CIRCUS. 225 



more slender accipitrine birds, and the bill shew- 

 ing a marked attenuation or weakness towards 

 the tip ; but the circumstance of a ruff-like disk 

 surrounding the face, has called the attention of 

 every observer, and with the largely developed 

 ears, at once points to the owls as close allies. 



The colours and changes of plumage in all the 

 species are very similar ; both sexes are clothed 

 in the same livery until after the second moult, 

 and are so much alike as hardly to be distin- 

 guished except in size. In the males, the change 

 is to shades of grey ; in the females, to a lighter 

 tint of the reddish or darker browns which appear 

 to be the prevalent colours of the whole. The 

 upper tail coverts are commonly lighter, and shew 

 a very striking bar or band during flight. The 

 eggs of the Harriers are pure white, or greenish 

 whifcj generally unspotted. (See Plate XXV. 

 figs. 1, 2.) 



CIRCUS. Generic characters. Bill bending 

 from the base, compressed, weak, tip attenu- 

 ated, edges of the mandible with a slight 

 lobe ; nostrils large, nearly oval, and almost 

 concealed by the hairs at the base of the 

 bill ; face, with a facial ruff, the feathers 

 of u approaching in structure to those of 

 the owls ; ears large ; wings long, fourth 

 quill slightly exceeding the third in length, 



