228 The Falcon-like Birds 



white beneath. They are abundant in the interior of the country, always going 

 in companies of from ten to thirty individuals, and even nesting in companies, 

 as near as possible to one another. The nests are lined with the pellets ejected 

 from their stomachs, "these pellets being composed of the fur of the rats upon 

 which they principally feed. 



Andersson's Pern. The only other bird of this subfamily that will be men- 

 tioned, and this but briefly, is Andersson's Pern (Machcerhampkus anderssoni) 

 of southwest Africa and Madagascar. It is a crested bird about seventeen 

 inches long, chocolate-brown above, and white somewhat streaked with brown 

 below, there being also a broad white line both above and below the eye. The 

 bill is very thin and weak and the nostrils are half covered by the feathers of the 

 lores. Comparatively little is known of the habits of this bird beyond the fact 

 that it is probably crepuscular and feeds upon bats, which it is often seen in 

 pursuit of at dusk. 



The Honey Buzzards ( Pernis), so called from their especial fondness for the 

 comb and larvae of bees and wasps, are typical of the second subfamily, the 

 Pernince. They number five species, and are found exclusively in the Old World, 

 where they range from Europe and northern Asia over Africa and India to 

 Japan, the Philippines, Sumatra, Celebes, etc. They are distinguished at once 

 by having the lores and sides of the head, as well as the forehead and chin, 

 covered with small scale-like feathers, which are without bristles or bristly ends, 

 this dense covering probably serving as a protection against the sting of bees and 

 wasps. They are further distinguished by having a rather elongate but weak 

 bill, which is not strongly hooked at the end. The tarsus is short, stout, and 

 covered with small hexagonal scales, while the toes are long, covered above with 

 bony shields, and provided with long, slightly curved claws, the middle one. of 

 which is somewhat dilated on the inner side. In the wing the third and fourth 

 quills are subequal and longest. 



The best-known Honey Buzzard (P. apivorus) is found in summer over 

 Europe and western Asia, and in winter migrates to' Africa, being only a rare 

 or occasional visitor to the British Islands. It is about twenty-five inches in 

 length, brown above, the feathers with slightly paler margins, while the head 

 is ashy gray and the under parts white, narrowly streaked with blown. There 

 is a very considerable amount of variation in the color and markings of the 

 plumage, especially in birds of the first and second years. This species is said 

 not to make its own nest, but to take possession of the abandoned nest of a Crow 

 or Kite, which is relined with green leaves, preferably of beech, or with twigs 

 with the green leaves on them. The eggs are two to four in number, with a 

 creamy or pale red ground color, boldly blotched and spotted with purplish 

 brown. 



In the Indian peninsula, Ceylon, Burma, and other Eastern countries the 

 place is filled by the Crested Honey Buzzard (P. ptilonorhynchus\ a bird that 

 is darker brown above, and is further distinguished by having a crest which is 

 from one to four inches in length. It lives, according to Blanford, largely 

 among trees, or is seen soaring above them, with a flight that is rather hurried 



