148 HEN HARRIER 



midable war against small birds, reptiles, and mice. The Harriers 

 or Harrows are so called from their harrying propensities. Of similar 

 import is the etymology of the English word ' havoc ', which may 

 be clearly traced to the Anglo-Saxon hafoc, or hawk. The habit 

 of the Marsh Harrier is not to station itself on a tree or rock, thereon 

 to explore the country ; but while hunting, it is always on the 

 wing, skimming along the ground, and beating about the bushes 

 with a noiseless, unsteady flight, and always taking its prey on 

 the ground. Rabbit-warrens afford this bird a favourite hunting- 

 ground, where it either pounces on such living animals as it can 

 surprise, or performs the office of undertaker to the dead bodies 

 of rabbits killed by the weasels, burying them in the grave of its 

 craw. In this ignoble office it is said to be sometimes assisted 

 by the Buzzard, and both birds have been accused of setting to 

 work before their unhappy victim has breathed its last. On the 

 seashore, the Marsh Harrier commits great depredations among 

 young water-fowl, and is often mobbed and driven from the neigh- 

 bourhood by the assembled old birds. The Partridge and Quail 

 often, too, fall victims to its voracity, so that the Marsh Harrier 

 receives no quarter from gamekeepers. It places its nest generally 

 near water, in a tuft of rushes, or at the base of a bush, constructing 

 it of sticks, rushes, and long grass, and lays three or four eggs. 



The Marsh Harrier is a widely dispersed species, being found, 

 says Temminck, in all countries where there are marshes. It 

 occurs now but sparingly in most parts of Great Britain and Tre- 

 and. It is better known as the Moor Buzzard. 



HEN HARRIER 



CIRCUS CYANEUS 



Tail longer than the wings ; third and fourth primaries of equal length ; 

 upper plumage of the male bluish grey ; lower white. Upper plumage 

 of the female reddish brown ; lower, pale reddish yellow, with deep 

 orange brown longitudinal streaks and spots. Beak black ; cere greenish 

 yellow ; irides reddish brown ; feet yellow ; claws black. Length, male, 

 eighteen inches ; female, twenty inches Eggs white. 



The Hen Harrier and Ringtail were formerly considered distinct 

 species ; and no wonder ; for not only are they different in size, 

 but dissimilar in colour, one having the upper parts grey, the lower 

 white ; and the other the upper parts reddish brown, and various 

 parts of the plumage of a light colour, barred and streaked with 

 deep brown. The experienced ornithologist, Montagu, suspect- 

 ing that they were male and female of the same species, under- 

 took to clear up the matter by rearing a brood taken from the 

 same nest. The result was that at first there was no great 

 difference except in size, all having the dark plumage of the Hen 



