112 THE FEATHEKKD TRIBES. 



the sound came, aucl, at last, foimd my poor buzzard with his wing broken. He had 

 travelled more than lialf a league on foot to regain his asylum, from wliich he was then 

 distant about an hundred and twenty paces. Though he was extremely reduced, he gave 

 me many cai'esses. It was six weeks before he was i-ecruited and his wounds were 

 healed ; after which he began to fly as before, and follow his old habits for about a 

 year ; he then disappeared for ever." 



jNIr. Yarrell says : " The extreme partiahty of the common buzzard to the seasonable 

 task of incubation and rearing young birds, has been exemphfied in various mstances. 

 A few years back, a female buzzard, kept in the garden of the Chequers Inn at Uxbridge, 

 showed an inchnation to sit, by collecting and bendmg all the loose sticks she could 

 obtain possession of. Her owner, noticing her motions, suppUed her with materials ; she 

 completed her nest, and sat on two hen's eggs, which she hatched and afterwards reared 

 the young. Since then she has hatched and brought up a brood of chickens every year. 

 She indicates her desire to sit by scratching holes in the ground, and breaking and 

 tearing everything within her reach. One summer, in order to save her the fatigue of 

 sittmg, some young cliickens just hatched were put domi to her ; but she destroyed the 

 whole. Her family, in Jime, 1831, consisted of nine ; the original number was ten, but 

 one had been lost. When flesh was given to her, she was very assiduous in tearing and 

 offering it as food to her nurslmgs, and appeared uneasy if, after takmg small portions 

 from her, they turned away to pick up grain." 



TKE EODGlI-LEGCiEI) BUZZARD. 



The head and the upper part of the neck, throat, breast, and thighs of this bird are 

 of a pale rufous or reddish white ; and regularly marked with longitudinal browii streaks. 

 The upper surface is almost of a chocolate colour, each feather having a reddish ninrgin. 

 A broad girdle of dark brown passes across the lower part of the body just below the 

 breast, and extends from wing to wing. The tail is of a pale rufous, varying with dark 

 browii at its extremity. This bird is the most familiar example of the buzzard, having 

 tarsi clothed with short close feathers to the toes. 



" In its habits and form," says Mr. Garrett, " it resembles the common buzzard ; and 

 hke that bird, it occasionally exhibits some donation in the colour of the plumage from 

 that which may be considered characteristic of the species. The rough-legged buzzard 

 is much the more rare bird of the two ; and although it has now been killed once, or 

 oftencr, in almost every county in England, it has rarely been known to breed here, and 

 is usually observed in the spring and autumn, when changing its latitude from south to 

 north, or vice vcrsd. 



Le Vaillant found this bird in Africa. It inhabits the north of Europe, and south- 



• Butcd L;i;ri>pii!<. — Limi. 



