FALCONIDJE. 31 



the latter, Yarrell says, twenty lizards were found in 

 the stomach of one killed near London. 



The nest is placed on the ground, the materials 

 used being only small sticks and short grass.* 



The general plumage of the adult male Hen Har- 

 rier is pale ash-grey in the upper parts (except the 

 tail-coverts and rump, which are white), including 

 some of the larger quill-feathers, also the upper part 

 of the breast. The first five quill -feathers are dusky 

 and grey, or white towards the roots. The under 

 parts of the plumage are pure unspotted white, in- 

 cluding the under surface of the wings ; a whitish 

 ruff nearly encircles the face ; on the nape is a patch 

 of black and white chequered feathers ; the beak is 

 black; cere pale yellow; irides and legs bright 

 yellow.f 



The description of the female bird is taken from 

 one in my own collection : Head streaked dark 

 brown and reddish brown ; a streak round and be- 

 hind the eye nearly white ; ear-coverts dark brown ; 

 ruff surrounding the face spotted dark brown and 

 very light brown, almost white ; a few whitish 

 feathers on the nape, streaked with dusky ; rest of 

 the neck brown, each feather bordered with light 

 rusty; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, secondaries 

 and tertials brown, many of the feathers edged with 



* Yarrell, vol. i., p. 109. 



f Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. i., p 98. 



