MONTAGU'S HARRIER. 133 



deep in the middle. The discharge of the two barrels caused a Mallard 

 to rise from her nest in the rye about five and twenty yards off, and nearly 

 a mile from any water. 



Heine told us that Montagu's Harriers are very destructive to young 

 hares and partridges, but frogs, lizards, mice, moles, and grasshoppers form 

 its principal food. It is also fond of eggs. In Germany it arrives early 

 in March, and leaves in October. 



The number of eggs varies from four to six. They may be readily 

 distinguished from the eggs of the other British Harriers by their decidedly 

 smaller size. The largest egg in my collection measures 1'75 by 1*3 inch, 

 whilst the smallest is only 1'5 by T25 inch. Very frequently the shape of 

 the egg is much rounder. One from the Halberstadt nest measures 

 1'65 by 1'4 inch. The surface of the eggs is fine-grained, but not glossy, of 

 an unspotted greenish white. The example figured is an exceptional 

 variety, with pale reddish-brown spots, from the Volga. 



The adult male of Montagu's Harrier is a pale slate-grey bird, with 

 black primaries and a black bar across the secondaries. The inner web of 

 the outer tail-feathers is barred with reddish brown and white. The 

 uuderparts below the breast are white, with longitudinal streaks of reddish 

 brown on the axillaries and thighs. Cere, irides, legs, and feet yellow ; 

 claws black ; bill bluish black. Varieties occasionally occur which are 

 uniform dark brown all over. The females and immature males, as well 

 as the adult male, may be distinguished from the near allies of this species, 

 especially from C. swainsoni, by having the notch in the inner web of the 

 first primary and in the outer web of the second primary an inch beyond 

 the tip of the primary-coverts instead of being nearly or quite hidden 

 by them. 



The two birds which approach nearest to Montagu's Harrier in general 

 appearance, in consequence of having the lower portion of the underparts 

 streaked with rufous, are the two American species, C. cinereus and 

 C. hudsoniu.s. These birds, however, are forms of the Hen-Harrier, and 

 have, like that bird and the Marsh- Harrier, the outer web of the fifth 

 primary notched, which is not the case with C. cineraceus and C. swainsoni. 



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