HONE Y-n UZ/.ARD. 
165 
buzzard by its hawk-like appearance, small head, wings 
not so blunt, and longer tail. This specimen contained 
in its craw some limbs of frogs and many gray snails 
without shells. The irides of the eyes of this bird were 
of a beautiful bright yellow colour." 
We read in his MS. Journal: — "June, 1781, the male 
still haunts about the hanger, and on sunny mornings 
soars above the hill to inhale the coolness of the upper 
air." And on September 12th, 1787 : — " A pair of honey 
buzzards appear to have young in the hanger. The honey 
buzzard is a fine hawk, and skims about in a majestic 
manner." 
In his " Observations on Birds " he writes : — " .... I 
have often wondered that the accurate Mr. Ray should 
call one species of buzzard, Buteo apivoriis sive vespivorus:, 
the honey buzzard, because some combs of wasps happened 
to be found in one of their nests. The combs were conveyed 
thither doubtless, for the sake of the maggots or nymphs, 
and not for their honey, since none is to be found in 
the combs of wasps." With regard to this observation 
Markwick remarks that Ray expressly says that " it feeds 
on insects, and brings up its young with the maggots or 
nymphs of wasps." 
The description of the honey-buzzard in Montagu's 
Ornithological Dictionary (1802), is from a specimen, 
supposed to have been a female, which was killed in 
Highclere Park ; it was skimming over a piece of water 
when shot. 
In Lord Malmesbury's collection at Heron Court there 
is a specimen which was shot at Park Place in 1810 ; there 
were two seen, probably male and female, but only this one 
procured. 
Wise in his " New Forest ; its History and its Scenery," 
o 
