ri2 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
month of June a bold boy climbed this tree, though standing on so 
steep and dizzy a situation, and brought down an egg, the only one 
in the nest, which had been sat on for some time, and contained the 
embryo of a young bird. The egg was smaller, and not so round 
as those of the common buzzard; was dotted at each end with 
small red spots, and surrounded in the middle with a broad bloody 
zone. 
The hen-bird was shot, and answered exactly to Mr. Ray’s 
description of that species ; had a black cere, short thick legs, and 
a long tail. When on the wing this species may be easily distin- 
guished from the common buzzard by its hawk-like appearance, small 
head, wings not so blunt, and longer tail. This specimen contained 
in its craw some limbs of frogs and many grey snails without shells. 
The irides of the eyes of this bird were of a beautiful bright yellow 
colour. 
About the tenth of July in the same summer a pair of sparrow- 
hawks bred in an old crow’s nest on a Jow beech in the same 
hanger; and as their brood, which was numerous, began to grow 
up, became so daring and ravenous, that they were a terror to all 
the dames in the village that had chickens or ducklings under their 
care. A boy climbed the tree, and found the young so fledged that 
they all escaped from him ; but discovered that a good house had 
been kept: the larder was well stored with provisions; for he 
brought down a young blackbird, jay, and house-martin, all clean 
picked, and some half devoured. The old birds had been observed 
to make sad havoc for some days among the new-flown swallows 
and martins, which, being but lately out of their nests, had not 
acquired those powers and command of wing that enable them, 
when more mature, to set such enemies at defiance. 
One which was captured at Twizel, by Mr. Selby, was discovered by having scratched 
out the nest of a wasp (Vespa vulgaris), and cleaned the comb of the immature young 
and grubs. This bird was procured by setting traps around the plundered nest, and upon 
dissection afterwards no remains of animals or birds were discovered, the contents of the 
stomach being entirely insects, and chiefly the remains of the contents of the wasp-comb. 
The vignette at the head of this chapter represents the honey-buzzard in a state of 
plumage which is sometimes met with; the head and neck being yellowish white or cream 
colour. This we think is incidental to the young males, The specimen figured was taken 
in Northumberland some years since. 
