A BIRDLOVER'S YEAR 



For the lady, the merlin. 



For the young man, the hobby. 



For the yeoman, the goshawk. 



For the poor man, the tercel. 



For the priest, the sparrow-hawk. 



For the holy water clerk, the musket. 



For the knave (or servant), the kestrel. 



Passing now to the eagle-like sub-family, 

 we find that some of these magnificent birds 

 of prey have very little right to be included 

 on the British list. As breeding birds most 

 of them are to-day quite unknown, and their 

 inclusion in the British avifauna rests on a 

 few isolated birds which are seen from time 

 to time. Nevertheless, these visitors are 

 exceedingly interesting birds to study. 



The Honey-Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is 

 one of these extremely rare visitors, though 

 it has a wide range, being found over most 

 of Europe and parts of Northern Asia. In 

 Sweden a country dear to the heart of all 

 Nature lovers this bird breeds within the 

 Arctic Circle, whilst during the winter it 

 migrates to Arabia, Africa, and Madagascar. 

 The honey-buzzard takes its name from the 

 fact that it feeds on the larvae of bees and 

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