Field Note. ii 



{d) The band with Sangiiinolites ovalis discovered by Barnes^ 

 at Holt Head, has not yet been rediscovered. Its position is 

 therefore uncertain. 



{e) The fossiliferous grit at Pule Hill, Marsden, described by 

 Barnes and Holroyd, is probably between (3) and (5). 



Thanks are again due to Dr. Woodhead for assistance in 

 the field. 



Hen Harrier , Circus cyaneus L . , in Upper Wharfedale . 



— About the middle of October a pair of Harriers made its 

 appearance on Barden Fell. Unfortunately the birds confined 

 their attention to feeding upon Grouse — probably because there 

 was little else living in that neighbourhood excepting Red 

 Grouse. The local gamekeeper, who is an intelligent man 

 and does not destroy the Kestrels and Merlins, was upset by 

 the numbers of dead and partially eaten bodies of Grouse that 

 he found lying about. In his own words ' they flew round in 

 big circles, and then swooped down and shot along quite 

 low and very fast, in a straight line.' On November 9th he 

 shot one of the birds near to Simon's Seat. It was identified 

 by the Rev. C. F. Tomlinson, Rector of Bolton Abbey (who 

 measured it as 18 inches) and by his brother-in-law. Dr. W. F» 

 Buckle, as a male Hen Harrier, in immature plumage. The 

 hope of the keeper that the other bird would depart on the 

 demise of its mate was not realised, and on November 24th 

 he shot the second bird when it was actually devouring the 

 breast of a Grouse near Laund Pasture, Barden Fell. This 

 bird was forwarded to me en route to the taxidermist, and it 

 proved to be a female Hen Harrier, or ' Ring-tail.' I took it to 

 be in the last stage of immaturity by the tawny brown colour 

 between the five black bars of its tail. This was confirmed by 

 the taxidermist who wrote, ' it would have bred next year 

 (as it) contained small eggs.' Its total length was 20 in., its 

 wing measurement 19 inches (from carpal joint, 14I inches) and 

 its wing expanse 43 inches. It weighed i lb. 2 oz., and its 

 primaries were emarginated on both the outer and the inner 

 webs, from the second to the fifth inclusive. As the female 

 had been shot devouring the breast of a Grouse, I opened her 

 mouth, and with a skewer extracted quite a teaspoonful of 

 Grouse flesh from around her tongue, and in her gullet. This 

 was almost cut as fine as though it had been through a mincing 

 machine. Although it was undoubtedly Grouse flesh, it was 

 curiously entirely devoid of smell. I have to thank the Rev. 

 C. F. Tomlinson, for whom the female bird is being preserved, 

 for particulars of this record. The male is being preserved for 

 Dr. W. F. Buckle.— H. B. Booth, Ben Rhydding. 



1921 Jan. 1 



