384 FALCONIDjE. 



The young of C. cineraceus are distinguished by the ruff being 

 indistinct and streaked throughout in place of the conspicuous 

 buff ruff of C. macrurus ; the lower surface, too, is darker and more 

 distinctly streaked. At all ages C. cineraceus may be recognized by 

 its short tarsus, and by the notch or emargination on the outer 

 web of the second primary being about an inch beyond the ends 

 of the greater coverts, whilst in C. macrurus the notch is close to 

 them. 



Bill black ; cere greenish yellow ; iris yellow, brownish yellow 

 in the female ; legs and feet yellow. 



Length of females about 19 ; tail 9'25 ; w r ing 15-5 ; tarsus 2*4 : 

 length of males about 17 ; tail 9 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2'3. 



Distribution. The greater part of Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

 Montagu's Harrier is migratory, and is found locally throughout 

 India and Ceylon from October to April. It occurs in Assam, 

 but is very rare in Burma, though it is said to be found there. It 

 is not known in Tenasserim, but has been doubtfully recorded from 

 the Malay Peninsula (Ibis, 1881, p. 368). 



Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of C. macrurus, but this bird 

 is more local and avoids the dry stony plains and scrub-jungle 

 more than the Pale Harrier does. 



1235. Circus cyaneus. The Hen-Harrier. 



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



Circus cyaneus, Blyth, Cat. p. 20; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 95; King, 

 J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 213 ; Blanford, J.A.S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, 

 p. 166 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 293 ; id. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, 

 p. 114 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 341 ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. \. p. 52 ; 

 Hume, Cat. no. 50; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 226; Biddulph, Ibis, 

 1881, p. 42 ; Scully, ibid. p. 421. 



Coloration. Adult male. Similar to that of C. macrurus, except 

 that the ashy grey of the upper plumage is somewhat darker and 

 extends over the chin, throat, and upper breast, there is a 

 distinct white nuchal patch with brown shaft- stripes, the terminal 

 half of the first six primaries is black, and the upper tail-coverts 

 are pure white. 



The adult female is distinguished from that of C. macrurus by 

 having the margins of the head- and neck-feathers more rufous, by 

 the rufous markings on the wing-coverts and scapulars being 

 larger and more in the form of spots, by the white around the eye 

 being more sullied, and the moustachial stripe and ear-coverts 

 being rufous with dark streaks instead of nearly uniform brown, 

 and by the upper tail-coverts being pure white. The ruff is 

 well marked. 



Young birds have the lower parts buff or pale rufous, with 

 distinct broad shaft-stripes, and the ruff, though distinct, is always 

 striated. 



At all ages this species is distinguished from C. macrurus and 

 C. cineraceus by having the 5th primary notched on the outer web, 



