THE COMMON BUZZARD 129 



space than can be allotted. Speaking generally, 

 the bird has the general colour of the upper parts 

 brown, the scapulars and wing coverts with paler 

 margins ; the head and nape are more or less 

 streaked with white. The under parts are whitish, 

 shading into brown on the breast, flanks, and 

 thighs ; the primary quills are brown, with darker 

 bars ; the secondaries are paler ; and the inner webs 

 of all are white for two-thirds of their length. The 

 tail is brown, crossed with about a dozen bars of 

 darker brown. The female closely resembles the 

 male in colour ; and the young are said always to 

 be paler than adults. The length of this Buzzard 

 is about twenty-two inches. 



