33° HONEY-BUZZARD. 



any have since returned, the persons acquainted with the fact have 

 exercised a becoming reticence on the subject. To Ireland this 

 species is a very rare visitor. 



In Norway the Honey-Buzzard does not range beyond the south- 

 eastern districts ; but in Sweden, Finland and Russia it extends its 

 migrations up to, and a little beyond, the Arctic circle. Southward 

 it is distributed throughout Europe during the summer, down to 

 Bulgaria, the northern portions of Italy, the Pyrenees, and the 

 mountain forests of the north of Spain ; but in the rest of the 

 Peninsula, and, in fact, throughout the Mediterranean region, it is 

 principally, if not entirely, a migrant. Very large flocks have been 

 observed traversing the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco early in 

 May, and repassing in September ; but in Algeria, and eastward to 

 Egypt, it is of uncommon occurrence, though it has been obtained 

 in winter as far south as Natal and Madagascar. Nor is it abundant 

 in Arabia or Palestine, though numbers cross the Bosphorus to and 

 from Asia ]Minor. Eastward it can be traced through Turkestan and 

 Siberia to Northern China and Japan ; its representative in the 

 Indian region being the Crested Honey-Buzzard, F. ptilorhynchus. 



The nest, usually placed upon the remains of that of some other 

 large bird, and often in the main fork of an oak or a beech, is well 

 lined, and sometimes sheltered, with fresh twigs and leaves of the 

 latter. The eggs, laid in June, are generally 2, sometimes 3, excep- 

 tionally 4 in number, and are round and glossy; their colour is creamy- 

 white or buff; blotched and often deeply suffused with rich brown or 

 red: average measurements i"9 by 17 in. Both male and female 

 incubate, the sitting bird being regularly fed by the other. Wasps, 

 wild bees and their larvae form the principal food of this species 

 in summer, but other insects are also eaten, as are, occasionally, 

 birds, mice and other small mammals, slugs and worms. Owing 

 to the thickness of the foliage at the time of its visits, and the 

 fact that its prey is chiefly obtained on the ground, this species is by 

 no means conspicuous, except on passage. Its cry, seldom uttered, 

 is a shrill kee, kee, kec. 



The adult male has the head ash-grey ; upper parts brown ; three 

 conspicuous blackish bars on the tail ; under parts white, barred 

 and spotted with brown on the breast. The female is slightly larger, 

 but has no grey on the head. Length from 22 to 25 in. The young 

 bird has a whitish head and pale edges to the upper feathers ; the 

 under parts being white streaked with brown : a dark brown form, 

 however, frequently occurs. 



