250 MR. J. II. GURNEY ON A FEMALE PERNIS APIVORUS. 
On September 24tli in that year, a Honey Buzzard was 
observed attacking a Wasps’ nest in a liedge-bank at] Soutbrepp.s, 
where it had excavated a hollow large enough to contain itself 
during the process of scratching out the Wasps’ nest. A farm 
labourer drove this bird away from the Wasps’ nest seven or eight 
times, but it persistently returned, till the man put a rabbit-trap in 
the hole that it had dug out and speedily captured it. 
But little injury was caused by the traji, and the Honey Buzzard 
was purchased by me four days after it was caught, and remained 
in my possession till its death on March 6th, 1886. It was a 
remarkably tame bird ; as an instance of which, I may mention 
that, after it had accidentally esca^ied from captivity, about two 
months subsequent to its original capture, it allowed itself to be 
caught again by the hand, though it had the full use of its wings, 
on the man -who usually fed it offering it a meal of its accustomed 
food. 
During the time the bird Avas in my possession it was chiefly 
fed upon Eats ; but its most favourite food consisted of Wasp 
Grubs, which it extracted from the comb with great avidity, 
and with which I caused it to bo well supplied whenever they 
were to be had. In the spring it fed largely on Sparrows’ eggs, 
besides which its food was varied with Erogs and Mice. Its 
health always appeared to be good, and it was plump, and even fat 
when it died. Its death took place on March 6th last, which was a 
very cold day : it appeared perfectly well in the morning, but was 
found dead in its cage in the afternoon. 
The colour of the plumage of this specimen, when first caught, 
and perhaps still more conclusively, that of the iris, indicated that 
it was a young bird, hatched during the spring of 1881. The 
irides, when tlie bird first came into my possession, were a very 
dark brown, as also was the entire plumage ; the latter, however, 
being somewhat glossed with purplish reflections on the mantle. 
By the latter part of January, 1882, the scajmlars had become 
slightly paler, and the inner webs of the greater and median 
wing-coverts decidedly so ; the irides had also slightly changed, 
having lost a little of their intensely dark brown colour and 
having acquired a tinge of bluish. On April 1st, 1882, I noted 
some further progress in these changes ; by that time the irides 
had assumed a greyish-yellow stone-colour, and the general plumage. 
