HONE V-B UZZARD. 
169 
In the "Zoologist" for 1862, W. Farren writes from 
Cambridge (" Note on the breeding of the Honey-Buzzard 
in the New Forest ") — I took a nest of this rare bird 
on the 2 1st June, 1859, and the female bird was shot as she 
rose from the nest. The nest was placed in the fork of an 
oak tree not more than twenty-five or thirty feet from the 
ground. I was informed by the gamekeeper that two or 
three years before the nest was a crow's, but on his shooting 
the rightful owner a pair of buzzards took to the nest, and 
had repaired it from year to year since. At the time 
I took the eggs the bottom part appeared very old, but 
had been repaired and lined with fresh green leaves of oak 
and beech. The old bird on leaving the nest went off 
very much in the style of a heron with the same heavy 
flapping sort of flight. On the hen bird being shot, the male, 
who was flying over the trees in the immediate neighbour- 
hood, rose to a great height in the air and kept hovering 
and flying round in circles, uttering a loud note similar to 
the common buzzard but somewhat hoarser. I obtained 
another pair of eggs in the same month and year. Last 
year I obtained another pair, and this year I have five 
eggs, three from one nest and two from the other. The 
three eggs were taken at intervals of three days between 
each ; the first, a large and fine coloured, though rather pale 
«igg> was taken on the 7th of June ; the next, a smaller and 
darker egg, on the loth ; the third, a very small and 
peculiarly coloured egg, on the 13th." (These are evidently 
the eggs referred to above by Wise.) 
" The nest of two eggs were taken on the 17th June, 
and are very dark and similar in shape to those of the 
peregrine ; and since my return home Mr. J. R. Wise 
has obtained two pairs of eggs, which he has sent me, 
together with an egg of the merlin, to blow for him." 
