390 THE GAME PRESERVER'S GUIDE. 



THE COMMON BUZZARD (Buteo vulgaris), 



Is one of the most common of the larger varieties of the 

 hawk tribe, which may be accounted for by the fact that it 

 is addicted to small birds and reptiles, rather than to game; 

 but this is only on account of its laziness, for if they come 

 in its way, the partridge, grouse, leveret, and rabbit, are all 

 pounced upon. Still it is not equal to the blue falcon, kite, 

 or hen harrier in its inroads upon the game preserve. Its 

 flight is somewhat slow and heavy, and it is remarkable for 

 sitting on the topmost bough of a tree for hours, where it 

 watches for the appearance of its prey, and on seeing it darts 

 down upon the ground, picks it up, and carries it back to its 

 perch to devour it. The length of the buzzard is about twenty- 

 one inches, the female being a little over, and the male some- 

 what under, that size. Beak bluish black, approaching to 

 black at the point ; cere yellow ; iris also yellow, but varying 

 in shade from buff to orange brown ; upper part of the head 

 and cheeks pale brown, streaked with a darker shade ; all 

 the upper parts of the body, tail, and wings, dark clove brown, 

 the tail feathers being barred with a lighter shade, and the 

 feathers of the other parts being edged with light brown ; 

 wing primaries brown black ; chin and throat white ; breast, 

 under wing coverts, belly, and thighs, greyish white, spotted, 

 and streaked with brown ; under tail coverts white ; under 

 surface of tail feathers greyish white, barred with wood 

 brown legs and toes yellow ; claws black. The nest is in 

 Scotland usually formed on rocks, or on the high banks of 

 rivers, and is composed of twigs and heath, lined with wool 

 or some similar substance. In England, the fork of a tree 

 is generally chosen, or an old nest of some other bird the 

 materials used being twigs and woollen substances for lining. 

 Here the female lays from two to four eggs, two inches three 

 lines in length by one inch ten lines in breadth, of a dirty 

 white colour, slightly spotted with pale brown. 



THE MARSH HARRIER (Circus ceruginosus\ 



Also called the Duck Hawfc, Harpy and White-headed 

 Harpy, comes next to the buzzard in size, but is to be known 



