246 



BnZZARDS.- 



-BIRDS.- 



-The Honey Buzzard. 



of this, related by Mr. Yarrell in his "History of British 

 birds" will probably be entei-taining to our readers : — 

 He tells VIS that " a female buzzard, kept in the garden 

 of the Chequers inn at Uxbridge, showed an inclina- 

 tion to sit, by collecting and bending all the loose sticks 

 she could obtain possession of. Her owner, noticing 

 her actions, supplied her with materials; she completed 

 her nest, and sat on two hen's eggs, which she hatched, 

 and afterwards reared the young. Since then she has 

 hatched and brought up a brood of chickens every year. 

 One summer, in order to save her the fatigue of sitting, 

 some young chickens just hatched were put dowm to 

 her ; but she destroyed the whole. When flesh was 

 given to her, she was very assiduous in tearing it, and 

 offering it as food to her nurslings, and appeared 

 uneasy, if, after taking small portions from her, they 

 turned away to pick u]i grain." 



THE EOijGH-LEGGED BUZZARD [Bideo lar/opus) — 

 Plate 3, fig. 7 — has been raised by many ornitholo- 



gists to the rank of a distinct genus under the name of 

 ArchibiUeo ; its principal distinction from the common 

 buzzard consists in its havmg the tarsi clothed with 

 feathers down to the origin of the toes. It is found in 

 Britain, but by no means abundantly, and appears to 

 be a winter visitor to this country ; its real dwelling- 

 place bemg the cold northern regions of both conti- 

 nents. In its general habits it resembles the common 

 buzzard; it is described by Audubon as a sluggish bird, 

 residing on the meadows and low gi'ounds, and feeding 

 principally on small quadrupeds and rejitiles, although 

 it also appears sometimes to attack larger animals, such 

 as rabbits and ducks. Its nest is built with sticks, 

 amongst the branches of trees ; and it lays two eggs. 

 Its southern migration during the winter is said some- 

 times to extend as far as the Cape of Good Hope. 



THE HONEY BUZZARD {Pitiu's njnvonis), which is 

 placed by some ornithologists with the kites, is a com- 

 mon bird in some parts of Europe, but a rare visitor to 



Fig. 98 



The Honey Buzzaid (Pernis apivonis). 



this country, where it is only met with in the summer. 

 It is also known to occur in Northern Africa and in 

 Asia. It has a rather weak bill, curved from the base, 

 which is covered by a large cere, close to the anterior 

 margin of which tlie elongated nostrils are placed 

 obliquely. The spaces between the base of the bill 

 and the eyes are clothed with small feathers, whereas 

 in the buzzard these parts are covered with hairs, 

 mid the tarsi are reticulated. 



Tlie Honey buzzard measures from twenty-two to 

 twenty-five inches in length ; the colour of its upper 

 surface is a nearly uniform brown, with the primarie 

 black, or nearly so ; that of the lower surface is a pale 

 yellowish-brOAvn ; the top of the head is bluish in the 

 male, whitish in the female, spotted in the latter with 

 brown ; the tail feathers are barred with brown. The 

 heak is black, -with the cere grey, and the feet yellow, 

 with black claws. 



