52 CASSELL'S BOOK OF BIKbS. 



THE CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD. 



The Crested Honey Buzzard (Pernis cristatus) is found throughout the whole of Hindostan, 

 whore it inhabits all woodland districts, from the coast to an altitude of 8,000 feet above the sea. 

 This species, which is very closely allied to the bird above described, subsists, like its European 

 congener, upon young bees, wasps, ants, and caterpillars; only occasionally devouring rats, reptiles, 

 and (as we learn from the natives) young birds and eggs. The eyrie is built upon trees ; the eggs 

 are of a light colour, and thickly covered with spots. 



THE ROUGII-LEGGED BUZZARD. 



The Rough-legged or Winter Buzzard {Archibuteo lagopus) is distinguished from all its 

 congeners by having its tarsi feathered, like those of the Eagle. The beak of this species is small and 

 narrow, very decidedly curved, and furnished with a long hook ; the wings, in which the third and 

 fourth quills exceed the rest in length, extend, when closed, to the end of the long and rounded tail. 

 The plumage is lax, its feathers for the most part large, those upon the head and nape being small, 

 and rounded at the tip ; the brow is white, the tips of the wings are dark slate colour, the tail white, 

 its grey tip striped with black ; the breast of the male and belly of the female are spotted with blackish 

 brown ; the hose are reddish yellow or whitish grey, similarly marked. The coloration of the feathers 

 upon the other parts of the body is a strange mixture of all these different tints. The length of this 

 bird is from twenty-two to twenty-five inches. The female is larger than her mate. The Rough- 

 legged Buzzard is found throughout all the northern countries of the globe, proving itself everywhere 

 to be a very formidable enemy to the Lemming. The eyrie is built upon rocks as well as trees. 

 This bird is sometimes met with in England, where it has been killed once or oftener in almost every 

 county ; it has, however, rarely been known to breed here, and is usually obtained in spring or 

 autumn, when changing its latitude from north to south, or vice versa. 



Sir John Richardson, in his " Zoology of North America," tells us " that this species advances 

 east of the Rocky Mountains, as high as the sixty-eighth parallel. It arrives in the fur countries in 

 April or May, and, having reared its young, retires southward early in October. It is by no means 

 an uncommon bird in the districts through which he travelled, but, being very shy, only one specimen 

 was procured. A pair were seen building their nests with sticks on a lofty tree, standing on a low, 

 moist, alluvial point of land. They sailed round the spot in a wide circle, occasionally settling on 

 the top of a tree, but were too wary to allow an approach within gun shot." In the softness and 

 fulness of its plumage, its feathered legs, and habits, this bird bears some resemblance to an Owl. 

 It flies slowly, sits for a long time on the bough of a tree, watching for mice, frogs, &c, and is often 

 seen skimming over swampy pieces of ground, and hunting for its prey by the subdued daylight 

 which illuminates even the midnight hours in high latitudes. Wilson observes that in Pennsylvania 

 it is in the habit of coursing over the meadows long after the sun has set. It is fitted for this 

 nocturnal chase by the fleeciness of its feathers, which contributes to render its flight noiseless." 



THE COMMON BUZZARD. 

 The Common or Mouse Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) is distinguished by its small, narrow, hooked 

 beak, and bare tarsi ; its tail is comparatively short, and its plumage less lax than that of the above- 

 mentioned species, which, in other respects, it closely resembles. Its length is from twenty-two to 

 twenty-five inches, its breadth from fifty to fifty-eight inches ; the tail measures about nine inches. 

 The coloration of the plumage varies so much in different individuals as to render a general description 

 almost impossible — indeed, no two birds are alike. 



