BUZZARD. 



67 



and it possesses the power of imitating the notes of many of the smaller 

 birds, which it is said to use for the purpose of decoying them to their 

 destruction. Its favourite haunts are wooded and inclosed situations. 

 It is extremely courageous, attacking birds much its superior in size; and 

 will not allow a hawk, crow, or magpie to approach its haunts with 

 impunity. Its legs and talons are slender and weak, and are never 

 used in tearing up its prey ; this is effected by the bill, which is thick, 

 and furnished with very powerful muscles ; and in this respect it 

 strikingly differs from the rapacious order.* 



BUTEO (Auctores.) — A genus thus characterised. Bill of mean 

 length, somewhat weak ; nostrils somewhat rounded ; shanks short ; shins 

 plated with scales ; the fourth quill the longest in the wing. — Vigors. 



BUTTER BUMP.— A name for the Bittern. 



BUTTERFLIP. — A name for the Avoset. 



BUZZARD {Buteo vulgaris, Fleming.) 



*Falco Buteo, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 127 Faun. Suec. No. 60.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 265. 



sp. 15.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. p. 23.— Raii, Syn. p. 16. A. l.—Will. p. 38. t. 6. 1 . 

 — Midler, No. 64. — Brus. 1. p. 406. — Buteo vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 54. — 

 Falco communis fuscus, Gmel. Syst. p. 270. sp. 86. — Falco variegatus, Gmel. 

 Syst. 1. p. 267. sp. 78.— Ind. Orn. 1. p. 24. 48.— La Buse, Temm. Man. 

 d'Orn. l.p.63 — Buff. Ois.l.p.206. t.8.— Ib. pi. Enl. 419.— Mouse Falk, Mei/er, 

 Yog. Deut. Heft 14.— Frisch, Vog. Deut.t. 74. — Falco Albidus, Gmel. Syst. 1. 

 p. 267. sp. 49. white variety. — Common Buzzard, Br. Zool. 1. No. 54. t. 25. — 

 lb. fol. t. A. 3.— Arct. Zool. p. 224. 1. — Wilt. (Ang.) p. 70.— Lath. Syn. 1. 

 p. 48.-76. Sup. p. 14.— Mont. Orn. Diet.— Ib. Suy.—Lewin's Br. Birds. 1. 1. 6. 

 — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 6.— Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 109.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. 15.— 

 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 3. — Falco Gallinarius, Gmel. Syst. p. 266. — Selby, pi. 6. 



p. 18. 8vo. p. 19 Ash-coloured Buzzard, Arct. Zool. 2. No. 103. — Lath. 1. p. 



55. — Falco cinereus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 267. — Greater Buzzard, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 

 49. — Spotted Buzzard. Lath. Syn. 1. p. 49. — Buzzardet, Perm, Arct. Zool. 2. No. 

 109. — Speckled Buzzard, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 97. 



Provincial. — Puttock. Wood Buzzard.* 



This species is subject to great variety in plumage ; the males are 



generally of a lighter colour than the other sex, and the irides seem 



to correspond, having seen some almost grey upon the back and 



wings, whose irides were light grey. The one now before us is a 



female ; weight thirty-eight ounces, length one foot nine inches, breadth 



four feet one inch. The bill is black, bluish towards the base ; cere 



yellow ; irides yellow hazel ; the upper part of the head, cheeks, and 



upper part of the breast, light rust-colour ; the middle of the feathers 



dark brown ; the lower breast blotched with yellowish white ; the 



throat and back of the head white, streaked with yellowish brown ; the 



back of neck, scapulars, and coverts of the wings, tipped and edged 



on the two last with pale rust-colour, and dirty white ; belly white, 



sparingly spotted with rust-colour ; the thighs rusty brown, barred 



f 2 



