THE BUZZARD-EAGLES. 



155 



Range in Great Britain. An autumn visitor, occurring in some 

 years, as in 1891, in great numbers. It may be considered 

 almost a regular visitor to Scotland, and some specimens are 

 obtained in the eastern counties nearly every autumn, but it is 

 not often found in the south or west of England, and only 

 about half a dozen instances of its capture in Ireland have 

 been recorded. The species has even been said to breed in 

 Great Britain, but the evidence is by no means satisfactory, and 

 more exact confirmation of the fact is essential. 



Bange outside the British Islands. The Rough-legged Buzzard- 

 Eagle is distinctly a northern bird, being commonly distributed 

 from Scandinavia into the valley of the Lena in Siberia. It 

 breeds in Russia, as far south as 56 N. lat, and also in the 

 Baltic Provinces, but in more southern latitudes it is only 

 known as a winter visitor, occurring at this season of the year 

 in the Pyrenees, in Italy, and the Mediterranean countries. 

 In North America it is represented by a closely allied species, 

 Archibuteo sancti johannis. 



Habits. Very little has been recorded of the habits of this 

 species, but it is said to be a frequenter of the open country, 

 rather than of wooded districts like a Buzzard, and in many 

 of its habits it is more of an Aquila than a Buteo. It has a 

 peculiar " mewing " cry, like that of a cat. Its food consists 

 of rabbits and other small Mammalia, but it also eats reptiles 

 and captures water-fowl. Its flight is said by Professor Newton 

 to be slow, but smooth, and, except during its migrations, is 

 seldom continued for any great length of time. 



Nest. Composed of sticks, according to Wolley, who took 

 several nests of this species in Lapland. He says : " The nest 

 was small, made of old sticks, with a few twigs of the fir and a 

 little of the black hair-like lichen which grows so abundantly in 

 the northern forests. The situation was near the edge of a 

 great marsh with trees all around. Other nests were in taller 

 trees, and were larger in size, and the bird will occasionally use 

 an old nest of the Osprey." 



Eggs. Three or four in number, though sometimes only two 

 are found. The ground-colour is a dull white or greenish- 

 white, and although the markings and spots vary in number and 

 intensity, absolutely white eggs, without any markings, seem to 



