192 BUTEO VULGARIS. 



I have taken above, Mr Fenton informs me that in all the 

 very light-coloured birds which he has prepared the iris has 

 been yellow. 



M. Temminck states that in adult individuals, the upper 

 parts, the neck and breast, are dark brown ; the throat and 

 belly brownish-grey, but variegated with spots of a darker 

 brown, the tail with twelve transverse bands, the bill lead- 

 colour, the cere, iris, and feet yellow. Very old individuals, 

 he says, have the plumage very deep brown or chocolate co- 

 lour, the throat whitish with small longitudinal brown streaks, 

 some white transverse bands on the belly, and yellowish bands 

 toward the abdomen. The young of the year, according to 

 him, have the general colour light brown, variegated with 

 whitish and yellowish, the throat v/hite with longitudinal spots, 

 the feathers of the breast bordered with white, the middle of 

 the belly whitish with large longitudinal oval or cordate spots. 

 Birds of this latter kind I think are old males, those described 

 in the preceding sentence old females. 



In the third part of his Manual he however alleges that all 

 this has been confirmed by observations subsequently made, 

 and yet inconsistently states that both the Common Buzzard 

 and the Rough-legged Buzzard shew as many varieties of plu- 

 mage as the Ruff. " No birds are more numerous in Holland 

 than these two species of Buzzard ; they come to us on their 

 migration in autumn, and remain part of the winter in our cli- 

 mates. They all vary, without regard to sex, in size, without 

 its being possible to find any regular difterence in the colours 

 of the plumage, which may be more or less variegated, barred, 

 spotted, patched, or whitish with large brown markings."" On 

 the contrary, I think there is method in the colouring of these 

 birds ; and have no doubt that a few good observers might soon 

 discover the order. 



