EAPTOEES. 11 



the Kite is now one of our rarest birds, and is hardly 

 ever seen in the neighbourhood of London, this 

 reminiscence of its former frequency, when it was a 

 welcome guest, is most interesting to an ornitho- 

 logist. According to Mr. Yarrell, "in the southern 

 counties of England, the Kite is rare." The fol- 

 lowing notice of the occurrence of this bird at 

 Kingsbury, I have extracted from * The Zoologist ' 

 for 1850 :— 



" On Wednesday the 3rd inst., as I was standing 

 in the village (Kingsbury) talking to a friend, a fine 

 specimen passed over our heads within twenty yards : 

 it is the only one I have ever seen in this neighbour- 

 hood."— i^. Bo7icl, April 9, 1850. 



I have since been informed by Mr. Bond that, 

 subsequently to this notice, and about five years 

 later, he saw, from the windows of his own house, 

 a Kite sailing over Grove Park, in the same 

 parish. The forked tail was seen very plainly, and 

 the general appearance of the bird was unmis- 

 takeable. 



Common Buzzaed, Falco buteo. Accidental, being 

 more partial to wooded districts. Some years ago, 

 a fine male Buzzard was caught by a birdcatcher at 

 Kilburn, and was purchased by Mr. Bond for his 

 collection. I have onty once seen a buzzard in this 

 county. It was sailing in circles over the fields 

 between Edgeware and Mill Hill ; and although this 

 bird has the reputation of being very sluggish in its 



