HARRIERS 23 



p. 312). Thompson, forty years ago, considered it 

 resident in Ireland, where he found it generally 

 distributed in suitable localities; and in 1885 Mr. 

 A. G. More wrote of this bird (" List of Irish 

 Birds"), "Still breeds in some of the bogs, espe- 

 cially in the midland counties and along the shores 

 of the Shannon." In Scotland it is much rarer, 

 but is believed to breed still in Aberdeenshire, 

 Perth, and Banff. An adult male was shot in the 

 parish of Kirkmichael, Dumfriesshire, early in May 

 1898, and was examined in the flesh by Mr. Robert 

 Service of Maxwelltown, who kindly informed me 

 of the fact. 



HEN HARRIER. Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus). Length, 

 $ 22 in.,? 21-5 in.; wing,^ 13-5 in.,? 15-15-5 in.; 

 tarsus, ^2-9 in., $ 3 in. 



A scarce local resident ; occurring as an autumnal 

 migrant in small numbers to the eastern counties. 

 Formerly in parts of Scotland it was one of the 

 commonest birds of prey, particularly in Sutherland, 

 Caithness, and about the Loch of Spynie in Elgin- 

 shire, as well as on Billie Mire in Berwickshire. 

 It is now nearly extinct. 



In an article entitled, "The Hen Harrier in 

 Lincolnshire Sixty Years xigo" (Field, Nov. 27, 

 1886), the Rev. Edward Elmhirst, of Shawell 

 Rectory, Rugby, has given a most interesting 

 account of the status of this bird in the parishes 

 of Market and Middle Rasen, Osgodby, Claxby, 

 and Usselby, where he lived from 1821 to 1825. 



