BUZZARD. 31 



notice of the fact of its migration in this country, communicated 

 to him in the year 1847, by his brother, then residing at 

 Coleford, in the forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire. I must 

 observe that the letter was not originally intended to be 

 published. 



'Coleford, 1847. 



I have a curious circumstance in ornithology to tell you. 

 There is no account that I have heard of relating particularly 

 to the migration of some of the Hawks, proving them to as- 

 semble in flocks for the purpose of migration, and going off 

 together in large parties like Swallows, but of this I have 

 positive proof in the Common Buzzard. On the 2nd. of 

 August, 1847, just at sunset, we were assembled in the yard 

 to the number of five persons; we were busily engaged talking 

 on a fine bright evening: the air was filled as far as we could 

 see, (about forty yards to the north, and one hundred to the 

 south,) with great Hawks, all proceeding together steadily and 

 slowly to the westward. Those immediately above us were 

 within gunshot of the top of the house with large shot I 

 might have brought some down from where I stood. The 

 man called them Shreaks a common name for the Wood 

 Buzzard. The evening was so bright, and they were so near, 

 that I saw them as plain as if they were in my hand. They 

 were flying in little parties of from two to five, all these 

 little parties flying so close together that their wings almost 

 touched, whilst each little party was separated from the next 

 about fifteen or tw r enty yards: fourteen parties passed imme- 

 diately over us that I counted, but as I did not begin to 

 count them at first, and as I have no doubt the flock extended 

 bej-ond the boundary of our view, I cannot tell how many 

 the flock consisted of. On this day a remarkable change 

 occurred in the weather, which may have caused an early 

 migration.' 



Again, the same gentleman writing from Coleford in the 

 following year, 1848, says 



'Coleford, 1848. 



I last year wrote you a history of the migration of large 

 parties of the Great "Wood Buzzard. This year, on the 29th. 

 of July, 1848, a party went over numbering forty, and the 

 next day another flight of eighteen. I calculate the Hawks 

 in three months must eat more than a ton weight of food, 



