192 BIRDS. RAPACES. 



F. Riocourii, Vieill. Plumage ashy blue above, the under parts, 

 forehead, cheeks, and tip of secondary feathers white ; lower wing- 

 coverts deep black ; tail forked. Thirteen inches long. Inhabits 

 Senegal Tern. PI. Col. 85. 



5. BUZZARDS. 



Sill small, bending immediately from the base ; wings shorter than 

 the tail, and the Jirst four Jeathers notched near their tip ; Jirst 

 quill- feathers very short, the fourth the longest ; thigh-feathers 

 long and pendant ; tarsi short, and claws not much hooked. 



F. buteo, Lin. Common Buzzard. Plumage brown and ferruginous 

 above, white and ferruginous beneath ; cere, iris, and legs yellow ; 

 tail banded with brown. About 21 inches long. Inhabits Eu- 

 rope. Selby, Illust. pi. 6. 



The Buzzard preys on small birds, young rabbits, and hares, moles, field-mice, 

 lizards, frogs, toads, and likewise on worms and insects. The female makes her nest 

 in the fork of a tree, with large sticks, and lines it with wool, hair, or other soft sub- 

 stance, and sometimes takes possession of a deserted crow's nest, which it enlarges, 

 and accommodates to its purpose. It is a sluggish and inactive bird, and will sit for 

 the greater part of a day on the same bough. 



F. lagopus, Lin. Rough-legged Buzzard. Feet feathered to the toes, 

 a large brown patch on the belly, and a considerable portion of 

 the tail white from its origin. About two feet long. Inhabits 

 Europe and N. America. B Selby, Illust. pi. 7 

 This species feeds on partridges and small birds, nestles in large trees, and lays 



four or five eggs, marked with reddish undulations. It has sometimes been shot in 



England. 



F. apivorus, Lin. The Honey Buzzard. Plumage brown above, with 

 cinereous bands on the wings ; under parts white, with triangular 

 brown spots ; space between the eye and the bill covered with 

 close set feathers in the form of scales. About two feet long. 

 Inhabits Europe. B. Selby, Illust. pi. 8. 



r This species feeds on small birds, mice, reptiles, and insects, particularly bees. It 



builds in trees, forming its nest of small twigs, lined with wool, and laying, for the 



most part, two eggs. 



F. pterocles, Tern. Plumage slate-coloured above, beneath white, 

 with the flanks and sides transversely waved with rufous ; tail 

 white, with a black band towards the tip. Sixteen inches long. 

 Inhabits Brazil. Tern. PI Col. 56, 139. 



F. pazcilonotus , Cuv. Plumage white ; wings black, spotted with 

 crescent-shaped spots of white ; tail with a black band, its base 

 and tip white ; bill black ; legs yellowish. Inhabits Guiana.- 

 Tern. PI. Col. 9. 



6. HARRIERS. 



Bill bending from its base ; nostrils oviform ; tail long and round- 

 ed; wings long, the Jirst quill-feather very short, the third and 

 fourth longest ; tarsi long and slender. 



F. rufus, Lin. Marsh Harrier. Plumage brown ; head and breast 

 white yellowish ; bill black ; cere and legs yellow. About twenty 

 inches in length. Inhabits Europe. B. Selby, Illust. pi. 9. 

 The Marsh Harrier is but sparingly dispersed over most of the countries of Europe ; 



but Montagu remarks, that it is the most common of the falcon tribe about the sandy 



