372 CIRCUS CYANEUS. 



when a Partridge springs off, and he pursues it, with a rapid 

 gliding flight like that of the Sparrow Hawk ; but they have 

 turned to the right, and the wood conceals them from our view. 

 In the meantime, the female has sprung up, and advances, 

 keenly inspecting the ground, and so heedless of our presence 

 that she passes within twenty yards of us. Away she speeds, 

 and in passing the pool, again stoops, but recovers herself, and 

 rising in a beautiful curve, bounds over the plantation, and is 

 out of sight. 



The Hen-Harrier feeds upon small birds and the young of 

 larger, on young hares and rabbits, on mice, frogs, lizards, and 

 serpents. For the most part, it pounces upon its victims as 

 they repose on the ground ; but it also pursues birds in open 

 flight, and so far from confining itself to feeble game, as some 

 allege, it has been known to seize the red grouse, ptarmigan, 

 and partridge. Thus, my son, while searching for insects on 

 the Pentland Hills, in the summer of 1885, saw a pair when 

 flying low over the heath start a red grouse, which one of them 

 captured after a short chase ; and in September of the same 

 year, Mr Martin, gamekeeper to the Earl of Lauderdale, shot 

 a male as it was carrying off a bird of the same species. In 

 the crop of one examined by me I found the remains of a grey 

 ptarmigan, and several writers allege that it pursues not only 

 partridges, but teal. Mr Slaney, for example, states that they 

 " are very destructive to game. In shooting, the writer has 

 Been the hen-harrier dart at a partridge which his dogs put up, 

 and carry it off. By following the marauder some distance he 

 got the partridge, which was quite dead, with a very slight 

 mark on the head. Another day he shot the ring-tail, and on 

 examining the spot where the hawk got up, found a partridge 

 half devoured. This had been killed, as appeared by the fea- 

 thers, at a little distance, but carried to the edge of a plash of 

 water, where the plunderer had an opportunity of washing his 

 beak and claws betw^een every mouthful, and eating his quarry 

 like a gentleman ! — or rather, in this case, a lady." 



When flying from one place to another, without searching 

 the ground, it moves with considerable rapidity, at such a 

 height as to clear the trees and other elevated objects without 



