360 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Distribution—Appears in considerable numbers in the 
north of the Island during the north-east monsoon and 
spreads down the coast on both sides. It is not so common 
in the interior as the last species. In winter it is met with 
locally throughout India, but is very rare in Burma. It 
occurs over the greater part of Europe, Asia, and Africa. 
Habits, &c.—Much the same as those of other Harriers. It 
is largely crepuscular, and appears to be rather dazzled 
in broad daylight. It haunts swamps, marshes, and open 
country, and feeds mainly on frogs and lizards. It does not 
appear to breed south of the Himalayas. 
CIRCUS MELANOLEUCUS (Blanford, Vol. III., p. 385 ; 
Legge, p. 9). 
The Pied Harrier. 
Description.—Male : Head, neck, breast, back, and median 
wing coverts black, glossy above, but duller on the breast ; 
smaller wing coverts almost white ; the first six primaries and 
the tertiaries black, remainder of wing quills silver-gray, the 
secondaries with tips and inside borders of white ; rump 
white ; upper tail coverts white shaded with gray towards the 
ends ; tail feathers gray, the outer feathers paler, and with a 
considerable amount of white on the inner web ; lower parts 
from breast downwards clear white. 
Female : Upper plumage dark brown ; the feathers of the 
crown and neck edged with rufous ; nape feathers with broad 
white borders and bases; a distinct ruff of small whitish 
feathers with dark brown shaft-stripes; cheeks and ear 
coverts dirty-white, streaked with brown ; the smaller wing 
coverts along the bend of the wing white with brown streaks ; 
greater wing coverts and secondaries with broad brown bands ; 
primaries blackish-brown ; upper tail coverts white with some 
rufous markings ; tail smoky-gray with brown bands. The 
lower parts from the ruff downwards white with brown stripes, 
which are very broad on the neck and breast, but narrower 
and tending to disappear on the abdomen. 
Young birds are like females, but are more uniformly brown 
above and have no gray on the wings and tail, which are 
