370 FALCONID^ 



CIRCUS 



(Eriksson S. A. Mus.) ; Bhodesia Near Salisbury in summer 

 (Marshall). 



Habits. Montagu's Harrier is generally seen in open grass 

 country, over which it ranges with a low skimming flight in search 

 of its food; it is specially fond of burnt patches of ground and 

 also, according to Marshall, of country near swamps and streams 

 where termites' nests occur which shelter mice of various kinds. 



In addition to mice, small birds, and the eggs of those which lay 

 on the ground, small reptiles and large insects form a great part 

 of their diet. 



As this bird is only a migrant from the northern winter it is 

 unlikely that it will ever be found breeding here. In Europe the 

 nest is a mere hollow lined with dry grass and placed on the 

 ground ; four to five bluish-white eggs, sometimes plain, sometimes 

 spotted, are laid at the end of May, and the male bird is said to take 

 no part in the duties of incubation. 



550. Circus macrurus. Pale Harrier. 



Accipiter macrourus, S. G. Gmel. N. Comin. Petrop. xv, p. 439, pis. vii 



and ix (1771). 

 Circus swainsoni, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. i, no. 4, p. 384 (1830) ; 



id. Illustr. Zool, S. Afr. Aves, pis. 43, 44 (1840) ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. 



p. 34 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 148 [Potchefstroom] ; Gurney in 



Anderssori's B. Damar aland, p. 32 (1872). 

 Circus superciliaris, Smith, 8. Afr. Quart. Journ. i, no. 4, p. 385 



(1830). 

 Circus macrurus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 67 (1874) ; id. ed. Layard's 



B. S. Afr. pp. 11, 795 (1875-84) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 65 [Ceres] ; 



Ayres, Ibis, 1878, p. 283 ; 1880, p. 258 ; 1884, p. 218 ; Symonds, Ibis, 



1887, p. 325 [Kroonstad] ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 153 (1896) ; Wood- 



ward Bros Natal B. p. 139 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 255 



[Mashonaland ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 438 [Zambesi] ; Reiche- 



now, Vog. Afr. i, p. 534 (1901). 



Description. Adult male. Above, pale slaty-grey, the crown 

 rather darker, lores, eyebrow, and sides of the face white, the ear- 

 coverts slightly streaked with ashy; quills blackish-brown edged 

 ashy-grey; upper tail-coverts white subterminally spotted with 

 ashy ; middle tail feathers uniform ashy-grey, the others white 

 with four or five grey bars and tipped with white ; below, white 

 tinged with grey on the throat and upper breast ; wing and tail 

 feathers below nearly white with only traces of spots and bars. 



