320 MONTAGUS HARRIER. 



six examples have been obtained since 1849, from co. Dublin south- 

 ward ; one of these on May 21st, one on July 3rd, and the others 

 in autumn. 



The St. Petersburg district and the Gulf of Finland appear to 

 mark the extreme northern breeding-limits of this Harrier ; but it is 

 abundant in summer in Central and Southern Russia, and on the 

 steppes of the latter a few remain throughout the winter. It seldom 

 visits Heligoland, and is not numerous in Denmark or Northern 

 Germany ; but to the central and southern districts of the latter it is 

 a regular visitor, arriving in March and leaving in October ; while in 

 Holland, Belgium, and many parts of France it is more or less 

 common ; large flocks often congregating at the time of migration. 

 A considerable number breed in the Spanish Peninsula and other 

 parts of the south of Europe, passing through in autumn and again 

 in spring, and many are killed in Malta on their migrations to and 

 from Africa. Montagu's Harrier also nests in Morocco and Algeria, 

 while in winter it visits the Canaries and occurs in Africa as far 

 south as Cape Colony. In Asia its range extends to Turkestan and 

 the south-west of Siberia in summer, and to India, Ceylon and 

 Burma in winter. 



The nest is ofcen a mere hollow lined with dry grass and bordered 

 with twigs, in the middle of a small clearing in gorse or heather, 

 and, on the Continent, in a field of grain ; but in the fens it is more 

 substantially built of sedge. The 4-5 eggs, laid at intervals of two 

 or three days, towards the end of May, are usually pale bluish-white, 

 but sometimes spotted with reddish-brown : measurements, 1 7 by 

 1-3 in. I never found the male bird on the nest. Like other 

 Harriers, this species eats small mammals and birds, but its food 

 consists principally of grass-snakes, vipers, lizards and other reptiles, 

 large insects, such as grasshoppers and locusts, and, during the season, 

 eggs of ground-nesting birds. From the crop of a male I once took 

 two unbroken eggs of the Crested Lark, and the crushed remains of 

 others. The flight is very light and elegant. 



The adult male has the upper parts slate-grey, with a black bar 

 across the secondaries ; tail-feathers greyish, with five dark bars, 

 except on the middle pair ; throat and breast ash-grey ; lower parts 

 white streaked with rufous. Varieties ranging to an entirely sooty- 

 black are not uncommon in this sex, but rare in the female. The 

 latter is usually brown above, and buffish-white streaked with rufous- 

 brown below ; the young are similar, but almost chestnut on the 

 under parts. Length: male about 18 in., wing 14 in.; female 

 19-25 in., wing 15-4 in. 



