THE Zoo.ocist—N OVEMBER, 1875. 4675 
What is remarkable in the plumage is the light yellow patch at the 
back of the head; if wanting in the young of the hen harriers (?) 
the species should be readily distinguished. It is playful, whirling 
round with open wings, then stopping to peck at one’s toes or pick 
up a straw, peering at one the while. It lies on its side basking 
in the sun, scratches its head, yawns, and closes its eyes at 
times, 
27th. Is now strong on the Wing, flying round the room in the 
most buoyant manner, Having caught it, I examined the quills 
and took some measurements :—Length from forehead to end of 
tail sixteen inches and a half; tail seven inches and a quarter, of 
a dull black, with four irregular bars of reddish brown, deepest on 
the exterior quills, all tipped with rufous but the two centre ones, 
which are gray at the points, and faintly barred with the same; all 
are of a yellowish white beneath on the inner webs; the centre 
feathers are a quarter of an inch and the exterior ones half an inch 
shorter than the rest. The primaries have also four bars of rufous, 
and are slightly tipped with the same; the fourth quill still exceeds 
the third by a quarter of an inch, and is three-quarters of an inch 
longer than the fifth; the first a quarter of an inch shorter than 
the second; the first four are sinuate on the inner web, and taper, 
the third and fourth being the most pointed. 
August 4th. Though tame with me, it will allow no one else to 
approach, flying from them in the greatest state of alarm. The 
dark loral space is much encroached on by plumelets and 
bristles, and between the eye and nasal sinus there is a black 
patch. 
llth. I find that the third primary now exceeds the fourth. 
Having been left longer than usual without food, it came to me 
with open wings, emitting a shrill plaintive note, and, clawing the 
meat from my hand, began to feed voraciously. 
16th. The third primary is three-quarters of an inch longer 
than the rest, and the closed Wing reaches to within half an inch 
of the end of the tail. Underneath the primaries are transversely 
barred with black and white, giving the wing a checkered ap- 
pearance; inner secondaries grayish and yellowish white on the 
inner webs, and both primaries and secondaries have a rufous 
linge. Tarsus concealed for a third of its length; it has become 
rough and scaly, and the scutella on toes much enlarged. It 
drinks freely, often Standing knee-deep in water, with which it 
