FALCONIDS. 31 
the latter, Yarrell says, twenty lizards were found in 
the stomach of one killed near London. 
The nest is placed on the ground, the materials 
used being only small sticks and short grass.* 
The general plumage of the adult male Hen Har- 
rier is pale ash-grey in the upper parts (except the 
tail-coverts and rump, which are white), including 
some of the larger quill-feathers, also the upper part 
of the breast. The first five quill-feathers are dusky 
and grey, or white towards the roots. The under 
parts of the plumage are pure unspotted white, in- 
eluding the under surface of the wings; a whitish 
ruff nearly encircles the face; on the nape is a patch 
of black and white chequered feathers; the beak is 
black; cere pale yellow; irides and legs bright 
yellow.+ 
The description of the female bird is taken from 
one in my own collection: Head streaked dark 
brown and reddish brown; a streak round and be- 
hind the eye nearly white; ear-coverts dark brown ; 
ruff surrounding the face spotted dark brown and 
very light brown, almost white; a few whitish 
feathers on the nape, streaked with dusky; rest of 
the neck brown, each feather bordered with lght 
rusty; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, secondaries 
and tertials brown, many of the feathers edged with 
* Yarrell; vol.i., p. 109. 
+ Meyer's ‘ British Birds,’ vol. i., p. 98. 
