HARRIERS. 137 



Genus, Circus. 

 Harriers, Generic Characters. 



The birds of this genus show a marked approximation to the 

 owls on the one hand, and to the buzzards and hawks on the 

 other. The form of the bill, the reflected bristles between the 

 bill and the eye, and the peculiar ruff surrounding the face, 

 resemble those owls which, from hawking in the daytime, 

 receive the name of Accipitrine owls. Their bill bends from the 

 base, rather weak, much compressed, forming a narrow rounded 

 culmen or central ridge ; the tomia or cutting edge of the upper 

 mandible has a very small festoon or sinuation near the middle 

 of the bill, under mandible concave, its edges fitting into the 

 grooves of the upper, showing that strength of bill was not so 

 much needed as in the more typical falcons and hawks. Wings 

 long ; tail long and slightly rounded ; tarsi long and slender, 

 like the sparrow-hawk's (but toes shorter), feathered in front 

 below the knee-joint. Toes rather slender ; middle one longest, 

 the outer next in length ; claws moderately curved and sharp, 

 those of the inner and hind toes the largest. They are more 

 active than the rest of this sub-family ; and their flight, though 

 not remarkable for speed, is light and buoyant, and can be 

 supported for a long time in search of their prey — consisting of 

 birds, small quadrupeds, and reptiles, which, like the buzzards, 

 they seize on the ground. The plumage is very soft and blended, 

 especially in the females, which is almost as soft as some of the 

 owls'. When searching for food they fly low, with a gliding, 

 easy motion. They nestle on the ground, and lay three or four 

 eggs — seldom five. Three species are found in Britain — the 

 marsh harrier, the hen harrier, and the ash-coloured harrier. 

 They all differ from the typical buzzards by their long slender 

 form ; their lengthened tarsi, like the hawks' ; and the distinct 

 ruff of close-set feathers, which, like the owls, so far surrounds 

 their face. They have large eyes and ears, which bring them 

 also nearer the owls. 



