MONTAGU'S HARRIER 155 



birds. Its other food includes mice, moles, frogs, 

 grasshoppers, locusts, snakes, and lizards — a bill of 

 fare that bears eloquent testimony to the bird's 

 usefulness to man. The breeding season of Mon- 

 tagu's Harrier is in May. The nest is invariably 

 made upon the ground, and as certain localities 

 are used annually the probability is the birds pair 

 for life. A bare spot amongst the heath or furze 

 is usually selected, and here a slight nest of straws 

 or dry grass surrounded with a few twigs is 

 formed, the whole usually being arranged in some 

 slight hollow. The eggs vary from four to six, 

 and are pale bluish white, occasionally with a few 

 rusty brown markings. These eggs are apparently 

 laid at intervals of a few days, but the bird begins 

 to sit as soon as the first is laid. Incubation seems 

 to be performed by the female alone. Saunders 

 relates that a female flushed from her nest in the 

 Isle of Wight flew away in ever widening circles, 

 and returned in a similar circuitous manner, until 

 close to her home she dropped upon it with closed 

 wings. During the breeding season this Harrier 

 may often be seen playing and toying with its 

 mate high in air. 



The adult male Montagu's Harrier has the 

 general colour of the plumage grey, with black 



