IN THE NORWICH MUSEUM. 25 
sented in America, but extends also to Southern 
Europe and Asia, Africa, Australia, and many Islands 
of the Indian Ocean. 
Nearly allied to the insect-eating Kites are the 
birds of the succeeding group, the Perns, which con- 
sist of the following genera—VPernis, Henicopernis, 
Macheramphus, Regerhinus, Cymindis, Aviceda, and 
Laza. 
The first of these genera contains three species, one 
of which, Pernzs apivorus—the European Pern, or as 
it is popularly called, the Honey Buzzard, is a summer 
visitor to Great Britain, where it occasionally breeds, 
and would doubtless do so more frequently (especially 
in the wooded parts of the southern counties,) if it 
were not so constantly destroyed by game-keepers 
and collectors. 
This species, like its near congener, the Crested 
Honey Pern of India, is exceedingly fond of the 
grubs of the wasp, in search of which it habitually 
scratches out from the ground the nests of this insect ; 
and there is no doubt that the mistaken idea that the 
bird in attacking such nests (and perhaps those of 
wild bees,) is seeking for honey, has given rise to its 
popular name of Honey Buzzard. 
Beside the grubs of wasps, the European and Indian 
Honey Perns are very destructive to the eggs of 
smaller birds; and the European species has been 
also observed to frequent the borders of ponds, where 
it captures dragon flies, which it chases on the wing, 
