RKE-HAVx'K. 5(^3 



yellowisli-red, vvltli biinds and spots of brownish-red. 

 The young are said to be similar ; but as I have not 

 seen good specimens of either female or young, I am 

 unable to give their dimensions, or even to describe 

 their colouring with accuracy. 



Variations. — On this subject little can be said here, 

 although it would appear, from the brief and otherwise 

 imperfect descriptions given by authors, that this species 

 varies like the common and rough-legged buzzard^?. 

 An individual described by Montagu agrees with tlie 

 above, only the breast and belly were light brown, al- 

 though similarly barred. Another described by the 

 Hon. H. T. Liddel, had " all the under parts of a dark 

 chocolate brown." Willugliby's bird was similar to 

 mine, having the ground colour of the lower parts 

 white. 



Habits — The honey buzzard is of very rare occur- 

 rence in England, and has not, I believe, been yet ob- 

 served in Scotland. The few individuals seen in this 

 island appear to have been summer visitants. It may 

 have been more plentiful formerly, for Willughby states 

 that, in his time, it was pretty frequent in England: — 

 " apud nos satis frequens est." Dr Latham, on the 

 contrary, never received more than one fresh specimen, 

 and Montagu was convinced " of the very great scarcity 

 of this bird in England." White makes mention of a 

 pair that had a nest in his neighbourhood ; Montagu 

 describes one that " was killed in Lord Carnarvon's 

 park at Highclere in Berkshire ;" a specimen was shot 

 some years ago near Wallington in Northumberland ; 



