126 HEN HARRIER. 
The young are at first covered with white down—the males 
are smaller than the females, and lighter coloured. The 
females, as they advance in age, change the brown for more 
of grey, and the light for greyish yellow; the bars on the 
wings shew more distinctly, from the intervals becoming 
lighter, which also encroach upon them. The males gradually 
change from brown to grey, commencing the change when 
about a year old: the former, however, is their bridegroom’s 
attire. When fully fledged, the bill is blackish brown, yellow 
at the base; cere, yellow; iris, dark brown; head and _ neck, 
brown edged with rufous; the ruff the same, but paler at 
the edges. Breast, brownish red, each feather having a 
central band of brown; back, rich brown; primaries and 
secondaries, edged with brownish grey, the dark bands indis- 
tinct, except on the inner webs. The tail has four bands of 
dark brown, and four of pale red, the end one of the latter 
colour fades into white; upper tail coverts, white spotted with 
brown; legs, yellow; toes, blackish brown. 
