Mr. H. Saunders on the Birds of Southern Spain. 63 



in Andalucia. I have invariably found it nesting in trees, lining 

 its nest with green boughs, generally of the white elm, as de- 

 scribed by Lord Lilford in 'The Ibis^ for 1866, to whose admi- 

 rable account I have nothing to add. It is a very fearless bird, 

 sitting remarkably close ; and this year a female, at which I had 

 had a snap shot, returned to her nest within a quarter of an 

 hour, although Agapo was engaged at a Kite^s nest within 150 

 yards. I was, of course, lying in wait, and easily obtained her 

 on putting her off the nest a second time. 



I have before me an adult male, and a female in immature 

 brown plumage, shot when feeding their young near Granada. 

 One of the nestlings, which, from its size, is probably a male, has 

 a light-coloured breast like the adult male ; and the other, pro- 

 bably a female, is dark coffee-coloured, like the mother. This 

 difference in the plumage of nestlings has never, I believe, been 

 previously observed in any of the raptorial birds of Europe, 

 though well known to occur in Archibuteo sancti-johannis. 



This is Buteo lagopus of Machado's and Seoaue's lists ! 



24. Buteo vulgaris. '^Pella." 



Breeds in the wooded districts, and appears to be tolerably 

 abundant. 



25. Buteo cirtensis. 



Mr. J. H. Gurney has decided that a young male in my col- 

 lection belongs to this species, which is probably not uncommon, 

 but is confounded with the preceding. 



26. MiLVUs REGALis. " Milauo real." 



Not rare, but by no means so abundant as the next species. 

 All the eggs of my own taking are both large and richly blotched, 

 and different from the ordinary type, but they were most strictly 

 identified in every instance. The nest is even more fantastically 

 decorated (dirty rags, bones, bits of old shoes, and portions of 

 wasps' nests) than that oiM.ater; and Shakespeare's warning*, 

 " Where the Kite builds look to lesser linen," is still of practical 

 value in Spain, though, alas ! out of date in England. 



* Winter's Tale, Act iv. Sc. 2. [Ooth. Woll. § 313.— Ed.] 



