KITE 389 



western Siberia, and including in winter India (where this bird occa- 

 sionally sta)'s to breed) and the greater part of Africa. As implied by 

 its ordinary name, the marsh-harrier — or moor-buzzard, as it used to be 

 called by the natives of the fens — is a denizen of marshy and swampy 

 low-lying tracts, and the draining of Whittlesea Mere, followed by that 

 of a large extent of the fens generally, was its death-knell as a 

 breeding species in England, although there are still areas in Norfolk 

 where it might to all appearance find suitable nesting-ground. At 

 the present day this handsome harrier cannot be regarded in the light 

 of other than a casual visitor to Great Britain, where it most commonly 

 makes its appearance in autumn. The draining of Whittlesea Mere 

 took place in 1851, and from that date onwards the marsh-harrier 

 appears to have abandoned its old nesting- resorts in the fens of 

 Cambridge and Huntingdon. In Norfolk, however, where it was quite 

 common during the first quarter of last century, it continued to nest 

 in certain localities so late as 1866. A nest was also recorded from 

 North Wales in 1877. In Scotland it is extremely doubtful if the 

 species ever bred. On the other hand, in the bogs of part of Galway 

 and the central districts of Ireland the marsh-harrier, although in 

 greatly diminished numbers, is still a resident, and probably a breeding, 

 species. In August, unfortunately, it displays a tendency to forsake 

 its nesting-haunts for lakes and rivers where water-fowl are abundant, 

 and it is there it most frequently falls to the shot of the irresponsible 

 gunner. The British Museum possesses eggs from Hickling Broad, 

 Norfolk, Whittlesea Mere, and the neighbourhood of Oxford — the last 

 taken in July. 



Although usually frequenting marshy tracts or the borders of large 

 pieces of water, the marsh-harrier may at times be seen beating over 

 open grass plains ; and while its habits are in general very similar to 

 those of its smaller relatives, it occasionally essays soaring flights in 

 buzzard-fashion. Frogs, fishes, insects, small birds, and eggs constitute 

 its usual diet, although when opportunity occurs it will make a meal 

 off a wounded partridge, even if too large to be carried away. The 

 nest is made of grass or straw in reed-brakes, and the four or five eggs 

 are of the usual harrier-type, with a length of 2 and a breadth of 

 i^ inches. 



...^ After an interregnum of ten years the kite in the 



Kite ^ ^ . -^ . , 



.„., ,. . summer of 1905, owmg to special protection, once 



more successfully reared its young in its last British 



stronghold amonsf the mountains of South Wales, where two broods of 



