io6 British Birds with their Nests and Eggs. 



bars of brown ; tarsi bare of feathers on their lower half, and yellow ; claws 

 black ; irides j'ellowish-brown ; dark hazel in the j-oung ; cere yellow ; beak 

 blackish horn, lighter at the base. Females have more white npon the under 

 parts ; and have their upper parts lighter in colour. Young birds resemble the 

 females, but have rufous edgings to their feathers. The variations in plumage 

 are numerous, and seem to be independent of age and sex. Length of male 20 

 inches; of female, 22 inches. 



Famih—FALCONID^E. 



Rough-Legged Buzzard. 



Buteo lagopKS, GjiEL. 



THE Rough-legged Buzzard, receiving its name from its tarsi being feathered 

 on three sides down to the toes, is an irregular autumn visitor to this 

 country, its home being the northern parts of Europe and Asia. Its arrivals 

 mainly depend upon the lemmings ; when those little animals are abundant in 

 Norway some of the Rough-legged Buzzards that had congregated to feast upon 

 them continue their flight westwards, and reach the eastern counties of England 

 and Scotland ; a few of them penetrate as far as the south-western counties, and 

 one or two reach Ireland, where this species has been seldom recorded. Most 

 that visit this countr}' are young birds ; Dresser states that he has never seen 

 a British-killed example of an adult, and Stevenson knew of only two or 

 three in Norfolk. Sweden and Norwa}^ appear to be the favoiirite habitat of this 

 Buzzard on the Continent, but it is widel}^ dispersed over the whole of Arctic 

 Europe and Asia, migrating south in the autumn. In its habits, according to 

 Seebohm, it closel}' resembles the Eagle, and he calls it the " Rough-legged 

 Buzzard-Eagle;" it is not fond of woods like the Common Buzzard, preferring 



