FALCONID.E. 29 



a mountain thunder-shower; here little or no nest was 

 made, and the eggs, from three to five in number, were 

 merely laid on the bare earth, which had been scraped hol- 

 low. In marshy districts, as the fens of Cambridgeshire, 

 the nest, composed of flags, sedge, and reeds, is raised con- 

 siderably above the surface of the ground, in order to pro- 

 tect the eggs and young ones from the water by which the 

 low grounds are often flooded. The eggs, frequently of a 

 spotless bluish- white, at other times are slightly marked 

 with yellowish-brown. 



THE ASH-COLOURED HARRIER. Circus cineraceus. This 

 bird is also called Montagu's Harrier, from the circumstance 

 that Colonel Montagu first distinguished this species and 

 added it to the British Fauna. It is much rarer than the 

 preceding species, and we believe is not known to inhabit 

 Ireland or Scotland. The nest is rather slighter than those 

 of the other Harriers, but is composed, like them, of flags, 

 sedge, and rushes, and the eggs are seldom if ever spotted. 



THE MARSH HARRIER. Circus rufus. Tins bird de- 

 lights in low and marshy grounds, preying upon aquatic 

 animals and birds. It generally builds on the ground, but 

 raises its nest, composed of flags, reeds, and sedges, to a 

 considerable height, to avoid inundation. The eggs, from 



