BUZZARD 177 



killing birds as large as pigeons. All the smaller birds recognise the 

 sparrow-hawk as a deadly and crafty foe ; and, when in sufficient force, 

 they seize every opportunity of showing their resentment and hatred 

 by .mobbing and hustling it on such occasions as it appears in the 

 open. Jts swiftness of flight and its courage give little chance for 

 the victim to escape, especially when, as is its habit, it dashes out 

 unexpectedly upon some solitary bird. As a rule, sparrow-hawks in 

 this country build their own nests, which are placed in trees, such as oaks, 

 alders, and pines ; but in the Himalaya they are stated to frequently 

 take possession of the deserted nests of crows or other medium-sized 

 birds, as is occasionally their practice in Great Britain. Although the 

 breeding-season in the Himalaya extends through May and June, in 

 England it is mainly restricted to the former month ; the eggs being 

 usually four in number, although occasionally there may be six or even 

 seven in a clutch. Measuring rather less than \\ inches by rather 

 more than i^ inches, the eggs are bluish white, heavily spotted and 

 blotched, especially at the blunt end, with reddish brown. Sparrow- 

 hawks are readily trained for hawking, and in India the females, 

 although generally employed on smaller game, are trained to take 

 such birds as partridges and sand-grouse, the latter of which afford 

 splendid sport. 



The European buzzard (whose full title is Btiteo 



.„ ^ , ^ . desertoruvi vuls^aris, although some ornithologists 



(Buteo deseptorum). ^ , ,t . „, n ,, 



prefer the designation Buteo buteo) may best be 



regarded as a local race of a widely distributed species which is the 

 typical representative of a genus ranging over a great part of the world. 

 Despite their sluggish disposition, heavy, laboured flight, and lack of 

 boldness (from which latter character probably arises the name " buzzard," 

 as applied to a cowardly person), these birds are nearly related to the 

 eagles, from which they chiefly differ, apart from inferiority of size, by 

 their much less powerful beaks and claws. They resemble eagles, for 

 instance, in general build and appearance, especially in the relative 

 shortness of the shank of the leg, which is much inferior in length to 

 that of the falcons and hawks, and in the presence of a kind of pent- 

 house overhanging the eye. The beak shows only a slight festoon on 

 the edges of the upper half, and the nostrils are long and oval, without 

 the central knob characteristic of the falcons. In the long wings the 

 third, fourth, and fifth quills are nearly equal in length, although the 

 fourth is in general slightly the longest ; and the inner webs of the 

 first four are deeply notched. The moderately long tail is rounded at 



