100 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



ably sacrifice his nestlings' welfare and 

 lives to his own wretched carcase. He is 

 a disgrace to his honourable family and 

 different, indeed, to his gallant little cousin, 

 the Falcon, a gentleman from beak to talon 

 tip. Harriers are fairly plentiful on 

 Tutira, and begin to lay in the early days 

 of October. This year, while photographing 

 Fern Birds on the 23rd of that month, we 

 noticed a pair of Harriers circling and 

 wheeling, evidently above their nest. 



Knowing, however, the character of the 

 species, and wishing to run no risks of 

 desertion, the site was not actually visited 

 until November 3rd. The nest was built 

 on tangled fern growth of six or seven 

 years, and the eggs, four in number and 

 of a dirty dead white colour, lay on dried 

 grasses and rush, amongst which were 

 scattered a few feathers, big and little. 



They hatched out shortly afterwards, and 

 a preliminary screen at a short distance, 

 and made of the surrounding scrub, was 

 hastily run up when the youngest nestling 

 was about four days old. 



