208 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



latter is less clearly defined than in the case of 

 the owl. Again, the hawk owl is in its bearing 

 and shape so very like a hawk that it might at 

 first sight be mistaken for a member of that order. 

 There are three varieties of British harriers, viz., 

 the marsh harrier, the hen harrier, and Montagu's 

 harrier. Of these three birds, the measurements 

 are as follows : 



Marsh harrier, 21 to 23 inches. 

 Hen harrier, 21^ inches. 

 Montagu's harrier, 18 to 19 inches. 



It will be observed that the marsh harrier is 

 the largest of the three. It was formerly by no 

 means infrequent in England and Ireland, but, 

 sad to say, it has been nearly exterminated. It 

 is at times to be met with in the Eastern counties, 

 though very rarely nowadays. All three varieties 

 of the harrier may be recognized by their peculiar 

 manner of, as it were, beating the ground over 

 which they are hunting, backward and forward, 

 as a setter would beat a turnip-field. The pre- 

 vailing colour of the plumage of the marsh harrier 

 is a dark red-brown, the head, chin, and throat 

 varying in colour from a chocolate-brown to a 

 creamy-white, with blackish-brown streaks. The 

 wings and tail are long, the legs short and 

 slender. 



The hen harrier is by no means uncommon in 

 certain districts. I have noticed it occasionally 

 on the Wiltshire downs, and some two or three 



