34 THE BIRDS OF OXFORDSHIEE. 



adjoin Waterperry Wood in tliis county, and as the birds 

 were shot so close to our borders, and it is in the hig-hest 

 degree probable that if they inhabited the woods for a 

 short time they would have frequently crossed and recrossed 

 the purely artificial boundary, I have included them in this 

 account. 



THE MARSH HARRIER, 



Circus (eruginosus. 

 The Marsh Harrier was formerly not uncommon in Mid- 

 Oxon. The Rev. A. Matthews writes, ' I never heard of 

 a nest, but have frequently seen, and sometimes killed, this 

 species^ {in lit.). This was prior to 1854, since which date I 

 have no note of its occurrence in the county. In Dr. Lamb^s 

 time (1814) it was the most common hawk in the marshes 

 about Newbury, Berks, but rare about Reading", and it may 

 have bred in those days upon Otmoor. 



/9 



THE HEN HARRIER. ' ^ 



Circus cijanens. 

 The Hen Harrier is an occasional visitor of rare occurrence, 

 probably breeding* in the county in former days. The old 

 keeper, Cook, before mentioned, described to me some hawks 

 nearly as large as the Kite which were common when he was 

 young, early in the century. He called them ' Partridge 

 Hawks ^ and said they flew low over the fields, quartering 

 them regularly up and down like Pointers. These were no 

 doubt of this species. The Hen Harrier was apparently not 

 uncommon in Mid-Oxon forty years ago, the Messrs. 

 Matthews stating that 'males of this species are somewhat 

 rare; the females more frequently met with.' Mr. John 

 Worley of Brize Norton informed the Rev. J. W. B. Bell, in 

 1888, that he had killed two in the last fifty years, the last 

 about sixteen years previously. One in the grey plumage of 

 the adult male was seen by Mr. W. W. Fowler in the water- 



