Identifier: naturalhistoryo00tenn (find matches)
Title: Natural history of animals;
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Tenney, Sanborn, 1827-1877 Tenney, Abby Amy Gove, 1836-
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: New York, Cincinnati (etc.) American book company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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n grinding the seeds. Birds lay eggs and sit upon them to hatch them, andmost Birds build nests in which to rear their young,those of the same kind building alike. The youngBird in the Ggg has a horny point at the end of the bill,with which it breaks the shell. This point is plainlyseen on the bill of the newly-hatched chicken ; in a fewdays it falls off. The number of kinds of Birds is about ten thousand,and there are about seven hundred kinds in NorthAmerica. Birds of Prey, the Climbers, the Perchers,the Scratchers, the Runners, the Waders, and theSwimmers are the large groups into which Birds aredivided. BIRDS OF PREY. 75 Birds of Prey, or Raptores. These are the Vultures, Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, andOwls. Most of them capture birds and other animalsfor food. They are mostly of large size, and have astrong hooked bill, sharp claws, great spread of wing,and very powerful muscles, and the females are gene-rally larger than the males. They live in pairs, andchoose their mates for life.
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Fig. 104. — California Vulture. 76 VERTEBRATES: BIRDS. Vultures. Vultures have the head nearly naked or thinly cov-ered with feathers, and, unlike the other rapaciousBirds, seldom capture prey, but feed upon carrion,which they trace by sight at great distances. Theymake no nest, but deposit their eggs on the ground ornaked rock. There are three or four kinds in the UnitedStates. The Condor of the Andes and the Lammer-geyer of the Alps are Vultures of the largest kind.The latter attacks lambs, goats, and the chamois. TheCalifornia Vulture is the largest Bird of Prey in NorthAmerica, being as large as the largest Turkey ; the coloris black, the head orange and red. See Figure 104. Falcons, Hawks, and Eagles. These Birds have the head clothed with feathers, andtheir talons are very sharp. Their flight is rapid, andthey attack their prey with great ferocity, capturingchickens, ducks, grouse, quails, hares, rabbits, squirrels,and other small animals. The species are numerous,about sevent

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