THE HEN HARRIER. 



61 



It is about forests, heaths, and other retired places, especially in the 

 neighborhood of marshy grounds, where they destroy vast numbers 

 of Snipes, that these birds are usually seen. They sail with great 

 regularity all over a piece of marsh, till they discover their prey, 

 when they immediately pounce upon and seize it. 



A gentleman who was shooting in Hampshire, by chance sprung a 

 Pheasant in a wheat-stubble, and shot at it : notwith- 

 standing the report of the gun, it was pursued by a 

 Hen Harrier, but escaped into a covert. He then 

 sprung a second, and a third, in the same field, and 

 these likewise got away ; the Hawk hovering round 

 him all the while he was beating the field, con- 

 scious, no doubt, of the game that lurked in the 

 stubble. Hence we may conclude, that this bird of 

 prey was rendered daring and bold by hunger, and 

 that Hawks are not always in a condition to strike 

 their game. We may further observe, that they 

 cannot pounce on their quarry when it is on the 

 ground, where it might be able to make a stout 

 resistance since so large a fowl as a Pheasant could 



"EN HARRIER. 



