32 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



the chase at Wighton, just in the same manner, two 

 days before, and had boldly carried off from a heap of 

 game two partridges. It was next day caught in a trap 

 by the keeper, and both of them were presented by Mr. 

 Coke to the Rev. Gr. Glover, as a most valuable accession 

 to his collection of ( British Birds.' " 



PERNIS APIVORUS (Lmnseus). 

 HONEY BUZZARD. 



The Honey Buzzard, now either more frequent or 

 more observed in its visits than formerly, has been met 

 with in almost every month between May and November, 

 but is mostly an autumnal migrant, at which time the 

 specimens obtained exhibit all the variety of changes 

 that take place in its immature stages of plumage. The 

 adult bird is extremely scarce, so much so that I am 

 aware of but two or three instances of its occurrence in 

 this county, and probably the first ever recognised as 

 such, was a female killed at Holkham in July, 1854, now 

 in the possession of the Earl of Leicester. It has been 

 fully ascertained of late years that the grey head in this 

 species denotes the adult state, all other peculiarities of 

 plumage, from the deep brown of the earliest stage, 

 being either gradual advances to maturity or more 

 often accidental varieties. Usually occurring in small 

 numbers, the year 1841* was remarkable for the large 

 number of these birds obtained in various parts of the 

 county, exhibiting a most singular diversity of plumage, 



* See a paper by "W. E. Fisher, Esq., in the "Zoologist" 

 for 1843, p. 375 " On the changes in the plumage of the Honey 

 Buzzard," with illustrations of specimens killed in Norfolk at that 

 time, some of which are in the Norwich museum. Mr. Fisher, 

 however, was not then aware of the distinctive characteristics of 

 the mature plumage. 



