2 
COMMON BUZZARD. 
stocked with rabbits. Having placed a trap baited with a blue hare on a small pile of stones, a watch was 
kept ; and in twenty-four hours three young Buzzards were taken, in addition to a cat and a stoat. 
This species, I am of opinion, docs but little harm to game. It has been stated by some writers who are 
considered good authorities that it will take young Grouse and Partridges; but, according to my own 
experience, the damage caused in this manner must be exceedingly slight. When in the neighbourhood 
of their breeding-quarters I always carefully searched the ground in order to discover on what they had 
been feeding. Scattered over the grassy slopes and on the nearest ledges I have found the remains of hare- 
and rabbit-fur, and at times some portions of skins that appeared to have belonged to moles and mice. In 
no single instance have I detected feathers, either in the vicinity of the nest or in their castings. A wounded 
or diseased bird, I have but little doubt, would prove acceptable ; but that they would tackle a strong and 
healthy Grouse, or even the young that were not deprived of the protection of either one or both of their 
parents, must, I should imagine, be of rare occurrence. In most districts where the Buzzard still survives, 
blue hares or rabbits are numerous, and in some cases so abundant as to be a nuisance ; in these parts, at 
any rate, it is a pity that the bird should be exterminated. Scientific naturalists condemn keepers for 
destroying this species ; it ought, however, to be borne in mind that these men arc bound to set traps, in order 
to keep down Crows, stoats, and other vermin ; and, whether they desire it or not, the Buzzard, owing to the 
manner in which it procures its food, is almost sure to offer itself as the first victim. It is, I am aware, 
possible to conduct the extermination of vermin, by judiciously placed traps and the occasional use of 
the gun, in such a manner that none but the guilty are destroyed; but such accurate knowledge of the 
habits of all birds and beasts of prey is, I am afraid, more than can be reasonably expected of the majority 
of gamekeepers. 
I am ignorant of the age at which this species acquires the perfect adult plumage. The difference 
between the young and the mature specimens I have obtained is not striking; and the Plates will show 
the two stages far better than I am able to describe them. The immature bird was trapped in September 
1865, and the adult male shot at its nesting-quarters a few years later, both specimens being obtained in the 
Highlands. The old male, when fresh killed, was remarkably brightly coloured, parts of the breast and flanks 
being deeply tinted with reddish brown. I noticed after a few years that its plumage had faded considerably ; 
and the artist has been forced to rely somewhat on a rough sketch I made myself, in order to produce his 
drawing. The female was by no means so richly marked, and much resembled the immature specimen. 
Though none have fallen to my own exertions, I have seen many young birds, in very curious stages of 
plumage, that have recently been shot or trapped by keepers. Several specimens were of a uniform dark-brown 
or chocolate colour, in others a pale red or cinnamon was the pervading tint. During the last few years these 
varieties appear to have occurred more frequently. I never remember to have seen a single specimen, either 
old or young, on wing in the Highlands that approached these birds in colour ; and from the fact that all I 
examined were procured in either Norfolk or Sussex or the adjoining counties, it is possible that they are 
all foreign bred. Should, however, dark-coloured birds have been obtained breeding in some parts of the 
British Islands, my supposition that these varieties arc all from the north of Europe at once falls to 
the ground. 
An extract from my notes referring to the capture of the male represented in the Plate will supply some 
information as to the unsuspicious character of the bird and the rapidity with which a mate is at times 
procured when one is lost. On this occasion, in little over half an hour after the death of the male, the 
1 emalc was calmly seated on her eggs, with a fresh partner quietly perched on a stump within a few feet 
of her nest. 
“ May 30. Started early from the inn, in a downpour of rain, to make our way to the glen where the 
Buzzard was supposed to be breeding. 1 have had many a tramp through dull and dreary wastes ; but I 
