THE PEREGRINE FALCON 33 



sails proudly on above the undulating forest — one of the last 

 of our rarest birds. The Honey Buzzard takes possession of 

 a deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie, often re-lining the 

 structure with green leaves. Here it lays two or three 

 remarkably handsome eggs, cream in ground colour, boldly 

 blotched and spotted with rich purplish-brown, sometimes 

 concealing all trace of the light ground. They are round in 

 form, smaller than those of the Common Buzzard, and singu- 

 larly waxy in texture. The Honey Buzzard does not molest 

 birds as a rule, but feeds principally on the larvae of wasps, 

 which it digs out of the ground with its claws. It also eats 

 the wasps and bees themselves, and catches mice, frogs, 

 lizards, and the larger beetles. It leaves its haunts early in 

 autumn, and the young birds and their parents occasionally 

 migrate in company. 



The ]\Iarsh Harrier {Circus ceruginosus), as its name im- 

 plies, is another rare visitor to the lowlands, and most fre- 

 quently observed in the marshes and swamps of the eastern 

 counties. It loves the broad expanse of fens, over which it 

 may be seen leisurely beating in quest of the birds and small 

 animals on which it feeds. Backwards and forwards it flies 

 in a systematic manner searching every foot of ground, 

 dropping lightly down upon the unsuspecting creatures which 

 form its favourite food. It is passionately fond of eggs, and 

 searches most diligently for the nests of the various birds that 

 breed in its haunts. It makes its bulky nest of reeds and 

 dry grass upon the ground, usually under the shelter of a 

 bush or tuft of herbage, in which it lays from four to six eggs. 

 These are uniform pale bluish-green, and rarely possess any 

 markings. The Marsh Harrier is distinguished by its long 

 wings and tail, short slender legs, rufous white head and 

 nape, and dark reddish-brown other plumage. 



Our last species is the Hen Harrier (Circus cyctneus), 

 distinguished by its small size, pale-gray breast, and upper 



