310 CIRCUS CYANEUS. 



marked in the description of the American birds. The 

 young are well supplied with food, I believe by both 

 parents, though I have only seen the female in atten- 

 aance ; and I have found in and near the nest the com- 

 mon small lizard, stone- chats, and young grous. 



" When the young are perfectly grown, they, with 

 the old birds, leave the high country, and return to 

 tlieir old haunts, hunting with regularity the fields of 

 grain, and now commit great havock among the young 

 game. At night they seem to have general roosting 

 places, either among whins or long heath, and always 

 on some open spot of ground. On a moor of consider- 

 able extent I have seen seven in the space of one acre. 

 They began to approach the sleeping ground about 

 sunset ; and, before going to roost, hunted the whole 

 moor, crossing each other, often three or four in view 

 at a time, gliding along in the same manner as that de- 

 scribed by Dr Richardson of the C. americanus. Half 

 an hour may be spent in this way. When they ap- 

 proach the roost they skim three or four times over it, 

 to see that there is no interruption, and then at once 

 drop into the spot. These places are easily found in 

 the day ; and the birds may be caught by placing a 

 common rat-trap, or they may be shot in a moonlight 

 night. In both ways I have procured many specimens." 



The eggs vary from three to five, and are of a broad- 

 ly elliptical form, one inch and nine-twelfths long, one 

 and five-twelfths broad, and of a bluish-white colour, 

 sometimes faintly dotted with brown. 



Young fledged The young, which are at first co- 

 vered with white down, are, when fully fledged, as fol •■ 



