﻿98 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  As 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  March 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  selects 
  a 
  

   nesting-site, 
  or 
  more 
  usually 
  begins 
  to 
  repair 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  nests 
  

   of 
  a 
  previous 
  year. 
  Thus, 
  on 
  March 
  17th, 
  Mr. 
  Grubb 
  tells 
  me 
  

   that 
  in 
  a 
  bright 
  interval 
  between 
  snow-showers 
  he 
  watched 
  a 
  

   Buzzard 
  carrying 
  a 
  large 
  stick 
  to 
  its 
  nest, 
  though 
  the 
  frost 
  had 
  

   been 
  so 
  sharp 
  the 
  previous 
  night 
  that 
  the 
  little 
  river 
  was 
  frozen 
  

   half-way 
  across. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  its 
  favourite 
  and 
  most 
  usual 
  

   site, 
  each 
  old 
  pair 
  has 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  alternative 
  nest. 
  They 
  will 
  

   often 
  repair 
  both, 
  even 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  put 
  in 
  lining, 
  finally 
  deserting 
  

   the 
  two 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  a 
  fresh 
  choice. 
  Snow 
  in 
  early 
  April 
  some- 
  

   times 
  hinders 
  building 
  operations, 
  and 
  comparison 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  dates 
  shows 
  that 
  egg-laying 
  does 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  begin 
  till 
  the 
  

   third 
  week 
  of 
  that 
  month 
  ; 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  by 
  April 
  18th, 
  but 
  

   seldom 
  earlier. 
  By 
  May 
  15th, 
  if 
  all 
  goes 
  well, 
  the 
  nest 
  contains 
  

   newly-hatched 
  young, 
  and 
  just 
  a 
  month 
  later 
  these 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  

   leave 
  the 
  nest. 
  Some 
  birds 
  are 
  evidently 
  later 
  in 
  breeding 
  than 
  

   others, 
  but 
  fresh 
  eggs 
  found 
  towards 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  May 
  evidently 
  

   represent 
  a 
  second 
  attempt, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  having 
  been 
  

   taken. 
  

  

  Evidence 
  favours 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  is 
  not 
  naturally 
  

   a 
  rock-breeder. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  select 
  the 
  bare 
  precipitous 
  cliff 
  

   which 
  often 
  furnishes 
  the 
  Baven 
  with 
  a 
  nesting-site. 
  The 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  narrow 
  dale 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  broken 
  outcrops 
  of 
  the 
  grey 
  

   Silurian 
  rock, 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  sheep 
  everywhere 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  

   amongst 
  the 
  bilberry 
  and 
  heather 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  scanty 
  grass 
  upon 
  

   the 
  ledges. 
  Ivy 
  mantles 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rock-face 
  ; 
  birch, 
  rowan, 
  

   and 
  holly 
  find 
  roothold 
  in 
  the 
  crevices. 
  There 
  is 
  seldom 
  a 
  sheer 
  

   fall 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  twenty 
  feet. 
  Upon 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ledges, 
  behind 
  

   and 
  supported 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  tree 
  which 
  springs 
  from 
  the 
  rock, 
  is 
  

   the 
  big 
  pile 
  of 
  sticks 
  which 
  serves 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  as 
  a 
  nest. 
  Nine 
  

   out 
  of 
  ten 
  such 
  nesting-sites 
  can 
  be 
  reached 
  without 
  a 
  rope 
  with 
  

   perfect 
  ease. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  nest 
  upon 
  steep 
  screes 
  supported 
  

   by 
  a 
  shrub 
  of 
  birch 
  with 
  scarcely 
  anything 
  of 
  a 
  fall 
  below 
  it, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Grubb 
  writes 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  nest 
  upon 
  a 
  bare 
  scree 
  far 
  from 
  

   any 
  rock, 
  resting 
  upon 
  a 
  tiny 
  hawthorn-bush. 
  A 
  nest 
  tenanted 
  

   by 
  Buzzards 
  one 
  season 
  is 
  sometimes 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  occupied 
  the 
  

   next 
  year 
  by 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Ravens. 
  If 
  both 
  are 
  absent, 
  Kestrels 
  

   probably 
  take 
  possession. 
  Mr. 
  Grubb 
  found 
  a 
  Kestrel 
  thus 
  

   sitting 
  upon 
  two 
  Buzzards' 
  eggs 
  and 
  three 
  of 
  her 
  own. 
  In 
  one 
  

  

  