320 CIRCUS CINERACEUS. 



the secondary quills the darkest, and all more or less 

 tipped with ferruginous, except on the upper part of 

 the back, and those on the back of the neck are deeply 

 margined with that colour ; the lower part of the rump, 

 and coverts of the tail, white, with a few streaks of 

 bright ferruginous ; the lesser coverts of the wings are 

 deeply margined with ferruginous ; the chin is dusky 

 brown ; the whole under parts, from chin to vent, in- 

 cluding the thighs, under tail-coverts, and under coverts 

 of the wings, bright ferruginous without spot, except 

 the shafts being somewhat darker, appearing on close 

 inspection like fine slender streaks ; the tail-feathers 

 have five alternate darker, and five paler, bars, but the 

 upper ones are nearly obsolete ; these bars on the outer 

 feather are bright ferruginous and white, with one bar 

 near the end darker ; the second is similar, but has the 

 ferruginous bars inclining to chocolate brown, and the 

 white ones run into pale ferruginous on the outer webs ; 

 the three next become gradually darker, with the paler 

 bars less conspicuous, and more ferruginous than white; 

 the two middle feathers have the bars marked only by 

 a shade of difference in colour, and are scarcely de- 

 fined." 



Remarks. — Although in this species the ruff is ob- 

 solete, and the wings longer than in the others, there 

 can be no doubt as to the propriety of referring it to 

 the same genus ; the resemblance which it bears to the 

 common harrier being such, that the two species were 

 always confounded until Montagu pointed out their 

 differences. 



