322 COMMON BUZZARD. 



migrating to some extent even from Northern Germany during the 

 colder months, but residing in the central districts. Small flocks 

 pass over Heligoland throughout the year, except in June and July. 

 In the south of Europe, though sometimes seen on passage in large 

 numbers, the Buzzard is rather local as a breeding-species ; while in 

 Western Asia, Egypt, and North Africa, the resident form is the 

 aforesaid B. desertoriim. Our Buzzard, however, inhabits the Cape 

 Verde Islands, Canaries and Madeira, while the Azores owe their 

 name to its abundance when the Portuguese discovered that group. 



Cliffs, especially those covered with ivy or scrub, are favourite 

 resorts in Wales, the Lake country and Scotland ; but in wooded 

 districts the nest is usually built in a tree, and, when placed in a 

 fork, is frequently a deep, bulky structure of sticks, with a slight 

 cavity on the top, lined and surrounded with green leaves, which 

 are renewed from time to time. The 3-4 eggs are greyish-white, 

 blotched and streaked with reddish-brown and pale lilac ; measure- 

 ments 2*25 by 175 in. Both birds take part in incubation, which 

 usually begins about the middle of April and lasts four weeks. 

 There is no evidence that this species is destructive to game, its 

 ordinary food consisting of field-mice, moles and other small mam- 

 mals, frogs, reptiles, grasshoppers, and even earth-worms ; but it 

 takes small birds when it can pounce upon them unawares. Unless 

 pressed by hunger, it is sluggish in its habits, though when on the 

 wing its spiral gyrations are remarkably graceful. 



The plumage varies greatly, irrespective of sex or locality. Very 

 old birds are dark brown above and below, with a few light 

 markings on the breast ; tail brown, with twelve darker bars ; legs 

 bare of feathers and yellow in colour. Length: male 21 in., wing 

 i4'5 in. ; female 23 in., wing 16 in. Very handsome varieties — 

 ranging from cream-colour mottled with brown to pure white — are 

 often found on the Continent. The young bird has the upper 

 parts paler ; throat brown, streaked with white ; breast blotched with 

 brown on a white ground. 



A bird said to have been killed at Everley, Wiltshire, in September 

 1864, was considered by the late Mr. J. H. Gurney to be 

 B. desertorum ; and to this species he also ascribed two examples, 

 obtained near Newcastle, in the Hancock collection. 



The American B. borealis is said to have been shot in Notting- 

 hamshire in the autumn of i860 ; and a dealer's specimen of the 

 American B. lineatus is stated to have been obtained near Kingussie 

 on February 26th 1863. 



