96 FALCONID^E. 



spring on its passage northwards. Dr. Ruppel says it is 

 found in Egypt ; and Mr. Gould and Mr. Blyth include 

 it in their notices of the Birds of India. 



The figure and description here given were taken from a 

 specimen in the British Museum, which was killed near 

 York. Honey Buzzards measure from twenty-two to 

 twenty-five inches, depending on the sex. The beak is 

 black ; the cere grey, the irides yellow ; the space between 

 the beak and the eye covered with feathers, small, round, 

 and closely set ; the upper part of the head and back of 

 the neck buffy white, with brown streaks ; upper surface 

 of the body and wings uniform brown colour ; the pri- 

 maries nearly black, the third and fourth feathers the 

 longest and equal : the tail long ; the upper surface of 

 the tail-feathers barred transversely with two shades of 

 brown : the front of the neck, breast, and belly, pale 

 yellow brown ; the shaft and middle line of each feather 

 marked by a dark brown longitudinal streak or patch, 

 those of the belly transversely barred : thighs and under 

 tail-coverts varied with yellowish brown and white ; the 

 tarsi feathered half-way down, the lower portion reticu- 

 lated and yellow ; the toes yellow ; the claws black, 

 rather long, slender, and not much curved. 



This species, like the other Buzzards, occasionally pre- 

 sents some variety in colour and markings. Those speci- 

 mens which have the head of a uniform ash grey have been 

 called the Capped Buzzard. A series of figures of the 

 Honey Buzzard in various states of plumage are inserted 

 in the Zoologist, vol. i. pages 376 and 377, from the draw- 

 ings of William E. Fisher, Esq. of Yarmouth. The 

 youngest birds are the darkest in colour on the body. 



