88 Falconidce. 



In habits, food, and mode of obtaining it, this species much 

 resembles the preceding, but may easily be distinguished from 

 its congeners by the feathering of its legs down to the toes, 

 whence its specific names, both English and scientific, lagopus 

 signifying ' footed like a hare.' The French, too, neatly style it 

 Buse ganUe and Buse pattue, and the Germans Rauhfussiger 

 Busard, In Sweden it is Fjosbent Vrdk. In the general soft and 

 downy texture of the feathers of this and the preceding species, 

 as compared with the plumage of the true Falcons, and also in 

 the habit common to both of them of seeking their food late in 

 the evening, may be noticed peculiarities indicating an approach 

 to the Owls. 



14. AFRICAN BUZZARD (Buteo desertorum). 



The announcement given in the Ibis of a specimen of this 

 splendid Buzzard, till then a stranger to Great Britain, having been 

 killed in this county, enables me to add this bird to our Wiltshire 

 list; and I do so with singular satisfaction, as I became very 

 familiar with it in Egypt, and brought home several fine specimens. 

 It is of much larger size and stronger build than either of our home 

 Buzzards, and bolder and more fearless of man, so that it was 

 easy to approach within gunshot, and any number might have 

 been secured. The unique occurrence of this bird in England 

 is recorded in Gould's ' Introduction to the Birds of Great 

 Britain/ and in the Ibis for 1876, page 366, and for 1878, 

 page 118 ; where it is stated that one of this species in immature 

 plumage was killed at Everley, in Wiltshire, in September, 

 1864 ; and this is the first instance recorded of the arrival in the 

 far west of this inhabitant of eastern and southern lands, Africa 

 and India being its true home. 



15. HONEY BUZZARD (Pernis apivorus). 



Very different from all other members of the Falconidae, both in 

 habits and the prey it seeks, is this elegant bird. Though univers- 

 ally styled the ' Honey ' Buzzard, honey forms no portion of its 

 food, and it is not for this that it searches out the nests of bees 



