORES. SURNIA. 97 The figure on PLATE 23. is nearly in the proportion of three- General fourths of the natural size, taken from a specimen killed in the Shetland Islands, and which, from its numerous brown bars and spots, appears to have been either a young bird, or of middle age, as the old of this species exhibit a pure white plumage. Bill black, nearly hidden by the projecting bristly feathers at its base. The head, compared with other Owls, is small, in proportion to the size of the body. Irides gamboge-yellow. Spots and bars on the plumage brownish-black. Legs and toes very rough, and clothed with long hairy feathers, that almost conceal the claws, which are long, black, and very sharp. The outward orifice of the ear much smaller, and rounder in shape than is found in the other species. Since writing the above description, two very fine speci- mens (a male and female) of this rare British bird were kill- ed near Rothbury, in Northumberland, iin the latter part of January 1823, during the severe snow-storm that was so generally felt throughout the north of England and Scot- land. They are the only individuals of this species hitherto taken, or, I believe, seen in England, and are now in my col- lection. From the number of bars and black spots upon the head, back, scapulars, wings, and belly of the female, it appears to be a young bird. Its dimensions, when recently killed, were as follows. Length from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail two feet one inch. Breadth with extended wings five feet. The male is of inferior size, and is much whiter than the female. Bill black ; nearly hidden by the bristly recurved feathers at the base. Facial disk small, only occu- pying the base of the bill and part of the lower eye-orbit. Eye-brows projecting. Wings, when closed, shorter than the tail by nearly two inches. The third quill-feather the longest. Legs and toes very thickly clothed with hairy fea- VOL. i. G 98 RAPTORES. STRIX. thers, Claws black, very long, and much incurved ; the middle one with a sharp inner edge, and grooved ; the inner claw also grooved ; and the outer and hind ones cylindrical. Both these birds were killed upon the open moor, in a wild and rocky part of the county, and, according to description, were generally seen, during the few days that intervened be- tween their first appearance and death, perched upon the snow, or on some large stone projecting from it. The female, which was sent to me immediately after being shot, was dissected and preserved at home. She was in ex- cellent condition, and was covered entirely under the skin with a layer of fat, nearly a quarter of an inch in thickness. Her stomach was quite empty, and did not appear to have contained food for a short time previous. The male was killed about ten days afterwards, within a few miles of the same place, and had lived probably during the interval upon the black and red grouse, which are abundant in that dis- trict. GENUS STRIX, AUCT. OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill strait at the base, with the tip arched, and hooked. Cutting margin of the upper mandible nearly straight ; un- der mandible sloping to the point, and doubly notched. Nos- trils oval, obliquely placed on the anterior ridge of the cere. Facial disk large, complete. Auditory conch very large, and furnished with an operculum. Wings long, and ample ; the second quill-feather the longest in the wing ; the first being very little shorter, equal to the third, and slightly notched on its inner web near the tip. Tail short, and even. Legs having the tarsi long and slender, clothed with downy seta- ceous feathers ; toes thinly covered with hairs ; claws long, sharp, moderately curved, and all more or less grooved be- neath. BARN OWL. RAPTORES. STRIX. 99 By SAVIGNY and other naturalists, the birds of this genus have been considered the typical representatives of the fami- ly ; but as our knowledge of the various groups is still so limited, and so little attention has hitherto been given to the peculiar features which must regulate our study, and lead us to their true affinities, it remains a matter of doubt, whether the type will be found to exist in the present genus, or in some of the others, as Ulula or Otus, in both of which a nearly equal development of the auditory conch, facial disk, and other characteristic points, are to be found. They are birds of strictly nocturnal habits, and are never seen abroad till night-fall. This trait is pointed out to us by the soft and downy plumage with which they are clothed, and is par- ticularly observable in the fabric of their quill-feathers ; en- dowing them with a buoyant and noiseless flight, and ena- bling them to steal upon their nimble prey, without creating a fatal alarm. Mice and other small mammalia seem to con- stitute their entire support. BARN OR WHITE OWL. STRIX FLAMMEA, Linn. PLATE XXIV. Strix Flammea, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 133. 8 — Faun. Suec. No. 73 — Gmel. Syst 1. p. 293 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 60. 28 — IVils. Amer. Ornith. v. 0. p. 57. pL 50. fig. 2. Aluco Flammeus, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 57. No. 29. Aluco, Briss. 1. p. 503. 2 — Raii Syn. p. 25. A. 1. Aluco minor Aldrov. Will. p. 67- t. 13. Chouette Effiraie, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 91. L'Effraie ou le Fresaie, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 366. t. 26. Schleyerkauz, Becfist. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 947. — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut v. 1. p. 79. Die Kirkuil, Sepp. NederL Vog. v. 3. p. 399 — Frisch. Vbg. t. 97. White Owl, Br. ZooL 1. No. 6? — Arct. ZooL No. 124 — Will. (Ang.) p. 104. t. 13 — Levin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 26 Lath. Syn. 1. p. 138. 26.— Id. Sup. p. 46 Mont. Ornith. Diet v. 2 Don, Br. Birds, t. 113 Pult. Cat Dorset, p. 4 — Bewick's Br. Birds, v. 1. p. 51. Barn Owl, Shaw's Zool. 7- 258. PROVINCIAL — Gillihowlit, Howlet, Madge Owl, Church Owl, Hissing Owl, Screech Owl. 100 RAPTORES. STRIX. BARN OWL. THIS is the most common of the British species, and is found in every part of the kingdom. It is an inhabitant of ruins, church- towers, barns and other buildings, where it is not liable to continual interruption ; and is of essential service in checking the breed of the several species of mice and shrews, upon which it subsists. Food. Qn tne approach of twilight it may frequently be seen is- suing from its retreat to the adjoining meadows and hedge- banks in search of food, hunting with great regularity, and precipitating itself upon its prey with rapidity and unerring aim. This it swallows whole, and without any attempt to tear it in pieces with its claws. Nest, &c. jt breeds in old towers, under the eaves of churches, or in similar quiet places, and sometimes in the hollows of trees, laying from three to five eggs, of a bluish- white colour. The young, when first from the shell, are covered with white down, and are a long time in becoming fully fledged, or in being able to quit the nest. Like the other species of Owls, it ejects the hair, bones, and other indigestible parts of its food, in oval pellets, by the mouth. These castings are of- ten found in great quantities in places where these birds have long resorted. In its flight it occasionally utters loud screams, and when perched, hisses and snores considerably. It is an abundant species throughout Europe and Asia, and TEMMINCK says it is the same throughout North Ame- rica. It is easily domesticated, and will become very tame when taken young. MONTAGU reared a White Owl, a Sparrow- Hawk, and a Ring-Dove together, who lived in great harmo- ny for six months. They were then set at liberty ; and the Owl was the only one of the three that returned. PLATE 24. A male bird of the natural size. General -g^ straw-yellow ; rather long ; and strait as far as the tion. anterior margin of the nostrils. Auditory conch very BARN OWL. RAPTORES. STRIX. 101 large and defended by an operculum of great size. Iri- des bluish-black. Ruff and facial feathers white ; but in some specimens the ruff is of a brownish colour, as is also the lower and inner angle of the eye. Crown of the head, back and wings, ochreous yellow, of lighter or darker shades in different individuals, according to age or sex ; the tips of the feathers with fine zigzag lines, and black and white spots. Inner webs of the greater quills white, with four dusky spots, very broad ; the barbs having their tips detached, and open; the outer web of the first feather with the tips of the barbs open, distinct, and recurved. First quill-feather rather shorter than the second, which is the longest in the wing ; inner web of the first sinuated near the tip. Wings, when closed, reaching beyond the end of the tail, which is even. Under parts pure white, in some tinged with ochreous yellow, and small brown spots or specks. Tarsi clothed with short downy feathers, with setaceous tips. Toes thinly covered with dirty-white hairy fea- thers. Claws yellowish-white, the middle one having its inner edge imperfectly serrated ; and all of them be- ing more or less grooved beneath. GENUS ULULA, Cuv. HOWLET. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill nearly strait at the base ; the tip hooked ; with a rounded culmen, cutting margin of the upper mandible ha- ving a small lobe or sinuation near the middle. Facial disk large and complete, auditory conch rather large, and de- fended by an operculum. Wings short, rounded, concave ; the first quill-feather very short ; the fourth the longest in the wing, with the third and fifth nearly equal to it. Tail reaching beyond the closed wings, rounded, bent, and con- cave beneath. Legs having the tarsi plumed ; and the toes 102 RAPTORES. ULULA. TAWNY OWL. more or less so. Claws moderately curved, long, sharp, all more or less grooved beneath. The genus Ulula was restricted by CUVIER to Strix nebu- ksa, and Sir. litterata of authors ; allowing Strix stridula to remain as the type of SAVIGNY'S genus Syrnium. But as the characters of the latter are equally applicable to the other, and their habits are similar, I have ventured to include the whole under one generic head. They are nocturnal feeders, and are the inhabitants of woods and forests ; prey- ing upon birds, animals, and sometimes fish. Their flight is slow, but buoyant ; their wings being broad, but short, and much rounded. Their quills are strongly notched, as in the Buteonine subfamily of the Falconidte. They are all birds of considerable size and power. TAWNY OWL. ULULA STRIDULA, Mihi. PLATE XXV. Synonyms of Old Male. Synonyms of Female. Syrnium stridulum, Shaw's Zool. 13. 62. Strix Aluco, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 76. Chouette Hulotte, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 89. Nacht-kaute, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 910. Tawny Owl, Mont. Ornith. Diet — Bewick's Br. Birds. Strix Aluco, Linn. 1. p. 130. 7 — Gmel Syst. 1. p. 292. sp. ^.—.Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 59. 26. Ulula, Briss. 1. p. 507- 3 — Will. p. 68. t. 13. Aluco, Will. 68 — Id. (Ang.) p. 104. t. 13. La Hulotte, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 358 — Id. PL Enl. 441. Aluco Owl, Lath. Syn. p. 134. 20. Brown Owl, Penn. Br. Zool. No. 69. t.' 32 — Levin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 28. Strix stridula, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 133. 9. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 133. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 58. 25. Strix Aldrov. Raii Syn. p. 25. A — Will. p. 65. t. 14. Le Chat-huant, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 362. t. 25 — PL Enl. 437. Common Brown or Ivy Owl, Will. (Ang.) p. 102. t. 14. Tawny Owl, Br. Zool. 1. No. 68 — Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. 1. 27 — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 139. 27- PROVINCIAL— -Jenny Howlet, Ivy Owl, Wood Owl. TAWNY OWL. RAPTORES. ULULA. 103 As no doubt appears to be entertained now by ornitholo- gists respecting the identity of the Brown and Tawny Owl, and it being satisfactorily ascertained that the difference in the colour of the plumage is merely sexual, I have brought their synonyms together. Next to the White or Barn Owl, it is the most abundant of the British species, and is, like the former, generally dispersed throughout the kingdom ; but is most readily to be met with in well wooded districts, as it takes up its abode in woods and thick plantations, preferring those which abound in firs and holly, or ivy bushes. In such situations it remains concealed till night-fall, as it is very impatient of the glare of day, and sees, indeed, imperfectly during that time. It builds in the cavities of old trees, or will occupy the Nest, &c. deserted nest of a crow, and produces four or five white eggs, of an elliptical shape. The young, on their exclusion, are covered with a greyish down, and are easily tamed, when fed by the hand ; but MONTAGU observes, that if placed out of doors, within hear- ing of their parents, they retain their native shyness, as the old birds visit them at night and supply them with abun- dance of food. They prey upon rats, mice, moles, rabbits, Food, and young leverets, and are sometimes destructive to pigeons, entering the dovecots, and committing great havoc.* At night this species is very clamorous, and is easily to be known from the others by its hooting, in the utterance of which sounds its throat is largely inflated. PLATE 25. Natural size. Bill yellowish-white. Irides bluish-black. Facial feathers General white, tinged and barred more or less with brown. T circle of small feathers surrounding the face white, spot- ted with yellowish-brown and black. Upper parts of the * It is also ascertained that they sometimes prey upon fish. See Ob- servations by the Rev. Mr BREE of Allesly, in " Lou DON'S Magazine of Nat. History." 104 RAPTORES. NOCTUA. plumage spotted, and marked with umber-brown, black, and ash-grey, upon a ground of wood-brown colour. Scapulars and wing-coverts, with large white spots, form- ing indistinct rows. Under parts yellowish-white, with transverse bars of reddish -brown ; the shafts of the fea- thers being dark umber-brown. Quills buff-orange, barred with brown. The fourth quill-feather the long- est. First four quills having their inner webs emargi- nated ; and, as far as the sixth, with their outer webs sinuated. Wings, when closed, not reaching to the end of the tail by two inches. Tail barred alternately with wood and umber browns, except the middle feathers, which are plain wood-brown. Legs thickly clothed with downy feathers, of an ash-grey colour, speckled with brown. Claws long and sharp, greyish-black. The males have the ground colour of the plumage much redder; and scarcely two individuals can be found pre- cisely ^similar in the markings. GENUS NOCTUA, Cur. NIGHT-OWL. GENERIC CHARACTERS. Bill bending from the base, much curved. Cere short ; nostrils oval, placed in the anterior part of the cere. Audi- tory conch large, with a narrow operculum. Facial disk complete. Wings of mean length, ample and rounded ; the third and fourth quills nearly equal, and the longest in the wing. Inner webs of the first primaries notched. Tail slightly rounded, and longer than the closed wings. Legs having the tarsi and toes more or less feathered. Claws mo- derately incurved ; the inner and middle one grooved be- neath ; the outer and hind claws nearly cylindrical. Gene- ral plumage very soft and downy ; the barbs of the feathers open and very fine. NIGHT-OWL. BAPTORES. NOCTUA. 105 The members of this genus are of diminutive size, and of strictly nocturnal habits, as indicated by the form and struc- ture of the ear. They have a near resemblance to each other in the prevailing colour and disposition of their plumage ; and are found disseminated in a great variety of latitudes and climates. They prey upon mice and other small mam- malia, as well as insects ; and their flight, like the other nocturnal species, is buoyant and noiseless. TENGMALM'S NIGHT-OWL. NOCTUA TENGMALMI, Miln. PLATE XXVI. Strix Tengmalmi, Gmel Syst. 1. 291. — Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 64. sp. 42 Faun. Amer. Boreal. 2. 94. No. 26. pi. 32. Strix funerea, Linn. Faun. Suec. 25. sp. 75. Strix dasypus, Bechst. and Meyer ^ Temm. Man. d' Ornith. 1. 94. Chouette Tengmalm, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. 94. Rauchf ussiger Kauz. Meyer, Vog. Deut. Heft. 6, male and female. Tengmalm's Owl, Selby, Cat. in Trans, of Nat. Hist. Soe., Northumber- land, Durham, and Newcastle, v. 1. 248.— North. Zool. 2. 94. pi. 32. New species of Owl, Penn. Arct. ZooL 2. SuppL 60. I HAVE now great satisfaction in correcting an error com- mitted at the time the figures contained in the first part of the " Illustrations of British Ornithology,1' and the first edi- tion of the present accompanying volume, were published ; where, from the want of specimens to make the necessary comparison, I had figured and described an Owl under the title of Strix Passerina, Linn., which, upon further investi- gation, proves to be a different, although nearly allied, kind, and known by the specific name of Strix Tengmalmi. The specimen from which my figure was taken still remains in my collection, and was killed near to Morpeth in Northum- berland in 1812 ; a fact that, independent of the capture of others since that period (which I believe to have occurred), Rare vi- entitles it to be placed upon the list of our fauna as a rare Sltant' 106 RAPTORES. NOCTUA. NIGHT-OWL, visitant, In size it nearly equals Noctua Passerma, which it also resembles in the disposition of its feathers, but is less spotted with white, and the dark part of the plumage ap- proaches nearer to that shade known by the name of Liver- brown. The shorter tarsi and tliickly feathered toes are also distinguishing characters, as well as the black facial fea- thers, between the bill and eye-orbits ; and those which pro- ceed from the posterior angle of the eye, with the belt of velvety feathers immediately behind the auditory opening. The tail is also longer in proportion to its size, and the bird altogether exhibits a more lengthened form. In Europe it is widely distributed through the northern and eastern parts, being found in Sweden, Norway, Russia, and parts of Ger- many, inhabiting the thick and extensive pine forests. In North America, according to Dr RICHARDSON, it has a wide range, embracing all the woody country from the great Slave Lake to the United States. Its cry he describes as a single melancholy note, repeated, at an interval of a minute or two, during the greater part of the night ; at which time also it is in activity, for, when roused by day, it is so much dazzled and distressed by the glare of the sun, as to be easily caught Nest, &c. by the hand. It breeds in the holes or clefts of pine trees, Food. and lays two white eggs. Its food consists of mice and in- sects, particularly those of the coleopterous kind. The plumage, like that of other night-flying specie^, is very soft and downy. PLATE 26. represents this bird of the natural size. Bill much curved and compressed ; the culmen and tip yellowish white ; the sides dark grey. Facial disk black at the posterior and anterior angles of the eye- orbits ; the rest greyish- white, mixed with black. Ear conch large, with a narrow operculum. Velvety fea- thers behind the auditory opening, brownish-black. Crown, nape, and hind part of the neck, liver-brown, spotted with white; those upon the latter part large, NIGHT-OWL. RAPTORES. NOCTILA. 107 and surrounded by a margin of liver-brown. Back, wing-coverts, and scapulars, liver-brown, spotted with white ; the spots upon the mantle nearly concealed by the overlaying tips of the feathers. Quills liver-brown ; their exterior webs having three or four oval white spots, forming imperfect bars. Points of the outer barbs of the whole of the first quill open and reverted ; those of the second the same for one-half of its length ; of the third a small portion only near the tip. Third and fourth quill-feathers the largest in the wing ; the third rather exceeding the fourth. The first and second ha- ving their inner webs notched, the second and third with their outer webs sinuated. Tail, extending nearly an inch beyond the closed wings, liver-brown, crossed by five interrupted white bars, or rather rows of spots, the last about half an inch from the tip. Under plumage white, varied with paler liver-brown. Legs having the tarsi short, and, as well as the toes, thickly clothed with soft hair-like feathers. Claws of a tolerable length, and moderately incurved. LITTLE NIGHT-OWL. NOCTUA PASSERINA, Mihi. PLATE XXVII. Strix Passerina, Linn. Syst. 1. 133. 12 — Gmel Syst. 1. 296. sp. 12.— Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 65. sp. 46. Noctua minor, Raii, Syn. 26. 6.— Will. 69. t. 13. — Briss. 1. 514. 5. Chouette Cheveche, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. 92. LaCheveche ou Petit Chouette, Buff. Ois. 1. 78. Strix nudipes, Nils. Orn. Suec. 1. 68. sp. 30. Kleiner-kauz, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 2. 963. — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 80. Little Owl, Br. Zool. 1. No. 70 — Arct. Zool. 2. No. 126 — Lewirfs Br. Birds, 1. t. 39.— Will. (Ang.) 105. t. 13.— Lath. Syn. 1. 150. 40 Mmt. Ornith. Diet, and Supp — Bewick's Br. Birds ? sp.'t. 65. ? THIS species, like the preceding, can only be viewed in the 108 RAPTORES. NOCTUA. NIGHT-OWL. Occasional light of an occasional visitant, though the instances of its capture are more numerous, at least if we judge from those which have been recorded under the name of Strix Passerina. The great resemblance between the two species may, how- ever, in some instances, have been the means of one being confounded with the other ; and I almost suspect BEWICK to have been thus misled, as his description and figure of the Little Owl agree better with TENGMALM'S Owl than with the true N. Passerina. According to TEMMINCK, the present species is rarely found in Europe beyond the 55° of N. Lati- tude ; but in the warmer regions of this quarter of the globe is very common. It inhabits ruins, church towers, and other Nest, &c. buildings, as well as the recesses of the forest ; and in such situations it also breeds. Its eggs are from two to four in number, and, like those of the rest of the Strigidae, white, and of a rounded shape. It is a nocturnal species, during the day remaining concealed and at rest ; but as soon as the sun sinks below the horizon, it becomes very active, and its appearance and manners then awaken great interest. Its disposition is wild and fierce, and, according to SPALLAN- ZANI, not capable of being tamed, like the Little-eared or Scops-Owl. It is, however/ frequently taken young, and ap- pears to be easily reared, as I have repeatedly met with these birds for sale in Flanders and France, confined in large wicker cages, where they looked at ease and in good condi- Food. tion. Its food consists of mice, shrews, &c. ; also of small birds, which it takes at roost ; and of insects, such as locusts, and beetles. PLATE 27. represents a male bird of the natural size, from a British specimen. Bill much hooked, the sides rather convex, and of a pale yellowish colour. Facial disk not so complete or full as in Noc. Tengmalmi, mostly white ; the shafts of some of the bristly feathers covering the bill black ; the posterior part with the barbules blackish-brown. Fea- 3 NIGHT-OWL. RAPTORES. NOCTUA. 109 thers behind the disk white, varied with brown. Chin white, below which is a circle of yellowish-brown fea- thers, with darker bars ; to which succeeds 'another broad circle or collar of white. Crown and nape of the neck dark brown, with the central part of the feathers white, and forming guttated spots. Hind part of the neck with large white spots, and forming a broad angu- lar band. Back and wings liver-brown, with a grey tinge, each feather being spotted with white ; which spots are surrounded with pale yellowish or buff. Wings having the outer webs of the quills with irregular bars of yellowish- white ; third and fourth quill- feathers of nearly equal length, and the longest in the wings. The first quill with the points of the outer barbs reverted. The first, second, third, and fourth, with the inner webs deeply notched ; the second, third, fourth, and fifth, with their outer webs sinuated. Tail brown, with four bars of yellowish-white ; the last being close to the tip. Legs having the tarsi longer than in Noc. Tengmalmi^ and clothed with short downy white feathers. The toes only thinly covered with white hairy feathers, and ex- posing two scales at the extremity of each toe. In the under plumage the breast and belly are white, clouded .and spotted with deep liver-brown ; and the abdomen and under tail-coverts white, ORDER II. INSESSORES, VIGORS. THE Insessores, or Perching Birds, form the second and pre-eminently typical order of the class, comprehending all that vast assemblage of species distinguished by LINN^US and others under the separate orders Pica and Passeres. This division of the earlier systematists is entirely artificial, being instituted without any due regard to the true affinities of the species. As such, it has been rejected by CUVIER,* who declares his inability to detect any character of distinc- tion either internal or external, which can warrant so abso- lute a separation ; and VIGORS, SWAINSON, and other eminent ornithologists of the present day, have shown that an un- broken chain and circular succession of affinities does exist throughout the whole of these birds ; and that the subordi- nate groups into which the order is divisible (complete as each may appear within itself), are too intimately connected with each other, to admit of a separation so absolute as that adopted by LINN^US and his followers. In an order of such extent, and which contains so great a variety of form, a con- siderable difficulty has been experienced in selecting charac- ters sufficiently comprehensive to define it. On this account, some have merely assigned to it absence of certain qualities, as contrasted with the other orders ; but Mr SWAINSON-}- has pointed out three distinct characters, two of which he consi- ders as universal, and the third as especially applicable to • In the " Regne Animal," he observes in a note, " Malgre" tous mes efforts, il m'a e'te' impossible de trouver, ni a 1'exterieur, ni a 1'interieur, aucun caractere propre a separer des passereaux aux des genres compris parmi les Piece de LINN.EUS, qui ne sont pas grimpeurs." t See Northern Zoology, vol. ii. p. 100, &c. INSESSORES. Ill the more typical groups of these. The " first is, feet of that construction most adapted for perching or grasping, the hind toe always present, and articulated upon the same plane with the fore toes ; second, the absence of the strongly defined tooth which gives to the Rapacious birds the exclusive power of tearing or dividing their food previous to swallowing it ; and, thirdly, by the presence in the typical groups of a small notch on one or both mandibles, enabling the bird to hold, but not divide its food, which is swallowed in a whole state." In addition to these distinctions of external form, it may be observed, that the Insessorial birds possess a greater volume of brain as compared with the other orders, and an intelli- gence proportionally superior ; indicating in this respect also the typical superiority they hold in this class of the animal kingdom. The five primary tribes or divisions of the order have long been recognised by CUVIER, ILLIGER, and other eminent naturalists, and are now universally adopted. These are the Fissirostres, Dentirostres, Conirostres, Scansores, and Tenuirostres.* Of these the Dentirostres and Coni- rostres are the typical tribes, being distinguished by their more perfect construction, and the possession of qualities of which the others are destitute^ or in which they exist only in a limited degree. Each tribe is again divisible into circular groups of subordinate value, distinguished as families, sub- families, and genera, which last may be considered as the lowest on the scale. TRIBE I. FISSIROSTRES, Cuv. The Fissirostres are distinguished from the more typical tribes by the weak conformation of their legs and feet, by the width of their rictus or gape (the bill being always broad " I have here to observe, that throughout this work, the arrangement adopted by Mr VIGORS, of placing the more perfect or typical forms in the centre, and the aberrant on each side, has been pursued. 112 INSESSORES. FISSIROSTRES. at the base), arid their habit of feeding upon wing. This latter quality, however, as well as the weak structure of the legs, are also met with in the typical families of the Tenui- rostres, the tribe which meets the present one at the other extremity of the order ; but a remarkable difference in the mode of feeding effectually distinguishes the members of each ; this being accomplished in the Fissirostral tribe by the bill alone, whereas in the typical Tenuirostral birds, it is taken by the instrumentality of the tongue. The nature of their respective food is also dissimilar in the Fissirostres (with the exception of the Trogonidee) being confined to animal matter, and principally that of the insect world. In the Tenui- rostres it is chiefly derived from vegetable juices and fruits. The families of which the present tribe is composed are, as usual, five ; which (though presenting among themselves a great diversity of structure) are all partakers in a greater or less degree of its distinguishing characters. They are named the Meropida, Hirundinida, CaprimulgldtE, Trogo- nid