IV FALCONIDAE 165 
only form thence recorded seeming to be &. solitarius of the Sand- 
wich Archipelago—the Pandion solitarius of Cassin and _ so- 
called Onychotes grubert of Mr. Ridgway. All may be represented 
both im appearance and manners by &. vulgaris, the Common Buz- 
zard, which breeds not uncommonly in a few wild districts of 
Britain, chiefly towards the west, and is found on migration in 
other parts. Abroad the range includes the Atlantic Islands, West 
and Central Europe, whence it strays at times to Eastern Europe, 
Asia Minor, and North Africa; the resident bird of those countries, 
however, is B. desertorum. The colour above is brown, with slight 
white marks and twelve dusky bars on the tail, the lower surface 
being yellowish-white with brown streaks; but varieties are very 
frequent in the genus, and these may be either darker or exhibit 
creamy tints, a trimorphic tendency of which the Sandwich 
Islands form is a notable instance. The English name Puttock 
and the Welsh Cetn appear to be appled indiscriminately to the 
Common Buzzard and the Kite. The flight is powerful, though 
slow and heavy, nor is it uncommon to see individuals circling 
in the air or poising themselves aloft on motionless wings ; when 
quartering the ground the movements are not unlike those of 
Harriers, but the style is more steady, and the operations less 
protracted. Much of the food consists of small mammals, and 
especially rodents; it includes, however, small birds, reptiles, 
frogs, beetles, and grasshoppers; and many gamekeepers now 
recognise the bird’s utility by protecting its breeding-quarters. 
Its congener B. jakal is even more useful, and destroys large or 
venomous snakes. Furthermore, the custom of darting upon the 
prey from some post of vantage remains to be noticed. The nest, 
commonly situated in trees, is equally often in rocks; those 
selected not being necessarily lofty, but frequently mere outcrops 
on the sides of hill-valleys, in which case access is easy even 
without a rope. The materials used are much the same as in the 
case of the Golden Eagle, but finer; a lke fancy being shewn for 
green foliage, though ivy and so forth take the place of pine- 
shoots, as being more readily obtainable. The eggs are white or 
greenish, commonly blotched or spotted to a greater or less extent 
with dark brown, red, or lilac; the hen sits very closely, the 
cock meanwhile soaring above the intruder’s head, and uttering his 
characteristic cat-like mew. 2. desertorum, of all Africa, South- 
East Europe, and the countries to India inclusive, which has been 
