378 



FALCON AND EAGLE GROUP 



the end. More important characters are afforded by the shank of the 

 lei^ being feathered to a larger or smaller degree in front, and covered 

 behind by transverse shield-like plates instead of small hexagonal scales. 

 An extremely interesting feature in the buzzards (although one not 

 available for the purpose of identification) is the assumption of the 

 fully adult plumage when the nestlings first become fledged, although, 

 as in other members of the family, there may be some slight modifica- 

 tion in old age by the gradual disappearance of the barrings on the 



tail and breast. In respect 

 of having entirely lost their 

 immature non-breeding 

 plumage, the buzzards are 

 indeed the most specialised 

 of the Falconidas. 



In colouring the ordinary 

 buzzard is so variable that 

 scarcely any two examples 

 are alike ; and although paler 

 specimens have been sup- 

 posed to be immature, there 

 is no decisive evidence that 

 such is the case. No distinc- 

 tion in the matter of colour- 

 ing exists between the two 

 sexes ; the hen being recog- 

 nisable by her slightly 

 superior size, her total length 

 i fi^^^^^^Hfei|^. •' *'■ ^^^H 23 inches. 



MOUNTED ,N THE RowLA-o w.-o sTUD,os " I n thc morc ttomial 



HizzAKD. type the upper- parts are 



dark umber -brown, with 

 white streaks on the cheeks, a brown-flecked white patch on the nape 

 of the neck, white blotches on the wing-coverts, and darker bars 

 on the tail ; the throat is white, the centre of the upper part of the 

 breast white streaked with brown, a similarly coloured band running 

 across the middle of the breast and down the middle line of the 

 abdomen, while the flanks are dark brown. There is, however, a more 

 striking colour-phase in which thc upper-parts are umber-brown and 

 thc tail banded with numerous dark brown bars, between which are 

 chestnut splashes, while the feathers of the T-shaped mark on the 

 breast and abdomen are white with dark brown barrinLTs. In a third 



