54 cassell's book of birds. 



manoeuvres, apparently for the amusement of their mates. The voice of the Common Buzzard very 

 closely resembles the mewing of a cat ; its sight is excellent, its hearing delicate, and the other senses 

 very well developed; its disposition is intelligent, keen, and sly. The eyrie is built, or an old one 

 repaired, about May. This structure is placed upon a tree, and carefully formed of branches, such as 

 are thickest being placed beneath the others ; the interior is lined with very fine twigs, moss, hair, 

 and other soft materials. The nest is about two feet in diameter. The brood consists of three or 

 four greenish white eggs, spotted with light brown ; the female alone sits, but at a later period both 

 parents co-operate in tending the little family. This species occasionally takes possession of the nests 

 of Crows or Ravens, instead of building on its own account. 



Rats, marmots, snakes, and insects are greedily devoured by the Mouse Buzzard, yet, as its name 

 indicates, mice constitute its favourite diet — indeed, so large is the number eaten by this bird, that, 

 according to Lenz, a family of five consumes no less than 50,000 of these destructive animals in the 

 course of a year. AVe will not attempt to include the next generation in this calculation, or our 

 readers would be involved in a sum as intricate as that with which we are all familiar, respecting the 

 nails in a horse-shoe ; if, however, we take into account that the Mouse Buzzard attacks and kills all 

 kinds of snakes, whether poisonous or not, we shall be able in some measure to estimate the very 

 valuable services it renders to the human race. The generally-received impression that this species is 

 proof against the venom of serpents is incorrect, as has been proved in a variety of instances. 



THE RED-WINGED OR GRASSHOPPER BUZZARD. 



The Red-winged or Grasshopper Buzzard (Poliomis rufipennis) is a small lively bird, inhabiting 

 Central Africa. This species is recognisable by its long, powerful, but slightly curved beak, and over- 

 hanging cere. Its pointed wings, in which the fourth quill is the longest, reach almost to the end of 

 the long tail ; the legs are high, and the toes small ; the brow white, the mantle brownish grey, the 

 head, nape, and lower portions of the body reddish yellow; the feathers upon the back have dark 

 shafts and light borders, those on the under part of the body are marked with dark streaks ; the tail 

 is deep grey, edged with white, and darkly striped towards its tip. The quills are reddish brown, 

 lightest in shade upon the inner web, tipped with black, and having a white border. The cere, bare 

 cheek-stripes, and feet are bright yellow; the beak is deep orange at its base and greyish black at the 

 tip. The length of the male is fourteen inches and a quarter ; the wing measures eleven, and the tail 

 six inches and three-quarters. 



The Grasshopper Buzzard makes its appearance upon the plains of Central Africa about the rainy 

 season, during which period it finds abundance of food, and after lingering for some time, quits that 

 part of the continent for still warmer regions. In its habits this bird is half Falcon and half Buzzard ; 

 like the latter it perches for hours together upon the branches of a tree, surveying the surrounding 

 country, and watching for prey ; then, suddenly rising, it flies, with rapid strokes of its wings, to a 

 considerable distance, and, after hovering for a few seconds, swoops down, and pounces upon the 

 grasshopper it has marked for its own. We are without further particulars of the life of this bird. 



THE TESA. 

 The Tesa (Poliomis Tesa), the Indian representative of the species above described, is found 

 throughout Hindostan, where it is very numerous both upon pasture land and on open plains. The 

 flight of this Buzzard is rapid, and much resembles that of the Kestrel. When upon the wing it 

 usually keeps near the ground, over which it often runs for some yards, in order to secure its prey, 

 and few prettier sights can be imagined than that presented by this bird as it thus half runs, half flies, 

 in pursuit of the grasshoppers, upon which it mainly subsists ; it will also eagerly devour rats, mice, 



