47 
tall slender beech, near the middle of Sel- 
borne-hanger, in the summer of 1780. In 
the middle of the month of June, a boy 
climbed this tree, though standing on so 
steep and dizzy a situation, and brought 
down an egg, the only one in the nest, which 
had been sat on for some time, and contain- 
ed the embryo of a young bird. The egg 
was smaller and not so round as those of the 
common buzzard, was dotted at each end 
with small red spots, and surrounded in the 
middle with a broad bloody zone." 
Bewick says, the eggs are of an ash co- 
lour, with small brown spots. 
It feeds its young with the larve of wasps, 
and perhaps with that of bees. 
It does not soar high like the kite, but 
flies from tree to tree and from bush to bush. 
This bird varies considerably in the mark- 
ings of the plumage, and appears to be a 
rare species in this country. Willughby 
says, that it feeds on wasp-maggots, as well 
as on frogs and lizards. 
A bird, apparently of this species, was 
observed, some years since (by an intelligent 
observer of nature), skimming over the water 
