AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 43 



almost entirely clouded with various shades of dark 

 red-brown on a dirty-white ground ; some have less 

 colour, but almost all that I have seen are very much 

 more coloured than any eggs of the Common Buzzard 

 or Kite. 



The late Mr. E. C. Newcome told me the story 

 which I see quoted, on his authority, in the fourth 

 edition of Yarrell's ' British Birds,' about the Honey- 

 Buzzard building a sort of leafy wall round its nest 

 with fresh boughs. I have not myself seen this, but 

 have no doubt whatever of the perfect accuracy of my 

 informant, who was an excellent observer, and par- 

 ticularly well acquainted with raptorial birds, being 

 quite the first practical falconer of his day. It is 

 difficult to imagine the use of this wall, except 

 perhaps for shade ; but in the case of the nests met 

 with by us, there was no need of a screen from the 

 sun, as they were in deep shade at all hours of the 

 day. 



On March 26, 1891, I received the following reply 

 to my inquiry concerning an occurrence of a Honey- 

 Buzzard near Syresham many years previously, re- 

 ported to me by Mr. W. Tomalin : — " Salcey Forest, 

 March 25. I beg to say, in answer to your letter, 

 that the Honey-Buzzard was pulled out by me in the 

 Crown Woods near Silverstone, in this county, in 

 September 1861. On seeing the wasps unusually 

 busy one morning about 8 o'clock, I went near the 

 nest to ascertain the cause. The whole of the combs 

 were scratched out, and there was a hole nearly the 

 size of a bee-hive. On seeing the tail of a bird, I put 

 my arm in and drew out what proved to be a very 

 fine specimen of the Honey-Buzzard. I sent the bird 

 to a man named Dickins for preservation, but, having 



