88 HISTORY OF 



lives more upon frogs, mice, and insects, which he can easily 

 seize, than upon birds, which he is obliged to follow. He lives in 

 summer by robbing the nests of other birds, and sucking their 

 eggs, and more resembles the owl kind in his countenance than 

 any other rapacious bird of day. His figure implies the stupid- 

 ity of his disposition ; and so little is he capable of instruction 

 from man, that it is common to a proverb, to call one who can- 

 not be taught, or continues obstinately ignorant, a buzzard. 

 The honey-buzzard, the moor-buzzard, and the hen-harrier, are 

 all of this stupid tribe, and differ chiefly in their size, growing 

 less in the order I have named them. The goss-hawk and 

 sparrow-hawk are what Mr Willoughby calls short-winged 



Allied to the Buzzards are the Harriers. They are bolder and more ac- 

 tive than the buzzards. They strike their prey upon the ground, and gene- 

 rally fly very low. 



The Marsh-Harriers abound in all the marshy districts of England and 

 Scotland, and, according to Montagu, are very numerous in Wales, where 

 they prey upon the rabbits that inhabit the sand-banks of the shores of Caer- 

 marthenshire. In Holland they are of course numerous, from the nature oJ 

 the country, and rare in Switzerland. 



The Hen Harrier, though not very numerous, is pretty generally foimd 

 throughout Britain, frequenting low marshy situations, or wide moors. 

 The fUght of the hen harrier is always low, but at the same time smooth and 

 buoyant. It is very destructive to game, which it pounces upon the ground ; 

 it also feeds upon small birds and animals, lizards and frogs. It breeds on 

 the open wastes, and frequently in thick furze covers ; the nest is placed on 

 the ground, and the eggs are four or five in number, of a skim-milk white, 

 round at each end, and nearly as large as the marsh harrier. The youug 

 males for the first year, are similar in appearance to the females, after 

 which they gradually assume the grey plumage that distinguishes the 

 adult. It is common in France, Germany, and Holland, inhabiting the low 

 and flat districts ; but in Switzerland, and all mountainous countries, it ia 

 of rare occurrence. 



The Ash-coloured Harrier.— The British Fauna is indebted to the re- 

 searches of Montagu for the discovery of this new species of falcon. The 

 resemblance it bears to the hen harrier was without doubt the cause of its 

 remaining so long unnoticed as a separate species, having in all probabiUty, 

 when previously met with, been considered only as a variety of that bird 



The Ash-coloured harrier is far from being numerous in England. It 

 Bkims along the sui-face of the ground, like the hen harrier, but with mora 

 rapid flight, and more strikingly buoyant. Lives upon small birds, lizards, 

 frogs, &c. Its nest is placed upon the ground, amongst furze or low brush, 

 wood. The eggs are generally four, and of a pure white. According to 

 Teraminck, it is found throughout Hungary, in Poland, Silesia, and Aus- 

 tria. It is common also in Dahnatia and the lUyrian provinces, but is of 

 rare occiurence in Italy. 



