on Spanish Ornithology. 97 



the upper coverts. Many of tlie young of the Marsh- Harrier 

 are uniformly very dark, almost black, with rich orange 

 crowns, strikingly handsome birds. Some have also patches 

 of the latter colour on the scapulars, others on the breast ; 

 but they vary greatly, no two are alike. Indeed^ I hardly 

 understand this species. One imagines that the dark speci- 

 mens are all young birds, that the old females are lighter 

 brown with yellow heads, and that the very old males acquire 

 half-blue wings and tail. I shot one of these latter with 

 the head pure white, each feather streaked centrally with 

 black. But can any one account for an individual (otherwise 

 uniformly black) having a perfectly developed blue tail and 

 secondaries ? During June I was surprised to find the 

 Green Sandpiper tolerably numerous in the Goto de Donana; 

 it was a very solitary species, a single bird frequenting each 

 water-hole far out among the scrub. I at first imagined that 

 the females must be sitting ; but all efforts to find a nest were 

 of course futile. Of the Wood-Sandpiper a single example 

 occurred in the middle of May. 



June 15th. A solitary Black Vulture ( Vultur cinereus) ob- 

 served sitting on a dead tree in the Goto de Donana. I also saw 

 this species in the sierra, where they breed sporadically, a single 

 pair sometimes appearing to ally themselves to a colony of 

 Griffons. The Sardinian Starling {Sturnus unicolor) was 

 abundant, in flocks, in June. 



The following remarks refer to a few other species ob- 

 served, but which have not been mentioned in the narrative : — 



Elanus melanopterus . Observed what I believe to have 

 been a pair of this species above San Lucar in April. The 

 male fell to a long shot, but subsequently rose again and 

 escaped. 



Accipiter nisiis. Observed a few times, and one or two 

 shot : not common. Of the Goshawk and Honey-Buzzard, 

 I saw nothing. 



Asio otus and A. brachyotus. Both species observed in 

 winter. 



Alcedo ispida. More numerous in Portugal than in Spain. 



Gallinula chloropus. Abundant and resident. Its Portu- 



SER. V. VOL. II. H 



