THE HONEY BUZZARD 151 



tioii 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 and 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 larvae 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. 



This 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 



