Chapter V: Eagles and Falcons

THE EAGLES--THE BEARDED EAGLE, OR LÄMMERGEIER--A Visit
to their Nest--Habits--A Little Girl carried off
Alive--Habits in Greece--Appearance--Von Tschudi’s and
Captain Hutton’s Descriptions of its Attacks--THE TRUE
EAGLES--THE WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE--Eye--Crystalline Lens--How
Eagles may be Divided--THE IMPERIAL EAGLE--THE GOLDEN
EAGLE--In Great Britain--Macgillivray’s Description of its
Habits--Appearance--THE KITE EAGLE--Its Peculiar Feet--Its
Bird’s-nesting Habits--THE COMMON HARRIER EAGLE--THE INDIAN
SERPENT EAGLE--THE BATELEUR EAGLE--THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE--A
Sea Eagle--Story of Capture of some Young--THE SWALLOW-TAILED
KITE--On the Wing--THE COMMON KITE--THE EUROPEAN HONEY
KITE--Habits--ANDERSSON’S PERN--THE FALCONS--The Bill--THE
CUCKOO FALCONS--THE FALCONETS--THE PEREGRINE FALCON--Its
Wonderful Distribution--Falconry--Names for Male, Female,
and Young--Hawks and Herons--THE GREENLAND JER-FALCON--THE
KESTRELS--THE COMMON KESTREL--Its Habits and Disposition 277

CHAPTER VI.

THE OSPREYS AND OWLS.

THE OSPREY--Distribution--Food--How it Seizes its
Prey--Nesting Communities--STRIGES, or OWLS--Distinctions
between Hawks and Owls--Owls in Bird-lore and
Superstition--Families of the Sub-order--THE FISH OWL--PEL’S
FISH OWL--THE EAGLE OWL--Dr. Brehm’s Description of its
Appearance and Habits--THE SNOWY OWL--HAWK OWLS--PIGMY
OWLETS--THE SHORT-EARED OWL--THE LONG-EARED OWL--THE BARN
OWL--The Farmer’s Friend--Peculiar Characters--Distribution 296

THE SECOND ORDER.--PICARIAN BIRDS.

CHAPTER VII.

THE PARROTS.

Characteristics of the Order--The
Sub-orders--ZYGODACTYLÆ--THE PARROTS--Their Talking
Powers--Sections of the Family--THE GREAT PALM COCKATOO--THE
PYGMY PARROTS--THE AMAZON PARROTS--THE AMAZONS--THE
GREY PARROT--Court Favourites--Historical Specimens--In
a State of Nature--Mr. Keulemans’ Observations--THE
CONURES--THE ROSE-RINGED PARRAKEET--Known to the
Ancients--Habitat--Habits--THE CAROLINA CONURE--Destructive
Propensities--THE PARRAKEETS--THE OWL PARROT--Chiefly
Nocturnal--Incapable of Flight--How this Fact may be
accounted for--Dr. Haast’s Account of its Habits--THE
STRAIGHT-BILLED PARROTS--THE BRUSH-TONGUED PARROTS--THE
NESTORS--THE KAKA PARROT--Skull of a Parrot--The Bill 308

THE SECOND ORDER.--PICARIAN BIRDS. SUB-ORDER I.--ZYGODACTYLÆ.