A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 117 



CIRCUS PYGARGUS* 



246. Circus pygargus (L.) MONTAGU'S HARRIER. 



FALCO PYGARGUS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. x, i, p. 89] (1758 Europe. 



Ex Albin. Typical locality : England). 



Circus cineraceus (Montagu), Yarrell, I, p. 138 ; Saunders, p. 319. 



DISTRIBUTION. England and Wales. Summer-resident (April to 

 Oct., sometimes Nov.). Nests (or attempts to) annually East Anglia 

 and occasionally elsewhere, as in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Hants., 

 Isle of Wight, Dorset., Cambs., Sussex, Surrey, Yorks. and Merioneth, 

 and possibly Notts, and Northumberland in recent years. Scotland. 

 Rare vagrant ; about seven in southern half of mainland, one of 

 which (June 15, 1881) may possibly have nested in Solway area. 

 Ireland. Rare vagrant. One Queen's co., eleven in or near co. 

 Wicklow, where may possibly sometimes breed. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Temperate portions of Europe and Asia, 

 also north-west Africa. In winter in Africa and India. 



CIRCUS CYANEUS 



247. Circus cyaneus (L.) THE HEN-HARRIER. 



FALCO CYANEUS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. xn, i, p. 126 (1766 Ex Edwards. 



Typical locality : near London). 



Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 132 ; Saunders, p. 317. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Resident and winter-visitor. As 

 breeder now practically confined to Orkneys, O. Hebrides and some 

 mountain districts of Ireland. In England and Wales has nested 

 in recent years Cornwall, Hants., and Carnarvon, and possibly Devon, 

 but otherwise only a winter-visitor. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. North and central Europe to north Italy, 

 north Asia, in winter in north India, and Africa as far as the Sahara, 

 Nubia and, apparently, Abyssinia. The existence of other races is 

 not yet a settled question. 



ACCIPITER GENTILISf 



248. Accipiter gentilis gentilis (L.) THE GOSHAWK. 



FALCO GENTILIS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 89 (1758 "Habitat 

 in Alpibus," by which, however, the Scandinavian Alps are meant in 

 the first instance, as is quite clear from other statements of Linnaeus). 

 Astur palumbarius (Linnaeus), Yarrell, I, p. 83 ; Saunders, p. 331. 



* Linnaeus based the name pygargus on Albin's unmistakable figure of an 

 English bird, and it must therefore be accepted, as it has just half a century's 

 priority over Montagu's name. E.H. 



f Goshaw r ks and Sparrow-Hawks cannot be separated generically. Linnaeus 

 described the Goshawk twice, thinking the young and old were two different 

 species, and the name gentilis, standing first, must be and has recently been 

 largely accepted. E .H. 



