LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD. 95 
was a cricket. Mr. Elliott, who met with this species 
only in Guzerat, says:—‘This bird evidently preys on 
field-rats which abound in the sandy soil of this province. 
He is seen sitting on low trees, or bushes over the 
rat-burrows, and, watching his opportunity, darts down 
on his victim. In the stomach of one were the exuvie 
of a rat, and a large beetle.’” 
Mr. Hodgson writes:—“ These birds are very common 
in the central and northern hilly regions of Nepal, 
but I never procured one from below. It adheres to 
the woods when the crops are sup, but after harvest 
comes into the open country, and is seen perpetually 
perched on a clod and looking out for snakes, which 
constitute its chief food. It also preys on rats and 
mice, and on quails, snipes, and partridges, but is re- 
duced to take the birds on the ground. I have seen 
it, however, make a splendid stoop at a quail, which, 
after being flushed, chanced to alight on a bare spot, 
so as to be visible to the bird as he followed it with 
his eye on the wing, and marked it settle. Teal, and 
even ducks are frequently slain by our bird in the 
same way. If he can perceive them take wing, even 
at half a mile’s distance, he is up with them in an 
instant, and is sure to capture them, unless they are 
under cover in a moment after they touch the earth.” 
An adult male in the Norwich Museum has the 
head, nape, throat, belly, and under tail coverts dirty 
white, with ferruginous and brown markings on the 
head and neck. Thighs chesnut brown. Back light 
ferruginous, with dark centres to each feather. Upper 
wing coyerts hair-brown; primaries externally ash- 
brown, terminating in dark brown; the upper and 
imner half of each barb white. Tail feathers cinnamon 
brown, lighter in the centre, and barred slightly above, 
