BUTEONIN^. 95 



scuta in front; toes rather short, not very unequal; talons 

 sharp, well curved ; hind toe short. 



The Harriers are a well marked group found over all the world, 

 characterized by a slender form, a soft and somewhat downy 

 plumage, and hence a noiseless flight; generally of light grey color 

 in the males, brown in the females, with rather large eyes and 

 ears, and they clearly form tlie nearest link among the FnlconidcB to 

 the Owls, by their facial disk and soft plumage. In their habits 

 they are more on the wing than most birds of prey, and hunt near 

 the ground. They feed on insects, reptiles, small mammals, and 

 young and sickly birds, and always roost on the ground. They are 

 found all over the world. Some naturalists divide them into two 

 sub-genera, the one typified by the Marsh Harrier, the other by 

 the Common Harrier. 



1st. — True Harriers. 



Striglceps, Bon ; Spilocircus, and Glaucopteryx, Kaup. 



50. Circus cyaneus, Lm. 



Falco, apud LiNN^us — Bltth, Cat. 89 — Horsf., Cat. 29 — F. 



pygargus, L. (the female) — F. albidus, Gmel. — Gould, Birds of 



Europe, pi. 33. 



The Hen-Haerier. 



Descr. — ]\Iale, above, pale bluish grey, darker on the centre of the 

 back, pearly grey on the throat and breast ; tail grey, the inner webs 

 of most of the feathers paler, changing to white on the outermost 

 pair, and very obscurely banded ; the upper tail coverts, belly, 

 vent, thighs, inner wing coverts and axillaries, pure white. 



Length 16 to 17 inches ; wing 14 ; tail 9. 



The female is umber brown above, edged lighter ; the feathers 

 of the ruff, (which is well marked) yellowish white, streaked 

 with brown ; quills brown ; rump pure white ; tail barred with 

 umber and yellowish brown ; beneath ochraceous, streaked with 

 brown, except on the thighs and under tail coverts. 



Length 18 to 20 inches; wing 16; tail 10; tarsus 3; middle 

 toe and claw 1 f . The auricular feathers are long and loose in 

 their structure. The wings do not reach to within 1^ inches of 

 the end of the tail. 



