90 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



and but few specimens of female, or immature 

 birds. Montagu's harrier is more frequently met 

 with. A male and female are in the possession of 

 a gentleman at Brighton, which were shot at 

 Wiversfield, in June, 1847. As both birds were 

 mature, and had been observed together for some 

 time previously, it is probable that their nest was 

 in the immediate vicinity. In September, 1844, a 

 male was shot by the Duke of Norfolk's head 

 keeper, near Arundel, and another in December of 

 the same year by a gentleman at West Wittering. 

 I have seen a beautiful specimen, an adult male, 

 at Hollycombe, which was obtained in that neigh- 

 bourhood on the borders of Wolmer Forest ; and 

 another, a female, which had been taken in a trap 

 baited with a rabbit's scut, at Oaf ham, in March, 

 1842. 



The hen harrier is, as I have said, much more 

 generally distributed ; and examples, for the most 

 part immature, are shot or trapped every year, 

 and figure either in the gamekeeper's larder or the 

 cabinet of the collector. 



Through this group of the Falconida we pass, 

 by an easy gradation, to the owls ; for the loose 

 and yielding character of the plumage, the pre- 

 sence of a facial disk, or ring of short, curled 

 feathers which partially defines the outline of the 

 face, and a general lightness and buoyancy of 



