HEN-HARRIER. 309 



the mature birds, but in their first year they are dark chocolate- 

 brown, as shown on the plate, with paler heads. There may 

 be only a yellowish-white spot on the n pe, or the crown, nape, 

 chin and cheeks be buff, creamy or almost white. The female 

 is the larger bird. Male: Length, 21*5 ins. Wing, 16 ins. 

 Tarsus, 3-4 ins. Female : Length, 24 ins. Wing, 1675 i^s. 

 Tarsus, y^ ins. 



Hen-Harrier. Circus cyaneus (Linn.). 



The Hen-Harrier (Plate 127) is in most part of its European 

 and northern Asiatic range a migratory bird ; it winters in 

 north Africa and India. Most of those which, from time to 

 time, appear in the British Isles are birds of passage in spring 

 and autumn, although some twenty or thirty years ago it was 

 known to nest in many parts of the four kingdoms. So large 

 and conspicuous a bird could not exist where game-preservation 

 was keen, and nowadays it is doubtful if, as a breeding species, 

 it exists anywhere except in the Orkneys, Outer Hebrides and 

 perhaps Ireland. 



Although wandering birds, mostly immature, are met with in 

 wooded districts, the usual haunts of the Hen-Harrier are moor- 

 lands, hillsides^ marshes and open wastes. When seen at close 

 quarters the white patch above the tail is noticeable. The 

 silvery grey dress of the male and the black primaries might be 

 confused with those of Montagu's Harrier, but the under parts 

 of the Hen-Harrier are unstreaked and there is no dark bar on 

 the wing. The barred or " ringed " tail of the female is a good 

 but not distinctive character. Sharing with other Harriers the 

 habit of closely and diligently quartering the ground with 

 buoyant easy flight, the Hen-Harrier miore frequently interrupts 

 its progress by hovering, though not like the Kestrel. The 

 wings beat more slowly and the pose is different ; when I have 

 seen this hover the tail has not been spread, though when the 



