THE HARRIER 163 



Genus Circus. 



Upper mandible siniiated, the nostrils oval. Third and fourth 

 qnills nearly equal and longest. Legs slender, the hinder aspect 

 of the tarsus reticulate. Spread over the whole world. 



The Harrier. — Kahu. 

 Circus gouldi. 



Above, brown varied with rnfoi^s; over tlie tail, white with a rufous 

 bar near the tip of each feather. Tail, silver grey with brown bars. 

 Urder parts, rufous white with reddish brown stripes on the breast; the 

 thighs, with rufous streaks and spots. Eye yellow. Length of the wing, 

 16.5 inches; of the tarsus, 4 inches. Young, dark brown above, varied 

 with white at the back of the neck; below, reddish brown; the thighs, 

 rufous. Eye hazel. Egg — white; length, 1.9 inch. Both Islands, Chat- 

 ham Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, and East Australia. 



In open low country, in both Islands, the harrier is still 

 common. It may often be seen flying with lazy pinions near the 

 ground, or soaring into the air. It is stated that some years ago 

 it was one of the commonest of the larger birds met Avith on the 

 plains; but the efforts of the acclimatisation societies have altered 

 the position considerably. 



This big hawk possesses characteristics quite different from 

 those of the other two members of the family. It is not so 

 reckless as the ciuail-hawk, nor so swift in its movements as the 

 bush-hawk. "It soars aloft noiselessly," says Mr. Potts; "it 

 seldom appears to be hurried, but floats calndy in ascending- 

 circles, with its wings so apparently motionless that it might be 

 saluted as the albatross of the plains. Its course, unlike that of 

 the falcon, is generally circuitous." 



In its mode of pouncing on its prey, he adds, it discloses 

 peculiar craftiness. It will pretend to pass over its victim, then 

 suddenly turn, wheel, and rush noiselessly to the ground. It 

 plucks its spoil carefully, and picks the bones clean. It has often 

 been known to capture large birds, such as turkeys, and it has 

 even attacked a weak lamb. Offal and garbage are its principal 

 foods. One of its chief delights is to ransack a duck's nest, 

 robbing and eating the eggs. Lizards, cicadas, grasshoppers. 



