COMMON BUZZARD. 



93 



The beak is bluish black, darkest in colour towards the 

 point ; the cere yellow, the irides generally yellow ; but 

 as the Common Buzzard, and indeed all the Buzzards, are 

 subject to considerable variation in the colour of their plum- 

 age, the irides are observed to vary also, presenting some 

 reference to the prevailing tone of the colour of the feathers. 

 The upper part of the head, occiput, and cheeks, pale 

 brown, streaked longitudinally with darker brown ; the 

 whole of the back, wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts, and 

 upper surface of the tail-feathers, dark clove brown, 

 the latter barred with lighter brown, the feathers of the 

 former named parts having lighter-coloured edges ; the 

 wing-primaries brownish black ; the chin and throat almost 

 white ; front of the neck, breast, under wing-coverts, 

 belly, and thighs, greyish white, spotted and streaked 

 with brocoli brown ; under tail-coverts white ; under sur- 

 face of the tail-feathers greyish white, barred transversely 

 with dark wood brown ; legs and toes yellow ; the claws 

 black. 



The vignette below, is from a sketch of the Buzzard, 

 taken in the garden referred to at page 91 . 



