136 THE HONEY BUZZARD. 



reverse in others. The legs are short and strong; the toes 

 shorter than the common buzzard; but the claws are long, 

 moderately curved, and sharp. The cere and toes are yellow ; 

 the iris also yellow. The bill and claws black, blue at the base. 

 The general colour is dark umber brown, tinged with grey; 

 the short feathers of the legs and "tarsi reddish yellow, mottled 

 with dark brown. The tail is white for nearly two-thirds from 

 the base ; the rest brown, with a small portion of the tip 

 brownish white. The wings are long, much rounded, and reach 

 to the end of the tail. The plumage is remarkably soft and 

 blended. The male is 21 inches long; extent of wings, 51 

 inches ; tail, 9 \ inches long. The female is 23 \ inches, and 56 

 inches in extent of wings ; tail, 10 inches. But being a very 

 rare winter visitant in Scotland, a description of its nest and 

 eggs is unnecessary here ; they are very like the others. It is 

 a native of the colder countries, and occasionally visits Britain 

 in autumn or winter. I have never seen one here. But 

 Macgillivray says — " An individual was shot in Fifeshire in Dec. 

 1839 " (the same time that I have seen the young of the 

 common buzzard brought from Priorsmuir). Selby is the only 

 author who has described its habits from personal observation, 

 he having watched two that settled in his neighbourhood. 

 " Their flight," he says, " was smooth but slow, like that of the 

 common buzzard. They seldom continued long on the wing, and 

 preyed upon wild ducks and other birds, which they pounced 

 upon on the ground ; and mice and frogs constitute a great 

 part of their food, as the remains of both were found in the 

 stomachs of those that were killed." 



The Honey Buzzakd or Bee Hawk. 



(Falco Apivorus.) Linn. 



There is another, called the honey buzzard, placed by Cuvier 

 into the genus Pernis, but, as it is not only not a native of 

 Fifeshire, but seldom breeds in Scotland, a description here 

 would be out of place. It is more slender than the other two. 

 It has its nest on large trees — the eggs two and three in number, 

 thickly smeared all over with dark brown — peculiar to this 

 species. 



