28 WILD LIFE IN THE TREE TOPS 



Still, the fact remains that the Buzzard is ' obtained ' annually in such 

 numbers as would lead us to suppose that were it not for the last few 

 inaccessible or protected strongholds, he would, like the Kite and the Osprey, 

 be on the verge of extinction. 



Strangely enough, this imposing bird, towards whose soaring form many 

 admiring eyes will be turned, is of a somewhat slothful nature, for he feeds 

 largely upon such undignified food as lizards, mice and earthworms ; and 

 may be trapped on dead bait more easily than any other of our birds of 

 prey. 



A rabbit's paunch effectively arranged will generally prove sufficiently 

 attractive to appeal to the Buzzard's ' penchant ' for this delicacy. 



Such a large bird cannot be expected, of course, to rear its family of 

 voracious young upon such meagre food as beetles and earthworms, and must 

 of necessity resort to killing creatures of more substantial proportions ; just 

 as the modest Kestrel, when it has a family to rear, will tackle and secure 

 such formidable opponents as blackbirds and starlings. 



One is prompted when considering the nature of the Buzzard's food 

 to wonder why the bird should have been so adversely criticized by famous 

 ornithologists. 



He has been called ' cowardly,' sluggish, degenerate, and so forth, but 

 after all, none of us are perfect, and one cannot expect a bird which has not 

 been equipped by Nature with the powers of flight of a Hobby, to provide 

 such a dashing demonstration of wing power as that little Falcon unconsciously 

 displays. He cannot be more than by comparison a poor flier. Neither 

 can we presume that a bird not endowed by Nature with the Goshawk's lust 

 for killing, should be anything but by comparison a lethargic chicken- 

 hearted creature. One does not hear of Owls being recorded as * dastardly ' or 

 ' stupid.' 



And in the writer's opinion the Buzzard is not in any sense cowardly or 

 sluggish. He certainly would seem to feed mainly upon young rabbits 

 probably because they are a most satisfactory quarry from every point of 

 view. They are to be found in countless numbers ; they are comparatively 

 easily picked up during their preoccupation of feeding, and, lastly, their 

 flesh seems admirably to suit the requirements of the young Buzzards. 



But, if put to the test, the Buzzard can, and will, hold an energetic full- 

 grown rabbit ; and does so with a determination that cannot be shaken by 

 the rabbit's most violent struggles to free itself. 



Surely the most critical, the most superior, of us humans cannot call 

 him sluggish as, exerting every ounce of strength, he makes in a bee-line for 

 the selected quarry. Almost stooping as he comes down from his ' pitch,' 

 he swings along at considerable speed, and binds to his victim with a grip 

 from which there is no hope of escape. If he chances to seize the prey by 



