3° 



JOURNAL OF THE WILD BIRD IXVESTH lATIOX SOCIETY. 



The Honev-Biizzard {Pcniis upivoriix) has 

 visited us from time to time, and that within 

 recent years. If allowed, it would doubtless 

 continue to breed here. My first personal 

 acquaintance with this bird was one shot in 

 the Queen's Wood, Marcle, about fortv-five 

 years ago. It was loaned to me for a few 

 weeks. On examination I could not but 

 admire the wisdom of its Creator to render it 

 invulnerable to the stinjjs of wasps and bees. 

 It is thickly feathered around the eyes, also 

 down to the base of the beak — regions more 

 or less bare in other birds of prey. 



A second specimen was shown me bv an 

 old friend, who shot it at Credenhill in the 

 fifties, and a few years ago I was invited to 

 inspect one and an egg, obtained about fifty 

 years ago near Ross. 



A pair of Honey Buzzards took up their 

 abode on tlie Bishopswood Estate (four mile.s 

 distant) in the spring of 1S93. They had 

 proceeded with familv matters as far as 

 making a nest in the second fork of an elm 

 tree, and depositing two eggs, when the fiat 

 went forth for their destruction. Tlie perse- 

 cuted pair were shot on the same day, and the 

 two eggs were taken subsequently. The 

 birds were beautifully set up bv my friend, 

 Chas. Ashdown, of Hereford, and were 

 retained by the estate owner, while the eggs 

 fell to the steward. I have a photograph of 

 the case of birds. 



A country squire residing on the banks of 

 the Wve, shot a Honey Buzzard about four 

 years ago. Being a magistrate, he atoned for 

 the offence by having it preserved and pre- 

 sented it to the Hereford Museum. 



In the autumn of U)i6 I was taking a walk- 

 ing tour witli mv daughter, from Svmonds 

 Yat to Monmouth. .'\t tea-time we called at 

 a quiet road side inn. The parlour was 

 adorned with cases containing a Heron, Owl, 

 Woodpecker, Moor-Hen, and a Honey-Buz- 

 zard. I sent for " Boniface " to get a little 

 light on the last-mentioned bird. " ^'es," 



he said, " I shot 'um all some years ago 

 round about here." Pointing to the Buzzard, 

 lie said, " I killed two o' them about twenty 

 years ago. A lady bought the other and had 

 him stuffed and sent to the museum at 

 London." "And what do you call it?" I 

 asked. "Well," said he, "some of my 

 customers calls it one thing and some another, 

 but I calls it a Scotch Eagle " ! I told him 

 it was a female Honey-Buzzard, and later 

 sent him labels for all the cases, with the 

 English and Latin names of each species, 

 which I understand have since been duly 

 affixed. 



The Common l^uzzard (Biitco buteo) alas 

 can no longer justify its name. If one 

 appears at long intervals it is only to be shot 

 down. An eagle in minature, it has been the 

 \'ictim of unjust persecution on the part of 

 gamekeepers and their employers. Rats, 

 mice, and voles are their favourite food, with 

 worms, slugs, and an occasional young rabbit. 

 An old friend of mine and an eminent 

 botanist told me that when studying the 

 Flora of Great Doward, near Symonds Yat, 

 he has seen five Buzzards at once circling in 

 the air, and has also noticed the Kite (Mihus 

 milvus) on several occasions. The last of the 

 Kites from this district are to be fcuind in the 

 Hereford Museum. 



A Buzzard set up antl in mv possession 

 was trapped on the Levs Estate, Doward, 

 about fortv vears ago. If I had not spoken 

 for it, an addition would have been made to 

 the gamekeeper's museum. .\t intervals, 

 this bird is still met with in the district. 



I was shown a fine pair at the Speech 

 House, Forest of Dean, trapped, alas, on 

 their nest ! At Bishopswood it occurred in 

 1S81. 



For the past twelve years I have kept a fine 

 female Buzzard alive. It was taken from a 

 nest on the Cornish const. It is quite tame 

 with me, but timid of strangers. ! keep her 

 in a spacious aviarv, wherein she can use her 



