92 Falconidce. 



Formerly it was not by any means uncommon in this county. 

 Indeed, Montagu mentions Wiltshire as one of its haunts in his 

 day ; but now I seldom hear of its appearance within our 

 borders. Nor has the Rev. A. P. Morres ever met with it near 

 Salisbury, but reports three specimens all from Wiltshire in 

 Mr. Rawlence's collection at Wilton, one having been obtained 

 near Salisbury and the other two from Kingston Deverill, near 

 Warminster. In North Wilts a fine example, measuring 3 feet 

 2 inches across the wings, was shot at Easton, October 25th, 

 1876, by Mr. Hunter, and was recorded by Mr. Grant, of Devizes ; 

 as was another, shot on the plain above Netheravon in August, 

 1869 ; one shot by Mr. Sargent, of Enford, in February, 1876 ; 

 and one killed by Mr. Turner, park-keeper at Erlestoke, in 

 August, 1878. 



Its true home lies in the shores and islands of the Mediter- 

 ranean. In the Ionian Islands and in Greece it is most abun- 

 dant, as the snipe-shooter knows to his chagrin, for it constantly 

 spoils his sport by disturbing his game. In Spain it is very 

 common, as also in Malta, where it is known as Bu-ghadam, or 

 the ' Father of Bones/ in allusion to its great osseous develop- 

 ment, a title which it shares with all the other species of this 

 genus known to the Maltese.* But in Egypt it literally swarms ; 

 of all the Harriers which frequent that paradise of rapacious 

 birds, this is certainly the most common, and I shot a fine series, 

 and could have obtained any number of specimens with the 

 greatest ease. In Sweden it is called Rodbrun Kdrr-Hok, or 

 ' Red-brown Marsh Hawk ;' in France, ' Busard de Marais ;' and 

 in truth it loves marshy districts and moors, from which it de- 

 rives the English specific name ' Marsh ' Harrier, and the pro- 

 vincial one of ' Moor ' Buzzard, and here in a tuft of grass or 

 rushes it makes its nest. So in Germany it is Brandweihe and 

 Wasserweihe ; but in Italy Falco albanella con il collare ; and 

 in Spain Milano and Arpella. In the fenny districts of England 

 and Wales it was formerly very abundant, but now, even in its 

 favourite haunts, it is becoming scarcer every day, and will 

 Ibis for 1864, p. 46. 



