﻿102 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  confirming 
  this 
  curious 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  Buzzard's 
  domestic 
  economy, 
  

   a 
  good 
  observer 
  remarked 
  to 
  me 
  that, 
  while 
  three 
  eggs 
  are 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  laid, 
  the 
  bird 
  never 
  brings 
  off 
  three 
  young. 
  This 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  hills, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  and 
  more 
  fertile 
  

   valleys, 
  where 
  food 
  is 
  abundant, 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  several 
  instances 
  

   in 
  which 
  three 
  young 
  were 
  reared. 
  

  

  A 
  flat 
  rock 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  selected 
  as 
  a 
  

   dining-table, 
  and 
  is 
  usually 
  strewn 
  with 
  feathers, 
  castings, 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  lamb. 
  The 
  young 
  call 
  vocifer- 
  

   ously 
  for 
  food 
  long 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  left 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  old 
  birds 
  

   bring 
  Mice 
  and 
  Field-Voles, 
  young 
  Eabbits, 
  and 
  an 
  occasional 
  

   Leveret 
  ; 
  also 
  Moles, 
  and 
  such 
  few 
  birds 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  catch. 
  The 
  

   ardent 
  bird 
  protectionists 
  who 
  assert 
  that 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  never 
  

   takes 
  young 
  game-birds 
  have 
  probably 
  never 
  had 
  a 
  hungry 
  brood 
  

   under 
  observation. 
  When 
  beating 
  over 
  the 
  moor 
  a 
  Grouse 
  

   cheeper 
  is 
  sometimes 
  caught 
  up, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  woodland 
  

   districts 
  a 
  young 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  now 
  and 
  again 
  surprised 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  coops. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  wilder 
  hill-districts 
  the 
  

   Buzzard 
  must 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  being 
  absolutely 
  harmless, 
  

   since 
  Grouse 
  are 
  rare 
  upon 
  the 
  sheep-walks, 
  and 
  Pheasants 
  non- 
  

   existent. 
  More 
  good 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  trying 
  to 
  induce 
  

   landowners 
  and 
  game 
  -preservers 
  to 
  share 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  this 
  fine 
  bird 
  lends 
  an 
  element 
  of 
  interest 
  and 
  

   beauty 
  to 
  the 
  wild 
  scenes 
  which 
  it 
  frequents, 
  than 
  by 
  making 
  in 
  

   its 
  favour 
  random 
  statements 
  which 
  any 
  gamekeeper 
  who 
  knows 
  

   the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  when 
  it 
  has 
  young 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  will 
  

   at 
  once 
  dispute. 
  

  

  