which contains the eggs, being about the size of a soup-plate. Most of the 

 nests I have seen on the west coast of Scotland were built on rocks over- 

 looking the sea, or on the precipitous side of some mountain stream. 



The nest, which is rather like a larger edition of the Sparrow-Hawk's 

 home, is a large bulky structure of sticks, the hollow which contains the eggs 

 being sometimes lined with a few bits of down or wool, and occasionally a few 

 green leaves. When the eggs are much incubated the Buzzard sits very close, 

 and no amount of shouting will dislodge her. When she does take wing, she 

 wheels round and round at some little distance, uttering her melancholy cry, 

 which may be described on paper by the syllables ' pay-ee-i-o-oo ' rather drawn 

 out. In a nest in Sutherland, which contained two young birds, I found no 

 less than seven short-tailed field-mice and half a mole. I have never heard 

 of any remains of small birds being found in a Buzzard's nest, though they 

 do occasionally seize small birds unawares ; portions of frogs, lizards, and 

 other reptiles are, however, not uncommonly met with. 



From two to four eggs are laid, though three seems to be the usual 

 number; they are somewhat rough in texture, and vary considerably in size, 

 shape, and colour. The ground-colour varies from milky blue to pale burfish 

 white ; the surface-markings are rich reddish brown, and the underlying 

 markings are a beautiful pale lilac. Some specimens are richly blotched, 

 spotted, or streaked with large handsome markings, while others have only 

 a few faint spots or streaks of colour. On some specimens the markings are 

 large and confluent, forming irregular blotches of colour, while on others the 

 markings are covered with a thin coating of lime, giving the egg a delicate 

 lilac pink tinge. One very rare and beautiful variety is finely streaked and 

 scratched over one end of the egg with pale chestnut brown, with one or 

 two large rich dark brown spots. Buzzard's eggs vary considerably in shape, 

 some being round, others oval, and a few elongated ; they vary in length from 

 2'25 to i "98 inches, and in breadth from 1*90 to r63 inch. 



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