MARSH HARRIER. 51 



which predominate on the abdomen and under tail coverts. 

 Entire upper parts brown ; on the head mixed with rufous, and 

 with white spots on the wing coverts and shorter quills and rump. 

 Quills brownish black, with white spots on their outer webs, and 

 with bars of a lighter shade of brown and of white on their inner 

 webs; tail brownish black, with about five transverse bands of 

 white and tipped with white. 



Young. Entire under parts yellowish white, with longitudinal 

 stripes and oblong spots of dark brown; throat dark brown; 

 upper parts lighter ashy brown, with many partially concealed spots 

 and bars of white ; quills dark brown, with wide transverse bars 

 of rufous and white on both webs; tail ashy brown, with numerous 

 bands pale brownish and rufous white ; tail beneath silvery white. 



Total length, female 21 to 23 inches; wing, 14; tail, 9 inches; 

 male, 18 to 20 inches; wing, 12; tail, 8 inches. 



THE MARSH HARRIER. 



CIRCUS ^ERUGINOSUS. 



NEARLY all the Scottish specimens of the Marsh Harrier which I 

 have had an opportunity of examining have been birds of the first 

 and second year's plumage. It appears to be of much rarer occur- 

 rence in most districts than the hen harrier; and in the Long 

 Island especially, where the nature of the ground is so attractive 

 to a bird of its habits, it is but very seldom seen, while its con- 

 gener, the ring-tail, may be called abundant. I have seen it on 

 wing, passing sufficiently close to be recognised, on the island of 

 Benbecula, and Macgillivray mentions having met with it on 

 Harris. It is possible, however, that it may be more common on 

 North and South Uist than my limited observations, especially in 

 the last named island, have led me to believe. The Rev. Alexander 

 Stewart of Ballachulish, author of a series of excellent papers on the 

 Natural History of Nether-Lochaber, published during the last 

 few years in the Inverness Courier, has kindly informed me that the 

 Marsh Harrier is comparatively common in that district, and also 

 in the district of Appin in Argyleshire. He has frequently seen 

 it on wing, and handled at least a dozen specimens shot in his 

 neighbourhood, during the last seven or eight years. 



On the east coast of Scotland I am most familiar with this bird 



