38 FALCONING. BUTEO. 



Eyes large, with a broad superciliary ridge. Head large, 

 broad, flattened. Feet short, robust ; tarsus feathered in 

 front half-way down, anteriorly and posteriorly scutellate, or 

 feathered in its whole length ; toes of moderate length, 

 rather stout, all scutellate toward the end, the first and second 

 stoutest ; claws long, well-curved, tapering, very acute, flat 

 beneath. Plumage full, soft. Wings long, broad, rounded, 

 the fourth quill longest, the outer four with the inner web 

 abruptly narrowed. Tail of moderate length, or rather long, 

 broad, and rounded. 



Among the least active birds of this family, but having 

 a strong, buoyant flight. They sail in circles, mounting to a 

 great height ; but when searching for food, fly low over the 

 fields. They seldom pursue birds on wing ; feed on quadru- 

 peds, birds, reptiles, insects, and worms. 



2. BUTEO FUSCUS. BROWN BUZZARD. 



Tarsi bare in their lower part. Male with the upper parts 

 deep brown, the feathers margined with paler, the lower parts 

 yellowish-white, with longitudinal oblong brown spots, the 

 tail with numerous brown and pale bands. Female deep 

 brown above and beneath, the throat streaked with whitish, 

 the breast spotted with the same. Young of a lighter brown, 

 with the feathers margined with light red. 



Male, 19, 49, 16^, 1 T 7 5 , 2jf, 1 T 7 2 , i. Female, 21, 50. 



Generally distributed in Britain. Occurs also in Ireland. 

 Feeds on small quadrupeds, birds, lizards, beetles, larvae, and 

 even earth-worms. In its soaring flight it greatly resembles 

 the Golden Eagle, to which it is closely allied. Nestles in 

 trees, and in rocky places on the ground. Eggs three or four, 

 broadly elliptical, 2 inches in length, li| in breadth, dull 

 white, spotted and patched with yellowish-brown. 



Glead. Glade. Kite. Puttock. Common Buzzard. 



Falco Buteo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 127. Falco Buteo, Temm. 

 Man. d'Orn. i. 63 ; iii. 35. Buteo fuscus, Brown or Common 

 Buzzard, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iii. 183. 



3. BUTEO LAGOPUS. HOUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. 



Tarsi feathered to the toes. Upper parts brown, the head 

 and neck streaked with white ; lower parts yellowish-white, 

 with a broad patch of brown on the breast ; the tail white for 

 more than half its length. Old birds almost entirely choco- 



