22 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



it is easy to distinguish, owing to the 

 male being very dark and the female 

 remarkably light, to have nested for seven 

 years in one valley. These pairs which 

 leave the flocks go straight to their old 

 nesting haunts, and set to work to repair 

 the old nests. The remaining, and prob- 

 ably younger, birds keep together for a 

 few days, but eventually all have paired 

 off, and, as far as we can observe, all 

 their courting is done on the wing, and 

 there are no desperate fights, as so often 

 happens with some of our smaller birds 

 when the males are courting the females. 

 Some of these younger birds are forced 

 to go farther afield for breeding quarters, 

 for the old Buzzards, although they have 

 allowed their young to remain near them 

 all through the winter, will not put up 

 with any opposition in their own im- 

 mediate neighbourhood. Unfortunately 

 most of these younger birds wander great 

 distances, and it often happens that they 



