FOR CAGES AND A VI ARIES. 101 



THE WHITE-HEADED HARPY. See Harrier 

 (Marsh). 



THE HARRIERS. 

 The Hen-Harrier. 



The male Hen-Harrier (which reads somewhat like a 

 contradiction in terms) is by no means "a common 

 object" in this country, and does not appear ever to have 

 been of frequent occurrence, at least of late years ; it is 

 one of our smaller Hawks, measuring something over 18 

 inches, and weighing about a pound (the female is decidedly 

 larger). His general colour is bluish-grey, darker on the 

 upper than on the lower surface ; the feathers of the neck 

 have a dark edging, and those of the tail, except the central 

 pair, are crossed by fine narrow bands of a blackish-grey. 

 The head is grey, and the cere yellow; the legs and feet 

 are yellowish-grey, darker behind than in front. The female 

 is much browner, especially on the back, and she is less 

 spotted than her partner; even in the nest the distinctions 

 of size and colour are apparent, the females being always 

 darker and bigger than the males. 



The nest, placed near or even on the ground under 

 furze or other dense cover, is composed of sticks, grass, 

 and other similar material ; it is loosely put together, and 

 displays little architectural skill on the part of the builder. 

 The eggs are four or five in number, and are of a light 

 greenish-blue ground colour sparsely spotted with yellowish 

 brown, but they vary a great deal in appearance. Bewick 

 described some as of a reddish ground colour with 

 white spots. 



This species flies low, but strongly, and is said to be 

 destructive to young game, furred and feathered, for which 

 reason it has incurred the enmity of the gamekeepers 

 and their masters, and is rarely met with now-a-days in a 

 state of freedom in England, 



