NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 91 



over. Moll takes notice of Hamilton and Drumlanrig, and 

 such capital houses; but a new survey, no doubt, should 

 represent every seat and castle remarkable for any great 

 event, or celebrated for its paintings, etc. Lord Breadalbane's 

 seat and beautiful policy are too curious and extraordinary to 

 be omitted. 



The seat of the Earl of Eglingtoun, near Glasgow, is 

 worthy of notice. The pine plantations of that nobleman are 

 very grand and extensive indeed. 



I am, etc. 



LETTER XLIII 



A PAIR of honey-buzzards, Buteo opivorns, sive Vespivorus 

 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 com- 

 mon 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. Ray'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 gray snails without shells. The irides of the eyes of this 

 bird were of a beautiful bright yellow color. 



About the loth 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 



