/ 



Mr. Montagu's Remarks on Falco cyanem, $c 133 



he resided, had actually shot both these birds from the same 

 nest, and that they had both been preserved in one ease, and 

 were in the General's possession. That my friend gave implicit 

 credit to the keeper's assertion I could not have the least doubt; 

 but as I had been assured from another quarter, that not only 

 the male and female Hen Harrier had been shot, which belonged 

 to the same nest, but that the young which could just fly wore 

 also killed, and were of the same cinereous-gray colour as the 

 parent birds ; Who, perplexed with such opposite assertions ; 

 could determine? But, to close this discordancy, J shall tran- 

 scribe a passage from the latest publication on ornithology ex- 

 clusively, that has appeared in this country, except the Second 

 Supplement to the General Synopsis. The author's words are 

 these: "It has been supposed that this and the following (re- 

 lating to the two birds in question) are male and female; but 

 the repeated instances of Hen Harriers of both sexes havino- 

 been seen, leave it beyond all doubt, that they constitute two 

 distinct species." 



Such a strong unqualified assertion appearing on public re^ 

 cord, stamped with the authority of the author without refe- 

 rence to the nature of the proof, should seem to proceed from per- 

 sonal knowledge ; and as the only positive proof to be obtained 

 in such case is by dissection, it might naturally be presumed 

 that the author had really determined this long desideratum 

 by the knife. 



That male Ringtails have frequently occurred has been well 

 and repeatedly authenticated, but no well attested fact of a fe- 

 male Hen Harrier is, I believe, to be found. Those who have 

 formed their own opinions upon this subject will not readily 

 adopt that of another, without direct and incontrovertible 

 proof; and since there are two opposite opinions founded equally 



upon 



