FALCONID.E. 165 



pigeon, when he shot it. Mr. Gould states that the 

 finest pair of Buzzards he ever saw are now living 

 at Berry Hill, the seat of John Noble, Esq., at 

 Taplow ; but whether these birds were obtained 

 in these counties or not, I do not know. In Decem- 

 ber, 1866, a fine male Buzzard was killed by Mr 

 Alfred Wellbeloved, in a wood near Sunninghill 

 The crop of this bird contained the remains of a great 

 many small birds. 



ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD (Buteo lagopus}. A 

 rarer bird than the Common Buzzard, which it re- 

 sembles in its habits. It is usually obtained either in 

 the spring or autumn, when migrating from north to 

 south, or vice versa. The flight is like that of the 

 common species, and its prey consists of reptiles, 

 rabbits, and small birds. I am indebted to the Rev. 

 B. Burgess for a notice of a pair of Rough-leggecl 

 Buzzards which were shot in Bledlow Woods, Buck- 

 inghamshire, in the month of November, 1839. The 

 female of this pair is in Mr. Burgess's collection. 



HONEY BUZZARD (Pernis apivorus). As remarked 

 by Meyer,* ' Selby describes one which appears to be 

 a male approaching the plumage of the adult, as it had 

 the head brown, inclining to ash-colour ; and Mon- 

 tagu's specimen, which was shot in Berkshire, and 

 since placed in the British Museum, is supposed by 

 Mr. Selby to be a female, or young bird, having the 

 under parts of the plumage brown.' The Berkshire 



* ' British Birds,' vol. i. p. 86. 



