Rough-legged Buzzard in Essex. 63
There is yet another rare bird of which I may give a
notice, but only a brief one at this time : it is the Rough-
legged Buzzard, which was shot by Mr. David Christy, of
Patching Hall, near Chelmsford, on December 19th, 1879.
The bird first appeared about the beginning of the
month, and from that time forward was constantly seen
frequenting the meadows and fields by the side of the river
belonging to the Patching Hall and Gutter's Farms, Broom-
field, but I was not successful in getting a sight of it.
Considering that a bird equalling it in size is but seldom
seen here, I do not think it was very frequently noticed,
although it seemed to keep to this one spot, and I did not
hear of its being seen elsewhere. On one occasion it was
fired at, but not hurt, by a relative of mine, as it was
hunting a wild duck he had wounded.
During the severe frost about the above date, the ring-
doves, being pressed for food, were doing great damage to
the cabbages and rubi, and more than once the buzzard
was observed perched on the same tree with a number of
these birds—indeed, it was its acquaintance with them that
brought about its death, for on the morning it was killed
my uncle had gone out early to shoot ringdoves, and had
scarcely put down a couple of decoy birds and secreted
himself in his hut before the Buzzard came and perched
over his head.
On dissection, I found it to be a female bird, with
nothing in its stomach, probably accounted for by the
early hour of the day at which it was shot. That
it had, in some way or other, contrived to live uncommonly
well was beyond all doubt, for I do not ever remember
opening any bird having about it such a quantity of fat.
at last shot, on the 6th of February, 1880, by his foreman. I have
had the pleasure of examining this specimen also, and find that both
in size and colouring it almost precisely resembles Mr. Smoothy's
bird, but is not quite so brightly marked. The flesh of this one was
found to be very palatable by our worthy member Mr. Travis, but
that of the Woodham bird was thought but lightly of, I may add
that Mr. Travis says that he still knows a very aged man at Saffron
Walden who can remember seeing bustards sitting on their nests on
Newmarket Heath.