THE BACHA.
The BACHA (Spilornis Bacha), the species we select as an example of this group, is described by Le Vaillant as from twenty-two to twenty-four inches long, of which ten belong to the tail. The plumage is a dusky greyish brown, darkest upon the upper parts of the body; all the feathers upon the borders of the wings, lower portion of the breast, belly, and legs are marked with three or four round, white spots, standing out, by contrast, very distinctly from the dark body; the wings are blackish brown, and the feathers upon their covers bordered with greyish white; the crest is white, tipped with black, as are also the feathers on the brow. The eye is brownish red, the cere and feet yellow, and the beak greyish blue.
The Bacha is found throughout the interior of Southern Africa, Java, Nepaul, and China. According to Le Vaillant, it frequents the most barren and mountainous districts of the countries it inhabits, subsisting upon a variety of small quadrupeds, reptiles, and insects. It passes a solitary life, after the manner of our Buzzard, and is but rarely met with. The voice of this species is very melancholy. The breeding season commences in December; the eyrie, which is most carelessly constructed, is placed in holes of rocks, and usually contains from two to three eggs. Bernstein tells us that such of these birds as inhabit Java live upon the outskirts of the woods, or amongst the groups of trees growing near the villages. In such localities the nest is also built, a thickly-foliaged tree being usually selected for the purpose. The same author describes the eggs as being of a dull white, marked with irregular streaks and spots of reddish brown, which usually lie thickest towards the two ends.
Other species of Crested Buzzards are met with in the Philippine Islands, Ceylon, and India.
THE HONEY BUZZARD.
The HONEY BUZZARD, or WASP KITE (Pernis apivorus) may be regarded as forming the connecting link between the Buzzards and True Kites. In this bird the body, wings, tail, and beak are long, the latter, moreover, is shallow, weak, and but slightly curved towards its tip; the third quill of the wings exceeds the others in length, and the cheek-stripes are covered with short, stiff feathers; the plumage of this species is also harsher, and lies closer than that of the Buzzards above described. Its length is from twenty-three to twenty-four inches, its breadth fifty-two to fifty-four inches; the wing measures fifteen, and the tail nine inches. The plumage varies very considerably, both in its colour and markings, and it is, therefore, difficult to make any decided statements on these points. The male is sometimes of an uniform brown, the tail alone being adorned with three large and several small stripes; the head is greyish blue; sometimes, however, we find the upper parts of the body brown, and the lower spotted more or less with white; or the feathers on these portions white, with brown spots and streaks upon the shafts. The young are usually brown or yellowish brown, the feathers having dark shafts, except those on the nape, which are light. The eye is either golden, or of a silvery whiteness; the beak is black, the cere bright yellow, and the feet lemon colour.
The Honey Buzzard inhabits all the southern and central countries of Southern Europe, and during the course of its migrations frequently journeys as far as Western Africa. In disposition it is cowardly, dull, and indolent; its movements have been described in such contradictory terms, that we can scarcely imagine them to be applied to the same species; according, however, to our own observations, its flight is light and beautiful, it can rise to a great height, and describes an endless variety of evolutions in the air; like most of its congeners, it runs well, and often pursues its prey upon the ground. Its voice is monotonous, and its call-note sometimes prolonged for whole minutes at a time. The food of this species differs from that of any other Bird of Prey, for it lives principally upon wasp-grubs, very carefully avoiding such as are full-grown, and, therefore, protected by their sting. It also devours beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, frogs, mice, and rats; and will frequently linger near a Hawk until the latter has finished its meal, in the hope of securing what is left. During the summer it occasionally eats various kinds of berries.
The eyrie is usually placed at no great height, upon the branches of some sturdy beech or oak; pines and fir-trees being but rarely resorted to. The nest, which the bird is at no pains to conceal, is carelessly constructed of dry twigs, so lightly thrown together that the brood is often visible through its walls. The eggs, from two to four in number, are sometimes round, sometimes oval; the shell is more or less smooth, and either yellowish red or brownish white, marbled with lines of different tints, which, like the colour, are so very variable that any description of them would be useless. The young are reared upon caterpillars, flies, and other insects, with which they are supplied from the crops of the parent birds; at a later period they are fed upon honeycombs, filled with bee-grubs, also upon frogs, birds, and other substantial diet.
Behrends relates the following facts to prove how tame the Honey Buzzard may become: "My bird," he says, "before it had been many weeks in the house, learnt to attach itself not only to certain individuals of the family, but to my dogs, towards one of the latter, in particular, it exhibited great affection, following it about, and perching close to it whilst it slept. This bird was allowed to run at large about the house, and never found a door standing open without calling loudly until it was shut. It answered to the name of 'Jack,' but would only come at my call when hungry, or in a particularly good humour. I have seen it spring on to a lady's lap or shoulder, and play with her hair by drawing a lock through its beak, at the same time uttering a piping kind of cry; it would also raise its wing in order to be scratched, a performance that it much enjoyed. When hungry it used to rush screaming through the house until it found my maid, upon whose dress it clambered in its energetic endeavours to have its wants attended to. If not immediately satisfied its cries became frightful, and it would assume a very pugnacious attitude, as though it would say, 'You had better be careful how you trifle with me.' Bread and milk was the diet it preferred, but it would eat meat, porridge, and potatoes; wasps it merely killed, without eating them. 'Jack' was extremely susceptible to cold, and would hide near the stove during the winter, remaining very quiet, as he knew well that his presence in our sitting-room was against rules. His general demeanour somewhat resembled that of a Crow, his movements were slow and deliberate, and it was only when alarmed or pursued that he sought safety by taking a series of short jumps. I only succeeded in keeping him for three years."