PERNIS APIVORUS 125 



be seen hawking its prey in the evening towards sunset. Its flight, 

 although fairly graceful and rapid, is unlike that of other Kites, and 

 on the wing it is said to resemhle some of the Gulls, the comparative 

 shortness of its tail perhaps causing this impression. 



The food of this species appears to consist chiefly of insects, such 

 as locusts and coleoptera, but it also preys on small mammals and 

 birds, and is said to attack even Pigeons. 



Its cry or whistle is rather loud and piercing. The bird can be 

 easily tamed, if brought up from the nest, and thrives well in cap- 

 tivity. I have not myself met with the nest and eggs of the species 

 in Tunisia, but, according to Blanc, it breeds in INIimosa bushes, 

 or low trees, making rather a large flat nest composed of small sticks 

 and twigs, neatly lined with soft grass. The eggs, from two to four 

 in number, resemble those of the Kestrel, being creamy-white, thickly 

 covered w'ith dark red spots and blotches ; they measure 42 x 

 34 mm. 



PERNIS APIYORUS (Linnaeus). 

 HONEY-BUZZARD. 



Falco apivorus, Linn. Sijst. Nat. i, p. 130 (1766). 



Pernis apivorus, Cuv. Eigne An. i, p. 322 (1817) ; Sluirpc, Cat. Birds 

 Brit. Mus. i, p. 344 ; Locke, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 46 (1867) ; Koenig, 

 J. f. 0. 1888, p. 158; id. J. f. 0. 1892, p. 346 : WJutaJccr, Ibis, 1896, 

 p. 98 ; Erlangcr, J. f. 0. 1898, p. 401. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Crown and sides of the head pale bluish-grey ; rest of the upper-plumage 

 brown, becoming darker on the terminal portion of quills; tail greyisli-browu 

 with four broad dark brown bars, aud several less distinct narrow bars 

 intervening ; underparts light brown, finely striated with dark brown, and 

 barred on the abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts with buffy-white. 



Iris light yellow ; bill blackish ; feet yellow. 



Total length 22 inches, wing 16, culmen 1-25, tarsus 2. 



Adult female, upper parts dark earth-brown ; underparts pale creamy- 

 white, thickly striped and spotted with dark earth-brown ; otherwise 

 resembling male. Soft parts and measurements as in male. 



Young. Upper parts dark earth-brown, with a good deal of creamy- 

 white on the nape ; underparts creamy-white, thickly striped with dark 

 earth-brown. The broad bars on the tail very faintly indicated. 



