CXL. 



PERNIS APIVORUS. (Cuvii:k.) 



Honey Blz/.\ui». 



A MUCH gi'eater proportion of this species, have of late 

 years been noticed as visitors of our Island, than had been, for 

 some time previously, recorded. 



Many have occurred in various parts of England, and 

 amongst several instances of its appearance in Northumber- 

 land, my friend Mr. John Hancock obtained a fine fresh 

 specimen, picked up dead upon the sea shore. 



It seems however to have been more numerous years ago. 

 Willoughby mentions its nest, and White thus refers to one 

 at Selbome. " A pair of Honey Buzzards built them a large 

 shallow nest, composed of twigs, and hned with dead beechen 

 leaves, upon a tall slender beech, near the middle of Selbome 

 Hanger, in the summer of 1780. In the middle of the month 

 of June, a bold boy climbed the tree and brought doAATi the 

 egg, the only one in the nest, which had been sat upon for 

 some time, and contained the embiyo of a young bird." 



The Honey Buzzard breeds in lofty trees, apparently 

 preferring those which are beech. 



The eggs are two or three, and judging from specimens 

 I have seen, forwarded to me from the cabinets of my kind 

 friends Mr. Yan-ell, and Mr. Doubleday, are coloiu-ed in a way 

 which, though at once showing their relationship to others of 

 the family, is nevertheless very peculiar and characteristic of 

 this species. The arrangement of the coloming is much 

 more artificial in its appeaiance than of any other egg I 

 know, and being profusely supplied, is in some specimens 

 either smeared over the surface or rubbed off. 



