THE HARRIERS. 



125 



Europe and the whole of Asia, Australia and New Zealand, 

 and even the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Although they 

 are really Long-legged Hawks, of the same type as the Sparrow- 

 Hawks, the ruff which they have round their face has suggested 

 their alliance with the Owls, and it is usual in works on Natural 

 History to find the Harriers placed near the Owls on account 

 of this peculiarity, which, however, is shared by the Ruffed 

 Gos-Hawks (Micrastur\ and no one has as yet suggested 

 that the latter are allied to Owls. In my opinion, this single 

 character shows no absolute affinity whatever between the 

 Harriers or the Ruffed Gos-Hawks and the Owls, which are 

 altogether distinct and separate. That the genus Mtcrastur and 

 the genus Circus have certain relationship is further proved by 

 the fact that both genera have the hinder aspect of the tarsus 

 covered with reticulate scales. 



Three species of Harriers are found in Great Britain. They 

 are all now more or less rare, but were more common before 

 the draining of the marsh-lands deprived them of so much 

 of their congenial habitat. 



I. THE HEN-HARRIER. CIRCUS CYANEUS. 



Falco cyaneus. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 126 (1766). 

 Circus cyaneus, Macgill. Brit. B. iii. p. 366 (1860); Newton, 

 ed. Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 132 (1871); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. i. p. 52 (1874); Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 431, pis. 75, 

 76 (1879); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 93 (1883); Seebohm, 

 Brit. B. i. p. 128 (1883) ; Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 307 

 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xxi. (1892). 



(Plate XLIL) 



Adult Male. Clear blue-grey or bluish ash-colour, lighter on 

 the greater wing-coverts, which are silvery-grey ; under-parts 

 white, the throat and upper breast blue-grey ; base of fore- 

 head and lores whitish, the ruff also mottled with white; 

 primary quills black both above and below, with a white 

 base to the inner web; the secondaries silvery-grey, with 

 black shafts, and an indistinct sub-terminal band of black ; 

 upper tail-coverts white; tail-feathers ashy-grey, tipped with 

 white, the four central feathers uniform, the rest more or less 

 white on the inner webs, with remains of ashy bars; cere 

 yellow : bill bluish-black ; feet yellow, claws black ; iris 



