456 



8 



about 20 centimetres, and the depth about 10 centimetres. The eggs are deposited in about 

 the first half of April ; and the earliest date I have taken a nest was on the 9th April, when I 

 took three eggs out of it. Sometimes it does not lay until early in May, especially in cold and 

 late seasons ; and the young birds rarely breed before May. The usual number of eggs deposited 

 is three or four; but exceptionally two or five are found." A nest obtained by Wolley in 

 Scotland was made of heather-stalks lined with Luzula. 



The eggs of the Buzzard are milk-blue, or bluish white, marked and blotched with reddish 

 brown surface-spots and pale violet-grey (or rarely brownish) shell-markings. Some are richly 

 marked, whereas others are almost unspotted bluish white. Most of the eggs in my collection, 

 one or two of which are British-taken, the rest being chiefly from Germany, are tolerably richly 

 marked ; but one egg from Pomerania is pure white with a bluish tinge, and one or two from 

 Northern Germany are but very slightly marked with colour. In size the series in my collection 

 vary from 2^ by lf^ to 2^f by Iff inch, and, as a rule, are rather round in shape, tapering 

 nearly as much towards the one end as towards the other. Mr. Benzon informs me that out of 

 250 eggs collected in Denmark, and now in his possession, about sixty are either unmarked or 

 have very faint markings. The sizes he gives as from 54 by 43 to 59 by 46 millimetres. 



The specimens figured are an adult male of the dark variety (which I consider to be the 

 most common of all the different varieties), which was obtained in Sweden, and one of the pale 

 whitish varieties from near Stettin, both being in my collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



i,pull. Belgium {E. Dubois), b, 5. Near Stettin, 1861 (H.E.D.). c, S. Falster, Denmark, March, 20th, 

 1870 (A. Benzon). d, <3. Hareskov, Seeland, September 13th, 1870 (A.B.). e, 6 . Skanor, Sweden, 

 October 10th, 1868 {T.E.Buckley). /, ? . Wermland, Sweden, 1868. g, pull. Wermland, May 15th, 

 1872 (W. Schluter). 



E Mus. Howard Saunders. 



a, 5 . Shot from nest, Coto del Key, April 19th. b, $ . Near Seville, c, 6 . Thuringia (white var.). d, $ . 

 Skanor, Sweden, October 18th, 1868 (T. E. Buckley). 



