52 BIRDS. ACCIPITRES, Peknis. 



Eggs 3 or 4. In the young, the feathers of the head are more rounded, and 



destitute of longitudinal dark stripes Feeds on reptiles and dead fish. Is 



stationary in Britain. 



Sir Robert Sibbald enumerates, in his list of Scottish Birds (Scot. I1L p. 15.), 

 a " Milvus niger, a black gled. An Lanius ?" This is probably the Falco ater 

 of Gmelin and Temminck. It differs from the preceding in the head and 

 throat, being striped with white and brown. The plumage above, deep grey- 

 ish brown. The tail with nine pale bands. Bill black; irides greyish black ; 

 cere and feet yellow. 



The Falco furcatus of Linnaeus, occurred to the late Dr Walker, at Bal- 

 lachulish, in Argyleshire, in 1772, as recorded in his Adversaria for 1772, p. 87, 

 and 1774, p. 153. A description of another example, taken near Hawes, in 

 Wensley Dale, Yorkshire, was communicated to the Linnean Society, 4th No- 

 vember 1823, by W. Fothergill, Esq. This species belongs to the genus Elanus 

 of Savigny. It is white, with the wings and tail black ; the two exterior fea- 

 thers of the latter much produced. It inhabits Carolina and Brazil, and may 

 be regarded as a rare straggler in Europe. 



Gen. X. PERNIS. Honey-Buzzard.— Tarsi half-feathered 

 and reticulated. 



17. P. apivorus. — Plumage brown above ; brown and white 



beneath ; the head grey. 



Butio apivorus, Will. Orn. 39. — Falco ap., Linn. Syst. i. 130. Penn. Brit. 



Z00L i. 190. Temm. Orn. L G^ — E, Capped Buzzard W, Bod y mel. 



— In England, rare. 



Length 23, breadth 52 inches ; weight 31 ounces. Bill, cere, gape, and 

 claws black ; irides and feet yellow. Quills 24 ; secondaries with alternate 

 rays of blackish-brown and bluish-grey. Tail long, with transverse bars. In 

 the female, the plumage is spotted. Breeds in trees. Eggs grey, with ob- 

 scure spots. In a nest, robbed at Selborne, there was one egg smaller, and 

 not so round as the common buzzard ; dotted at each end with small red spots, 

 and surrounded in the middle with a broad bloody zone ; — White's Selb. L 187. 

 Young birds have the cere yellow ; the head spotted with brown and white. 

 — Feeds on bees, wasps, reptiles, and small birds. — Probably only a summer 

 visitant. 



Gen. XI. AQUILA. Eagle. — Wings, when at rest, equal 

 to the tail in length. 



18. A. Chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. — Tarsi feathered to the 

 toes, The last joints of all the toes furnished with only three 

 scales. 



Chrysaetos, Will. Orn. 27- Sibb. Scot, 14. Penn. Brit. Z00L i. 1G2.— Fal- 

 co fulvus, Temm. Orn. i. 38. — W, Eryr melyn, Eryr tinwyn ; G, Solair 



dhubh Inhabits mountainous districts. Breeds in Orkney. 



Length 30, breadth 88 inches; weight about 12 pounds. Bill dusky; irides 

 brown ; cere and feet yellow. The acuminated feathers on the head and neck 

 bright rust colour. The rest of the plumage dusky brown. The feathers on 

 the thighs and legs of a light colour. Tail rounded, longer than the wings, 

 of a deep grey, clouded with dark-brown ; a band of the latter occurring at the 

 extremity. Breeds in high precipices. Eggs 2 or 3 ; dusky white, with red- 

 dish blotches. The plumage of the young is darker, and the basal half of the 



