THE HONEY BUZZARD 151 
tion and reared the young brood by himself. The Buzzard rarely 
molests game, and more than compensates for the mischief it does 
work, by the destruction of undoubted vermin; yet the hostility 
shown by gamekeepers against all birds except those which it is 
their business to protect, has so thinned its numbers that the 
Buzzard, though once common, is now become rare. 
THE HONEY BUZZARD 
PERNIS APIVORUS 
Lores or spaces between eyes and bill are covered with feathers. The head 
of male is ash-grey, his upper parts brown ; three blackish bars cross the 
tail; upper parts white-barred and spotted with brown on the breast. 
Length twenty-two to twenty-five inches; female slighter the larger. 
This species visits us during May and June, and a few stay to 
nest, placing the nest upon the remains of that of some other large 
bird. Wasps, wild bees and larve form their food in summer, but 
other insects are eaten, and sometimes mice, birds, other small 
mammals, worms and slugs. From two to four eggs are laid, both 
male and female taking part in the incubation. The sitting bird is 
regularly fed by the other. 
The Honey Buzzard has bred from the New Forest up to Aber- 
deenshire. Unfortunately, as much as £5 having been offered 
for a couple of well-marked eggs of this species in the New Forest 
by collectors, their numbers have become very few. Nearly {40 
has been offered by extravagant collectors for a good pair of the 
birds. By the year 1870 nearly all were driven away from that 
district. 
THE ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD 
BUTEO LAGOPUS 
Tarsi feathered to the claws ; plumage yellowish white, variegated with several 
shades of brown; a broad patch of brown on the breast ; tail white in 
the basal half, the rest uniform brown; beak black; cere and irides 
yellow ; feathers on the legs fawn-coloured, spotted with brown ; toes 
yellow ; claws black. Length twenty-six inches. Eggs whitish, clouded 
with reddish brown. 
Tuis bird, which is distinguished from the preceding by having 
its legs thickly clothed with long feathers, is a native of the colder 
countries of both Continents, being only an occasional visitor 
