CIRCUS. 89 



tail-covorts white, shading into ashy grey. Lores whitish. Abdomen, 

 flanks, thighs and under wing-coverts white, streaked with fawn ; the 

 axlllaries also with spots of the same colour. Cere greenish yellow. Feet 

 and irides yellow. 



Length. — 18 inches, wing 14 to 15, tail 9'5, tarsus 2'3. 



The adult female ditfers from the male in being nearly uniform brown 

 with scarcely any fulvous margins to the feathers. The hind head and 

 neckai'e streaked with fulvous, as also the sides of the neck and facial 

 ruff. Feathers under the eye whitish. Upper tail-coverts white ; tail brown 

 tipped Avith paler brown and. banded with five bars of darker brown. 

 Under surface of body bnffy white, the feathers with rufous centres ; 

 legs yellow ; irides hazel. 



Length. — 19 to 19-5 inches, wing 15"3, tail 8*7, tarsus 1'4. 



Hah. — The same as the last. In India it has been found in Madras, 

 Ceutral and N. W. Provinces, the Punjab, Sind, Kutch, Kattiawar, 

 Concans and Deccan, Behar and Nepaul ; also in Ceylon and Burmah. 



It is like the last a winter visitant to India generally. 



Circus seruginosus, LIilu. 8. N. i. p. 130; Savigny, Syst. 

 Ois. Egypt, p. 90; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 314; Shelley, Birds Egi/pt, 

 p. 181'; Jerd. Birds of Lid. p. 99, No. 54; Sharpe, Cat. Ace. b! M. 

 p. 69; Murray, Hdbh., Zool., S)-c., Bind, p. 116; Hume, S. F. i. 

 p. 100. — The Marsh Harrier. 



Adult Male. — Above dai'k brown, the feathers of the upper surface 

 edged with rufous ; the smaller wing-coverts buffy and centred brown ; 

 primaries, coverts and secondaries bluish ashy, tipped very slightly 

 with pale white. Priuiaries blackish brown, palei' at the tips, whitislx 

 at base of inner web. Upper tail-coverts greyish white and tinged 

 with rufous. Tail bluish ash, slightly fulvescent beneath. Head, 

 neck and breast pale rufous or creamy buff, with dark brown streaks ; 

 under parts reddish brown, or pale rufous, as also are the thigh-coverts; 

 under wing-coverts buffy white, the axillaries with brown shaft-stripes. 

 Cere greenish yellow ; legs and irides yellow ; claws black. 



Length. — 19 to 21 "5 inches, wing 16, tail 9 to 10, tarsus 3*25. 



Adult Female. — Larger ; length 23 inches, wing 17, tail 10, tarsus 3"4. 



The young bird is uniform reddish brown, the head, neck and 

 cheeks in some stages being yellowish, rufous white, or white with 

 brown stripes on the crown ; upper tail-coverts rufous brown. 



Hab. — Europe generally, China, Japan, N. E. and S. Africa, and 

 throughout India, Burmah and Ceylon. In Sind and the Punjab it 

 occurs in great numbers, frequenting the maritime districts, rivers, 

 marshes, lakes and inundated fields, feeding on rats, luioe, frogs, fish, 

 &c. It occurs also in Kutch, Kattiawar, Jodhpore, North Guzerat, 

 Central and Southern India, the Deccan and Concans, Beloochistau, 

 Afghanistan, Eastern Turkistan, Gilgit, Nepaul, Malacca, and Upper 

 Pegu. 



12 z 



