NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 79 



1867; and, so far as I am aware, these are the first recorded 

 specimens of eggs taken so far north. Mr R. I. Shearer says that 

 the bird is " occasional " in Caithness, but " only in autumn."^ 

 The Sparrow Hawk may therefore be considered at present as 

 only a very local species in the north of Scotland, but likely to 

 extend its northward and westward range, and become more 

 generally spread over the county of Sutherland as wood becomes 

 more abundant or attains a greater size. 



Ohs. Milvus ictlnus, Savigny. — The Common Kite does not now 

 breed in Sutherland ; and it is only upon Mr St. John's authority 

 that I enter it here as once having been a resident. Even at the 

 time of his residence at Rosehall, iu Sutherland, or during his 

 visit there, in 1849, it seems to have been far from common. He 

 says,t " The Kite, being a large, greedy bird, and easily caught in 

 traps, is very rare now, common as it was a few years ago. In the 

 wooded districts it is still, though but seldom, seen soaring with 

 graceful flight, high in air." 



COMMON BUZZARD. 



BUTEO VULGARIS {Leach). 

 A common species, though perhaps somewhat locally distributed^ 

 being comparatively scarce in the eastern and more level parts of 



the county. 



This much despised bird, called " cowardly," " sneaking," as 

 well as harder epithets relative to the sex, by which it is casually at 

 times named by the natives, is, I think, far from meriting such general 

 abuse. It cannot, it is true, lay claim to the designation " noble," 

 as the Peregrine, or any true Falcon can j but in many points, we 

 contest, it is equally entitled to that adjective, as is the so-called 

 " King of Birds." Thus, the Buzzard's cry is described as " cat- 

 like; " but why not with equal justice describe that of the Eagle 

 as " wild-cat-like 1 " The Buzzard's habits are described as 

 " carrion-feeding ; " but in this he by no means excels his big 

 brother the Eagle. The Buzzard's movements on wing are de- 

 scribed as " clumsy '' or " sluggish;" but why not apply the same 

 terms to at least one phase of the Eagle's flight — not that I con- 

 sider either " clumsy," or " sluggish," but would rather designate 



* Proc. Eoyal Physical Soc. of Edin, Vol. ii., p. 337. 

 t " Tour in Sutherland," Vol. ii., p. 121. 



