Page:A History of British Birds.djvu/50

 disappointed hunger. Different from all other kinds, the female of birds of prey is larger and stronger than the male: naturalists have puzzled themselves to assign the reason of this extraordinary property, but the final cause at least is obvious,—as the care of rearing her young is solely intrusted to the female, nature has furnished her with more ample powers to provide for her own wants, and those of her offspring.

This formidable tribe constitutes the first order among the genera of birds. Those of our own country consist only of two kinds, viz. the Falcon and the Owl. We shall begin with the former.