. Key to North American birds; containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary. Illustrated by 6 steel plates and upwards of 250 woodcuts. Birds. 210 FALCONlDiE, DIXiENjiL BIIiDS OF PliET. GKN. 151. Tlie genera Astvr and Accipiter are perfect illustrations of tins group ; the several other genera usually adopted are not very different. Tliere appear to be about seventy-flA'e species, of most parts of the world. 9. Lastly, the true falcons are prominently distinguished by the presence of
. Key to North American birds; containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary. Illustrated by 6 steel plates and upwards of 250 woodcuts. Birds. 210 FALCONlDiE, DIXiENjiL BIIiDS OF PliET. GKN. 151. Tlie genera Astvr and Accipiter are perfect illustrations of tins group ; the several other genera usually adopted are not very different. Tliere appear to be about seventy-flA'e species, of most parts of the world. 9. Lastly, the true falcons are prominently distinguished by the presence of a tooth behind a notch of the upper mandible, in the foregoing birds the tomia being simply lobed or festooned, or merely arched. The falcons are birds of medium and small size (one of them is not larger than some sparrows), but extremely compact and powerful organization, and bold ruthless disposition ; they prey by sudden and violent assault, and exhibit the raptorial nature in its perfection. The wings are strong, long and pointed, the tip formed by the 2d and 3d quills supported nearly to the end by the 1st and 4th ; the tail is generally short and stiff. The tj'pical and principal genus is Falco, of which there are, however, several subdivisions corres- ponding to minor modifications. The Australian leracidea, the East Indian lerax, and the Brazilian Uarpagus, which is doublj'-toothed, are the principal other forms. There are upwards of fifty species of true falcons. With many exceptions, in this family the sexes are alike in color, but the female is almost invariably larger than the male. The changes of plumage with age are great, and render the determination of the species perplexing—the more so since purely individual, and somewhat climatic, color-variations, and such special condi- tions as melanism, are very frequent. The modes of nesting are various ; the eggs as a rule are blotched, and not so nearlj* spherical as those of owls. The food is exclusively of an anima
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1872
