l^S BUTEO VULGARIS. 



Propagation. — In Scotland, the Buzzard forms its 

 nest in rocks, or on the edges of steep scars or beds of 

 torrents ; in England, it would seem, in the forks of 

 trees. It sometimes, like the kestrel and sparrow- 

 hawk, takes possession of a deserted crow's nest. The 

 only nest that I am qualified to describe was placed on 

 the top of a steep bank or rut of a stream, and was 

 composed of twigs, heath, wool, and some other sub- 

 stances. The eggs, which are two or three, are of a 

 very broad oval form, almost equally rounded at both 

 onds, white, and irregularly marked with patches attd 

 spots of pale yellowish-brown, sometimes they are en- 

 tirely white. The length of one in my possession rs* 

 2^, its greatest breadth Ixo inches. 



Young fledged. — The young, when fledged, are of 

 a lighter brown on the upper parts than the old birds, 

 most of the feathers margined with paler. The white 

 on the hind-neck is more apparent. The lower parts 

 are brown, the feathers margined with whitish ; those 

 of the legs and tarsi variegated with brown and white, 

 as is the abdomen; the lower tail- coverts yellowish, 

 barred with brown. According to authors, the young 

 are not driven away by their parents so soon as those 

 of other hawks, but are allowed to remain in their so- 

 ciety, and are assisted by them, for some time after 

 they are able to fly. 



Progress towards maturity. — After its first moult 

 the bird assumes a darker brown, the throat becomes 

 streaked with yellowish-white, and the white streaks 

 and markings of the lower parts enlarge. As it ad-- 



