. On the natural history and classification of birds . ely essential, and theobjections may be entirely removed by the discovery ofa larger species of Gampsonyx, or of one which, as inthe instance of the aberrant Harpagus ccerulescens,possessed more of the falcon characters than the solitaryspecies we as yet know. (246.) Concentrating the essence of the precedingremarks, we shall find that the circle of the subgeneraof Falco, when compared with that of the entire family,will represent them in the following manner: — Subgenera of Genera of the Falco. 1. Typical group. Falconidae. ev»//v> f P
. On the natural history and classification of birds . ely essential, and theobjections may be entirely removed by the discovery ofa larger species of Gampsonyx, or of one which, as inthe instance of the aberrant Harpagus ccerulescens,possessed more of the falcon characters than the solitaryspecies we as yet know. (246.) Concentrating the essence of the precedingremarks, we shall find that the circle of the subgeneraof Falco, when compared with that of the entire family,will represent them in the following manner: — Subgenera of Genera of the Falco. 1. Typical group. Falconidae. ev»//v> f Pre-eminently typical; bill acutely toothed; 7 \?. T nn taico. £ wings pointed, rather long. j*ALca 2. Sub-typical group. Harpagu, { ^ST^™™ ^ Ac— 3. Aberrant Feet short; head crested. Aquila. Aviceta. {^SS^Sr^t™- Gamvsony*. \^{%^ ° head] Buteo. By throwing each of these columns into their respectivecircles, and then bringing them into juxtaposition, thesame results will follow. BIRDS OF PREY. HAWKS. 303 Harpagus. Family Accipiter^FALCONIDiE Lopkotes ^Cymindis AQUILA (247.) The genus Accipiter comprehends the hawks,of which our common sparrowhawk (fig. 96.) offersa familiar type. In this, and ina considerable number of otherspecies, from different parts ofthe world, the festoon or roundedtooth is placed, not near the tip,but in the middle of the cuttingmargin of the bill; so that notonly its form, but its situation, isessentially different from that ofthe last genus. The wings arenot only short, but rounded ; theyseldom reach beyond the middle ofthe tail; the first quill is very short,and although the second and third are progressivelylonger, the full length is only attained by the fifth. Thefeet, like those of the falcons, are long and slender : thetarsi are so smooth as to appear covered with only onescale: the relative proportion of the lateral toes is alsomore uniform ; the external one is considerably longerthan that which is internal, and it has
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidonnaturalh, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1836
