HONEY BUZZARD. 49 



to dark brown: sometimes the neck, like the head, is white, 

 or cream white, or pale yellowish brown; nape, dark brown 

 or ash grey; chin, whitish; in some specimens white, as are 

 the rest of the feathers round the base of the beak; throat, 

 white, or yellowish white, with dark brown shaft lines ; breast, 

 white, yellowish white, or pale yellowish brown, barred trans- 

 versely with broad brown bands, tinged with rust-colour, which 

 are lighter in front, and darker towards the sides; the light 

 feathers are tipped with bright brown; back, dark brown, 

 shaded with grey, or ash colour, the feathers themselves 

 having a blot of a darker shade in the centre, and sometimes 

 tipped with white, and many of them crossed by dusky 

 marks, which cause a series of bars when the wings are 

 closed. The wings are longer than those of the true 

 Buzzards, and rounded at the ends; they expand above four 

 feet; greater wing coverts, brownish grey: primaries, nearly 

 black. The tail is very long, and in this particular, as well 

 as in the length of the wings and the smallness of the head, 

 this species shews an approximation to the Kites. The tip is 

 brownish white, and the base of the feathers white, as is the 

 case with most of the feathers on the body, if not with all. It is 

 of a rather dark brown, tinged with grey, and barred with dark 

 brown, but the bars vary, so that no dependence can be placed 

 upon their number, and in some there is no bar at all; the 

 middle feathers are the longest; tail coverts, partly white, 

 sometimes white; under tail coverts, varied with yellowish brown 

 and white. The legs are rather short, and feathered half way 

 down; the lower part is a good deal reticulated, and of a 

 dull yellow colour; toes, dull yellow. The claws, which are 

 black, are long, rather slight, and very acute, but not much 

 curved. 



The female is larger than the male, namely, about two feet 

 two inches: the forehead, grey; upper parts of the plumage, 

 deep umber brown; under parts, light yellowish red, spotted 

 with brownish red, sometimes white with dark crescent-shaped 

 spots upon a white ground, and the upper parts barred with 

 brown and grey. 



The young are said to resemble the adult birds in colour, 

 but Willughby describes them as covered with white down, 

 spotted with black. 



The Honey Buzzard is subject to very great variety of plumage. 

 In the 'Zoologist,' pages 375 etc. there are figures and descriptions 

 given by W. R. Fisher, Esq. of seven of its varieties gradually 



VOL. I. E 



