252 THE NATURAL HISTORY [LETT. 



LETTER XCIII. x 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 



A PAIR of houey-buzzards Buteo apivorus, Linn., sive Vespi- 

 vorus, Raii built them a large shallow nest, composed of twigs 

 and lined with dead beechen leaves, upon a tall slender beech 

 near the middle of Selborne Hanger, in the summer of 1780. In 

 the middle of the month of June a bold boy climbed this tree, 

 though standing on so steep and dizzy a situation, and brought 

 down an egg, the only one in the nest, which had been sat on 

 for some time, and contained the embryo of a young bird. The 

 egg was smaller, and not so round as those of the common 

 buzzard ; was dotted at each end with small red spots, and 

 surrounded in the middle with a broad bloody zone. 



The hen-bird was shot, and answered exactly to Mr. Eay's 

 description of that species ; had a black cere, short thick legs, 

 and a long tail. When on the wing this species may be easily 

 distinguished from the common buzzard by its hawk-like ap- 

 pearance, small head, wings not so blunt, and longer tail. This 

 specimen contained in its craw some limbs of frogs and many 

 grey snails without shells. The irides of the eyes of this bird 

 were of a beautiful bright yellow colour. 



About the 10th of July in the same summer a pair of sparrow- 

 hawks bred in an old crow's nest on a low beech in the same 

 hanger; and as their brood, which was numerous, began to grow 

 up, became so daring and ravenous, that they were a terror to 

 all the dames in the village that had chickens or ducklings under 

 their care. A boy climbed the tree, and found the young so 

 fledged that they all escaped from him ; but discovered that a 

 good house had been kept : the larder was well stored with pro- 

 visions ; for he brought down a young blackbird, jay, and house- 

 martin, all clean-picked, and some half devoured. The old bird 



- 



