﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  387 
  

  

  in 
  great 
  fighting 
  form, 
  and" 
  made 
  innumerable 
  rushes 
  at 
  me, 
  sometimes 
  

   at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  three 
  a 
  minute. 
  I 
  hit 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  wing 
  twice 
  as 
  it 
  passed 
  

   by 
  my 
  head. 
  Its 
  talons 
  were 
  outstretched, 
  and 
  its 
  beak 
  wide 
  open. 
  

   Dashing 
  past 
  me 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  pace, 
  it 
  turned 
  round 
  many 
  times, 
  and 
  

   darted 
  at 
  me 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  At 
  times 
  it 
  soared 
  above 
  

   my 
  head, 
  and 
  would 
  descend 
  perpendicularly 
  right 
  at 
  me 
  with 
  great 
  

   force. 
  It 
  chased 
  me 
  for 
  quite 
  a 
  mile." 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  while 
  on 
  

   the 
  former 
  occasion 
  the 
  bird 
  returned 
  after 
  each 
  charge 
  to 
  its 
  starting- 
  

   point, 
  and 
  thence 
  made 
  a 
  fresh 
  dash, 
  following 
  the 
  downward 
  slope 
  of 
  

   the 
  hill-side, 
  this 
  time, 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  particularly 
  warlike 
  mood, 
  it 
  made 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  return 
  charges 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  

  

  Three 
  nests 
  were 
  observed 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  repaired 
  

   or 
  relined 
  by 
  this 
  bird 
  and 
  its 
  mate, 
  but 
  all 
  were 
  empty, 
  and 
  neither 
  

   upon 
  this 
  nor 
  any 
  subsequent 
  occasion 
  were 
  eggs 
  or 
  young 
  found. 
  The 
  

   hen 
  bird, 
  when 
  present, 
  shared 
  the 
  anxiety 
  of 
  her 
  mate, 
  but 
  never 
  

   joined 
  him 
  in 
  attacking 
  the 
  climber. 
  Upon 
  June 
  6th 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  

   again 
  defended 
  his 
  domains 
  with 
  all 
  his 
  wonted 
  energy 
  and 
  pluck. 
  I 
  

   hope 
  next 
  year 
  to 
  hear 
  more 
  of 
  this 
  grand 
  bird, 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  a 
  

   fighting 
  record 
  sufficient 
  to 
  redeem 
  his 
  race 
  from 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  sloth 
  

   and 
  cowardice. 
  

  

  Curiously 
  enough, 
  the 
  past 
  nesting 
  season 
  produced 
  another 
  in- 
  

   cident 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  character, 
  for 
  details 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  two 
  

   naturalist 
  friends, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Gwynne-Vaughan 
  and 
  the 
  Eev. 
  D. 
  E. 
  Owen. 
  

   The 
  scene 
  is 
  some 
  twenty 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  occurrences 
  

   above 
  described. 
  The 
  nest, 
  which 
  contained 
  three 
  newly-hatched 
  

   young, 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  birch-tree 
  upon 
  the 
  open 
  hill-side, 
  and 
  was 
  of 
  

   such 
  easy 
  access 
  that 
  a 
  child 
  of 
  ten 
  could 
  easily 
  have 
  reached 
  it. 
  Mr. 
  

   Gwynne-Vaughan 
  writes: 
  — 
  " 
  While 
  we 
  were 
  looking 
  at 
  the 
  nest 
  the 
  

   hen 
  Buzzard 
  attacked 
  us. 
  The 
  first 
  time 
  that 
  she 
  swooped 
  she 
  came 
  

   within 
  two 
  feet 
  of 
  our 
  heads. 
  The 
  second 
  time 
  that 
  she 
  came 
  at 
  us 
  

   Mr. 
  Owen 
  shouted, 
  and 
  put 
  up. 
  his 
  stick 
  to 
  keep 
  her 
  off. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  fine 
  

   sight 
  to 
  see 
  her 
  go 
  up 
  and 
  away 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile, 
  then 
  come 
  down 
  

   w 
  r 
  ith 
  wings 
  half-closed 
  at 
  lightning 
  speed 
  until 
  within 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  

   feet 
  of 
  us, 
  when, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  striking 
  us, 
  she 
  would 
  pull 
  up 
  so 
  

   suddenly 
  as 
  to 
  throw 
  herself 
  light 
  on 
  to 
  her 
  back." 
  One 
  can 
  easily 
  

   fill 
  in 
  the 
  picture 
  : 
  the 
  outstretched 
  legs 
  and 
  extended 
  talons, 
  the 
  wild 
  

   fierce 
  eye, 
  the 
  angry 
  and 
  defiant 
  mien 
  — 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  

   more 
  striking 
  scene 
  within 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  British 
  ornithology. 
  Mr. 
  

   Gwynne-Vaughan 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  li 
  I 
  have 
  visited 
  scores 
  of 
  Buzzards' 
  nests, 
  

   but 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  an 
  attack 
  like 
  this 
  before." 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  

   note, 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  last 
  case 
  the 
  attack 
  was, 
  according 
  to 
  both 
  my 
  in- 
  

   formants, 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  hen 
  bird, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  containing 
  

  

  