HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



57 



paler with dirty white breast and sparsely covered 

 with long and wide tongue-shaped light red splashes, 

 base upwards ; this bird had, when spread, a very 

 mottled appearance of wings underneath, caused by 

 external marking showing through and barring the 

 silver grey beneath. 



The talons of harriers or sparrow-hawks, who are 

 rather snatchers and pouncers, than swoopers and 

 strikers, are proportionately longer, sharper, and more 

 curved than those of most genera, but not so stout. 

 The beaks of harriers, like those of buzzards, do not 

 at once bend downwards, gradually forming a curve, 

 but at first project outwards. They are narrower at 



was represented in the wholesale massacre at Glen- 

 garry which Colonel Knox records — and may yet be 

 found in Scotland and Ireland as well as in France 

 and Germany. I have never met with it. 



The three species of buzzards, also of large size and 

 far less active than falcons, are occasionally seen ; the 

 honey-buzzard in dense woods. Two specimens of 

 the rough-legged buzzard have come under my notice 

 in three years, one at Arundel, and the other twenty 

 miles west in the extreme south-west angle of Sussex. 

 Feathered tarsi mark the species ; one was much 

 greyer on the back, and altogether lighter-coloured 

 as well as smaller than the other, killed in October, 



'/ /a * 



Fig- 55- — Pair of Kestrels (Falco Hnnunculus). 



the setting on than those of true falcons, but make 

 up for this by greater depth — bristles and feathers at 

 the base somewhat hide this part, but a side view 

 reveals the true proportions. The harriers I have 

 seen were chiefly obtained from uninhabited marshes 

 of the shore line. The males of two species, at least, 

 turn to a bluish grey, with much white underneath 

 and in front. I have seen one such example, and 

 heard of two ; but in England this condition is now 

 very rare. The goshawk formerly used for hawking 

 in wooded places is still, it is said, much employed 

 in India and China, &c. This large bird appears to 

 have breast traverses, with dark brown back, &c. It 



^PC% 



Fig. 56. — The Buzzard (Butco vulgaris). 



1876. The latter measured twenty-four inches, 



was dark brown upon a lighter shade, giving 



large dark splashings on back and wings ; tail 



whole brown, except at the sides towards the 



base ; wings length of tail ; head and neck 



showed lighter vertical streakings, and the breast 



more ; dark upon a light reddish dove ground ; 



much vulture-hocked, with light brown feathers 



having fine dark streaks, legs closely feathered, with 



the same pattern ; beak and claws large, dark brown 



feet. 



The common buzzard, it is stated, is rarer than 

 the others. The Rev. H. D. Gordon, of Harting, 

 has recently published a most interesting history of 

 that neighbourhood, associated with many historical 

 events, and Mr. Weaver, a resident gentleman, has 

 added a very complete flora and fauna of a wild and 

 beautiful district. This informs us that the common 



