AXD NEIGHBOURHOOD. 41 



12. HONEY-BUZZARD. 



Pernis apivorus. 



I feel no doubt that tliis is the second species of 

 Buzzard mentioned by the ancient gamekeepers, as I 

 have stated, as formerly common and breeding in the 

 Avoods of our northern division. The Kite was, of 

 course, well known to them, and from its colour and 

 forked tail there could be no mistake ; the Rough- 

 legged Buzzard is an autumnal visitor, and when it 

 does visit us almost always keeps to the most open 

 country it can find, whilst the present species is a 

 regular summer migrant to most parts of Earope, and 

 has bred, to my knowledge, in this county, as I have 

 a specimen kindly presented by the Rev. W. Finch 

 Hatton, which was shot, with another, from a nest 

 containing four eggs in Core Thick, near Weldon, 

 in the summer of 1843 or 1841. I saw another of 

 these birds stuffed at Wansford, which was shot in 

 that neighbourhood many years ago ; and there is, or 

 was, another in the possession of Mr. T. Sharman, of 

 Benefield Grange, which was shot in that neighbour- 

 hood in 1862. 



I have never seen this bird alive in this country, 

 except in captivity, but in some parts of the continent 

 it may be called abundant as a summer visitor, and I 

 once witnessed the passage of many hundreds over 

 the Straits of Gibraltar, on their travels southwards, 

 in the month of September 1856. We were becalmed 

 off Europa Point, and from about mi c day till dusk 

 these birds kept passing in small flocks of from five 

 or six to eighty at intervals of a few minutes, at no 

 very great height, though generally out of gunshot. 



