of Central Bulgaria. 413 



another bird, when, to my great satisfaction, it passed close to 

 me, and I shot it. 



TiNNUNCULUs ALAUDARius, G. R. Gray. Kestrel. 



Throughout the whole country lying between the Black Sea 

 and the Danube the Kestrel is abundant, and is in fact the com- 

 monest of all the birds of prey. It seems to have no partidity 

 for any particular spot, it being equally abundant on the shores 

 of the two lakes of Devna, the Pravidy valley, the moorlands 

 about Shitangick, and the forest country to the east of Rodgrad. 



AsTUR PALUMBARius (Linn.). Gos-Hawk. 



Almost as rare a bird as the Kestrel is common ; I have, how- 

 ever, noticed a few specimens. One was shot in the autumn of 

 1865 by my friend Mr. Gripper, near Kialdery. We had been 

 out after Partridges ; and on returning, close to the village, sit- 

 ting on a native-made gate, was a fine Gos-Hawk, which my 

 friend shot and preserved. 



Circus ^ruginosus (Linn.). Marsh Harrier. 



About the marshes that surround the lakes of Devna, but 

 more particularly the upper lake, this species is very abundant. 

 I have also met with it in various other parts of the country; 

 indeed I have a specimen that I shot at the southern extremity 

 of the Pravidy valley, that is better marked than any other spe- 

 cimen that I have seen — the ash-colour on the wings being par- 

 ticularly clear and well defined. 



Circus cyaneus (Linn.). Hen-Harrier. 



On the moors to the eastward of Shumla, Hen-Harriers are 

 extremely numerous during the autumn months ; but at no other 

 time of the year have I noticed them. At that season I have 

 occasionally seen as many as thirty and more at a time hovering 

 over and hunting the country ; but they appeared to be mostly 

 birds of the year. 



Circus cineraceus (Mont.). Ash-coloured Harrier. 



The existence of this bird in Bulgaria is, I think, doubtful. 

 On the mai'shes surrounding the upper Devna Lake, I have 

 noticed a fine specimen of a Harrier that I took for this bird, 

 but I was never able to procure a specimen ; my friend, Mr. 



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