THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 69 



Order ACCIPITRES. 



Familij Falconid^. 



MARSH HARRIER. — Circus (eruginosm (Linn). 



A RARE visitant, believed to have formerly nested on 

 Dartmoor, which furnished Devonshire specimens 

 to the Exeter Museum. Of late years it has been 

 chiefly remarkable for its absence ; the only recent 

 specimen recorded, is a male bird, in the second 

 year's plumage, shot at Slapton Ley on November 

 1st, 1875, in the act of capturing a Coot. This is 

 the only specimen of the Marsh Harrier that Mr. R. 

 P. Nicholls has known to be obtained in the Kings- 

 bridge district (Zool. 1876. p. 4761). Mr. Rowe 

 speaks of this species as formerly numerous on our 

 moorlands, and Polwhele alludes to it as the Moor 

 Buzzard and as being destructive to game. 



HEN HARRIER.— C/Vrws cyaneus (Linn). 



A RARE resident. Though Polwhele does not appear 

 to name the Hen Harrier as a Devonshire bird, it 

 was certainly well established in the county a few 

 years later, when Montagu investigated its habits 

 and plumage. In 1802 we find Montagu remarking : 

 " During the whole of one summer we happened to 

 be situated where we saw several Hen Harriers 

 every day, frequently three or four on wing 

 together ; and yet, from the month of March to 

 September, we never saw but one Ringtail " (Orn. 

 Diet, not paged). He then added:" It is remarkable 



