140 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



6, HONEY BUZZARD. 



Perm's apivorus, Linn. 



Bi wrak, (Sweden). 



La bondree, ) ,y , 

 Buse bondree, \ ' 



Wespen-busard, (Germany). 

 Bod-y-mel (Anct. Britain). 

 Apivorus. — From Apis (L.), a bee; voro 

 (L.) I devour. 



Size. — Length of male nearly 2 ft. ; ex- 

 panse of wings 4 ft. Female from 2 to 3 

 inches longer each way. 



Plumage. — This bird varies much in 

 plumage, the under parts of some being 

 nearly white, while others are a brownish 

 color, more or less barred. 

 The adult male has the front of the head 

 clothed with small closely set ash grey 

 feathers ; crown and nape yellowish, or 



Naturalist," edited by Beverly R. Morris, 

 j Vol. II, p. 168. It was in the collection of 

 I the late Mr. Allis, of York ; and was killed 

 ! near Bridlington. A similar one, but with 

 j more white about the head is figured by Mr. 

 I Hancock in the work referred to above. 

 I The Note has been described as a plain- 

 j tive whistle, resembling that of the Golden 

 I Plover. 



I Flight. — On the wing this bird glides! 

 I softly and swiftly through the air, generally 

 I flying low. 



Migration. — Hancock says that this bird 



arrives on our coast in May, and departs in 



August, September, and October, the old 



birds leaving first. 



Food. — Honey, and the larvae of bees 



and wasps is the natural food of this species. 



It robs the nests of these insects with im- 



-hiti- 



h, each feather having a brown centre, j punitVi tearing the comb in pieces, and eating 



Back and wings brown ; throat, breast, and j 

 under parts yellowish white, each feather j 

 being more or less streaked longitudinally on 

 the throat, and transversally on the breast 

 with brown bars ; tail with three or four 

 brown bars ; bill brown color ; cere, eyes, 

 and feet yellow. Some have the upper part 

 of the head blue, forming a cap, and is then 

 called the Capped Buzzard. 



The female may be distinguished by 

 being larger, and .generally not having the 

 ashy grey in front of the head. The figure is 

 from a specimen in my father's possession, 

 killed at Storthes Hall, near Huddersfield. 

 When immature both sexes have the front 

 of the head buff, and the eyes not so clear a 

 yellow as in the adults. 



The young have the top of the head form- 

 ing a cap of a dark cream color ; the rest of 

 the body white. Mr. Bond has the nestling 

 young in his collection. 



Varieties of this species sometimes occur 

 of an entire brown. A figure (pi. 6, fig. 2) is 

 given from Hancock's " Birds of North- 

 umberland and Durham;" and Mr. Bond 

 has another similar specimen. Others are 

 very pale, especially on the under parts. I 

 have copied a figure (pi. 6, fig. 3) from " The 



the honey and grubs. It will also devour 

 other insects, eggs of small birds, and reptiles 

 One which was killed in Ireland had its face 

 smeared with cow's dung, and in its stomac 

 was found the remains of coleoptera, an 

 J other insects, which, in all probability, it had 

 j been extracting from the dung. Others have 

 been observed flying over sheets of water, 

 j and have been seen to take dragon flies in 

 their claws, and convey them to their mouth. 

 Insects seem to be the proper food of this 

 species, though, when driven by hunger, 

 small animals such as rats, mice, and moles 

 are attacked. Young birds have also been) 

 taken from the stomach upon dissection ; the 

 one figured had in it the remains of young 

 thrushes. 



In confinement it may be treated as other 

 birds of prey. One in Mr. Hancock's posses-] 

 sion ate strawberry jam sweetened, with 

 apparently as much relish a^ if it had bnem> 

 its natural food, honey. 



Habitat. — The Honey Buzzard has been 

 frequently met with of late years in England. 

 In the New Forest, and other wooded dis- 

 tricts in the south, it is by no means so rare 

 a bird, as generally supposed, and specimens 



