80 FALCONID.E. 



woods in the vicinity of its hunting ground afford a retreat 

 to this Buzzard during the night, and if undisturbed it will 

 resort nightly to the same tree as long as it remains in the 

 neighbourhood. 



In their migrations these birds do not usually associate in 

 flocks like the common buzzard, but travel in pairs or in 

 small companies of four or five, being, most probably, the 

 members of an individual family. 



The food of the Rough-legged Buzzard consists of leverets, 

 moles, and other small quadrupeds, especially mice, to which 

 it appears very partial ; it also eats reptiles, such as frogs, 

 lizards, &c, and insects. Birds constitute part of its food, 

 and in taking them it appears more enterprising than the 

 common buzzard, attacking, when pressed by hunger, wild 

 ducks and other birds of similar size. 



The habit of this bird of sitting with its feathers ruffled 

 gives it an appearance of greater size than it really possesses : 

 the length varies according to the sex, from twenty-one inches 

 to twenty-five. 



The Rough-legged Buzzard breeds in high northern cli- 

 mates, in Norway and other countries of similar latitude, 

 both in the old and in the new world. The nest has been 

 described by northern naturalists as greatly resembling that 

 of the common buzzard, and placed in a lofty forest tree. 

 The eggs are three in number, greenish white, with pale 

 brown spots. We have not been able to obtain a sight 

 of the eggs of this species, and are therefore indebted to a 

 foreign work by Dr. Thieneman for a representation of one. 



Although rather of uncommon occurrence in England, this 

 bird is very frequently met with on the Continent in a 

 similar latitude. Temminck speaks of it together with the 

 common buzzard as one of the most numerous species fre- 

 quenting his country ; we may therefore infer that its manner 

 of progressing in its migrations is by short journeys from 



